List of Best Selling Soul Singles number ones of 1969
![Singer James Brown](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/James-Brown_1973.jpg/400px-James-Brown_1973.jpg)
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by Billboard that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1969, it was published under the title Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles through the issue of Billboard dated August 16 and Best Selling Soul Singles thereafter. During that year, 17 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets.[1]
In the issue of Billboard dated January 4, Marvin Gaye was at number one with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", the song's fourth week in the top spot.[2] Gaye returned to number one in June with "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" and was one of three acts to have two number ones in 1969 along with James Brown and the Temptations. Gaye's cumulative total of ten weeks in the top spot was the most achieved by any artist and the six weeks which "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" spent atop the chart was the year's longest unbroken run at number one. The chart-topping singles of Brown and the Temptations showcased new developments in black music, as Brown's tracks centred on the funk style, which had been developing since the mid-1960s as a harder-edged alternative to soul music and would continue to grow in popularity in the 1970s,[3] and the Temptations brought new elements to their style leading to their identification with the psychedelic soul sub-genre.[4]
Several acts topped the R&B/soul singles chart in 1969 for the first time, beginning with Tyrone Davis, who replaced Marvin Gaye in the top spot in the issue of Billboard dated February 1 with his first number one, "Can I Change My Mind".[5] The next number one was also a debut chart-topper, as Sly & the Family Stone reached the peak position for the first time with "Everyday People",[6] which also topped the all-genre Hot 100 chart.[7][8] Sly Stone and his band would prove key in the development of the funk and psychedelic soul sounds in the early 1970s.[7] The Isley Brothers, Joe Simon and the Originals all also gained the first number ones of their careers during 1969.[9] The year's final number one was "Someday We'll Be Together" by Diana Ross & the Supremes, which reached the peak position in the issue of Billboard dated December 13 and stayed there for the remainder of the year. It was the group's last single to feature lead singer Diana Ross, who departed early in 1970 for a highly successful solo career.[10][11]
Chart history
![Singer Marvin Gaye](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Marvin_Gaye_1966_%28cropped%29.jpg/170px-Marvin_Gaye_1966_%28cropped%29.jpg)
![Singer Tyrone Davis](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Tyrone_Davis_oct_1970.jpg/170px-Tyrone_Davis_oct_1970.jpg)
![Musician Junior Walker](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Junior_Walker.png/170px-Junior_Walker.png)
† | Indicates best-charting R&B/soul single of 1969[12] |
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1995. Record Research Incorporated. p. xii. ISBN 9780898201154.
- ^ a b "R & B Chart for January 4, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "Funk Music Genre Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Ankeny, Jason. "The Temptations Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. p. 110. ISBN 9780898201154.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. p. 379. ISBN 9780898201154.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sly & the Family Stone Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ "Sly & the Family Stone Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1988. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 208, 315, 374. ISBN 9780898201154.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Supremes Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ Betts, Graham (2014). Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. ISBN 9781311441546.
- ^ "Billboard.com - Year End Charts - Year-end Singles - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for January 11, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for January 18, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for January 25, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for February 1, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for February 8, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for February 15, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for February 22, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for March 1, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for March 8, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for March 15, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for March 22, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for March 29, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for April 5, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for April 12, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for April 19, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for April 26, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for May 3, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for May 10, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for May 17, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for May 24, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for May 31, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for June 7, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for June 14, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for June 21, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for June 28, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for July 5, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for July 12, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for July 19, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for July 26, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for August 2, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for August 9, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for August 16, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for August 23, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for August 30, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for September 6, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for September 13, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for September 20, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for September 27, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for October 4, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for October 11, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for October 18, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for October 26, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for November 1, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for November 8, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for November 15, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for November 22, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for November 29, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for December 6, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for December 13, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for December 20, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
- ^ "R & B Chart for December 27, 1969". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2020.