List of Billboard number-one R&B singles of the 1940s
The first Billboard R&B chart appeared in the issue dated October 24, 1942, as the Harlem Hit Parade.[1] Reportedly, chart positions were determined by an informal poll of record store owners in Harlem, New York.[2] In February 1945, the primary R&B chart became the Most Played Juke Box Race Records, which was based on reports from juke box operators throughout the United States. A companion chart, Best Selling Retail Race Records, was introduced in May 1948 and compiled based on a survey of record stores nationwide in which the majority of customers purchased R&B records. In June 1949, the term "race" in the two charts was replaced with "rhythm and blues".[3]
Below is the list of songs that reached number one on each of these charts from its inception in 1942 through December 1949. Because of the existence of multiple charts, some dates have more than one number-one song for the week.[4]
Number-one R&B songs
| Issue date | Song | Artist(s) | Weeks at No. 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | |||
| 19 February | "Boogie Chillen" | John Lee Hooker | 1 week |
| 26 February | "The Deacon's Hop" | Big Jay McNeeley's Blue Jays | 1 week |
| 5 March | "The Huckle-Buck" | Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers | 14 weeks* |
| 4 June | "Trouble Blues" | The Charles Brown Trio | 15 weeks |
| 20 August | "Ain't Nobody's Business" (Parts 1 & 2) | Jimmy Witherspoon | 1 week |
| 10 September | "Roomin' House Boogie" | Amos Milburn | 2 weeks |
| 17 September | "All She Wants to Do Is Rock" | Wynonie Harris | 2 weeks* |
| 17 September | "Tell Me So" | The Orioles | 1 week |
| 24 September | "Baby Get Lost" | Dinah Washington | 2 weeks |
| 8 October | "Beans and Corn Bread" | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | 1 week |
| 15 October | "Saturday Night Fish Fry" | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | 12 weeks* |
| 24 December | "For You My Love" | Larry Darnell | 8 weeks* |
An asterisk (*) after a song title means that the song lost and then regained the number-one spot.
References
- ^ "New Chart Book Chronicles History of R&B Hitmakers". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 9. February 26, 2000. p. 104. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ Campbell, Michael (2012). Popular Music in America:The Beat Goes On. Cengage Learning. p. 160.
- ^ George, Nelson (June 26, 1982). "Black Music Charts: What's in a Name?". Billboard. Vol. 94, no. 25. p. 10. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. xi-xiv. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.