Wikipedia

List of Billboard number-one R&B songs of 1958

At the start of 1958, Billboard magazine published two charts specifically covering the top-performing songs in the United States in rhythm and blues (R&B) and related African-American-oriented music genres. The R&B Best Sellers in Stores chart ranked records based on their "current national selling importance at the retail level", based on a survey of record retailers "with a high volume of sales in rhythm and blues records".[1] The Most Played R&B by Jockeys chart ranked songs based on the "number of plays on disk jockey radio shows" according to a weekly survey of "top disk jockey shows in all key markets".[1] With effect from the October 20 issue of Billboard, the magazine discontinued both charts and combined sales and airplay into one chart called Hot R&B Sides,[2] which has been continuously published since that date, since 2005 under the title Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.[3]

Musician Cozy Cole with two other musicians
Cozy Cole (center) was the second artist to top the combined Hot R&B Sides chart, introduced in October.

In the issue of Billboard dated January 6, Danny & the Juniors were at number one on the Best Sellers chart with "At the Hop" and Ernie Freeman held the top spot on the Jockeys chart with "Raunchy". Two weeks later, Freeman's single was replaced at number one by Bill Justis's recording of the same tune. The two versions of "Raunchy" were among nine songs which reached number one on the Jockeys chart but failed to top the Best Sellers listing. Conversely, four singles which reached the peak position on the sales chart did not top the airplay-based listing. "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters had the year's longest unbroken run at number one on the Best Sellers chart, spending six consecutive weeks in the top spot. The Silhouettes had the longest uninterrupted run atop the Jockeys chart, spending six weeks in the peak position with "Get a Job"; "Yakety Yak" also spent six weeks at number one on that listing, but not consecutively.

Elvis Presley, known as the "King of Rock and Roll",[4] gained his final R&B number one in 1958 when "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" topped the Jockeys chart. Presley had achieved several R&B number ones over the preceding two years, but as his music moved away from his rock and roll roots and into more sedate directions in the early 1960s he would experience less success on the R&B chart, and after 1963 he would not enter the listing again.[5][6] In contrast to Presley's lengthy and hugely successful career, both the Silhouettes and the Elegants reached number one in 1958 with the only singles of their respective careers to enter any of Billboard's charts: both the former group's "Get a Job" and the latter's "Little Star" topped both R&B charts as well as the magazine's pop listings,[7] but neither of the two doo-wop groups would ever chart again.[8][9][10] Justis, Pérez Prado, and the Kalin Twins also reached number one in 1958 with their only R&B chart entries, although they did place other songs in the pop charts.[11] The final number one on the Best Sellers chart was "It's All in the Game" by Tommy Edwards, and the last chart-topper on the Jockeys listing was Bobby Day's "Rock-in-Robin". The following week, Day's song became the first number one on the combined Hot R&B Sides chart. The year's final R&B chart-topper was "Lonely Teardrops" by Jackie Wilson, which reached the peak position in the issue of Billboard dated December 15 and stayed there for the remainder of the year.

Chart history

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R&B Best Sellers in Stores and R&B Most Played by Jockeys

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Ernie Freeman's version of "Raunchy" was displaced from number one by Bill Justis's version of the same tune.
 
The Champs reached number one with "Tequila".
 
David Seville gained a number one with the novelty song "Witch Doctor".
 
Tommy Edwards had the final number one on the Best Sellers in Stores chart with "It's All in the Game".
Chart history
Issue date Best Sellers Jockeys Ref.
Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s)
January 6 "At the Hop" Danny & the Juniors "Raunchy" Ernie Freeman [1]
January 13 [12]
January 20 Bill Justis [13]
January 27 "I'll Come Running Back to You" Sam Cooke [14]
February 3 "Get A Job" The Silhouettes [14]
February 10 "Get A Job" The Silhouettes [15]
February 17 [16]
February 24 [17]
March 3 [17]
March 10 "Sweet Little Sixteen" Chuck Berry [18]
March 17 "Sweet Little Sixteen" Chuck Berry [19]
March 24 [20]
March 31 "Tequila" The Champs [21]
April 7 "Tequila" The Champs [22]
April 14 [23]
April 21 [24]
April 28 "Twilight Time" The Platters [25]
May 5 "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" Elvis Presley with the Jordanaires [26]
May 12 [27]
May 19 "All I Have to Do Is Dream" The Everly Brothers [28]
May 26 "Witch Doctor" The Music of David Seville [29]
June 2 "All I Have to Do Is Dream" The Everly Brothers [30]
June 9 [31]
June 16 [32]
June 23 "Yakety Yak" The Coasters "What Am I Living For" Chuck Willis [33]
June 30 "Yakety Yak" The Coasters [34]
July 7 [35]
July 14 [36]
July 21 [37]
July 28 [38]
August 4 "Splish Splash" Bobby Darin [39]
August 11 "Patricia" Pérez Prado and his Orchestra [40]
August 18 "Yakety Yak" The Coasters [40]
August 25 "Just a Dream" Jimmy Clanton and his Rockets "Patricia" Pérez Prado and his Orchestra [41]
September 1 "Little Star" The Elegants "When" Kalin Twins [42]
September 8 "Little Star" The Elegants [43]
September 15 [44]
September 22 [44]
September 29 "It's All in the Game" Tommy Edwards [45]
October 6 "Rock-in-Robin" Bobby Day [46]
October 13 [47]

Hot R&B Sides

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Clyde McPhatter topped the chart in December with "A Lover's Question".
Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
October 20 "Rock-in-Robin" Bobby Day [48]
October 27 "Topsy II" Cozy Cole [49]
November 3 [50]
November 10 [51]
November 17 [52]
November 24 [53]
December 1 [54]
December 8 "A Lover's Question" Clyde McPhatter [55]
December 15 "Lonely Teardrops" Jackie Wilson [56]
December 22 [57]
December 29 [58]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. January 6, 1958. p. 48. Retrieved August 31, 2020 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Whitburn 2004, p. 15.
  3. ^ Molanphy, Chris (April 14, 2014). "I Know You Got Soul: The Trouble With Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Chart". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 21, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "Elvis: Remembering the King – 40 years on". BBC. August 16, 2017. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  5. ^ Unterberger, Ritchie. "Elvis Presley Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Whitburn 1988, pp. 333–334.
  7. ^ Whitburn 1988, pp. 136, 373.
  8. ^ Whitburn 2004, pp. 184, 525.
  9. ^ Wynn, Ron. "The Elegants Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Eder, Bruce. "The Silhouettes Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Whitburn 1988, pp. 232, 333.
  12. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. January 13, 1958. p. 78. Retrieved August 31, 2020 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. January 20, 1958. p. 80. Retrieved August 31, 2020 – via Google Books.
  14. ^ a b "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. February 3, 1958. p. 61. Retrieved August 31, 2020 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. February 10, 1958. p. 48. Retrieved August 31, 2020 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. February 17, 1958. p. 57. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved September 1, 2020 – via Google Books.
  17. ^ a b "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. March 3, 1958. p. 54. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
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  19. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. March 17, 1958. p. 35. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. March 24, 1958. p. 66. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
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  24. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. April 21, 1958. p. 54. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. April 28, 1958. p. 44. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  26. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. May 5, 1958. p. 117. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  27. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. May 12, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  28. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. May 19, 1958. p. 44. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. May 26, 1958. p. 46. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  30. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. June 2, 1958. p. 47. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  31. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. June 9, 1958. p. 38. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  32. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. June 16, 1958. p. 42. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  33. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. June 23, 1958. p. 50. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  34. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. June 30, 1958. p. 45. Retrieved September 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
  35. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. July 7, 1958. p. 41.
  36. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. July 14, 1958. p. 46.
  37. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. July 21, 1958. p. 79.
  38. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. July 28, 1958. p. 45.
  39. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. August 4, 1958. p. 54.
  40. ^ a b "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. August 18, 1958. p. 65.
  41. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. August 25, 1958. p. 45.
  42. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. September 1, 1958. p. 45.
  43. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. September 8, 1958. p. 49.
  44. ^ a b "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. September 22, 1958. p. 26.
  45. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. September 29, 1958. p. 59.
  46. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. October 6, 1958. p. 55. Retrieved September 1, 2020 – via Google Books.
  47. ^ "Rhythm & Blues Records". Billboard. October 13, 1958. p. 49. Retrieved August 31, 2020 – via Google Books.
  48. ^ "R & B Chart for October 20, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  49. ^ "R & B Chart for October 27, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  50. ^ "R & B Chart for November 3, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  51. ^ "R & B Chart for November 10, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  52. ^ "R & B Chart for November 17, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  53. ^ "R & B Chart for November 24, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  54. ^ "R & B Chart for December 1, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  55. ^ "R & B Chart for December 8, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  56. ^ "R & B Chart for December 15, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  57. ^ "R & B Chart for December 22, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  58. ^ "R & B Chart for December 29, 1958". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved August 27, 2020.

Works cited

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