List of Billboard number-one R&B songs of 1950

In 1950, Billboard magazine published two charts specifically covering the top-performing songs in the United States in rhythm and blues and related African-American-oriented music genres: Best Selling Retail Rhythm & Blues Records and Most Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues Records. The two charts are considered part of the lineage of the magazine's multimetric R&B chart launched in 1958,[1] which since 2005 has been published under the title Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs.

Esther Phillips, then billed as Little Esther, was the featured vocalist on three number ones for the band led by Johnny Otis.

In the issue of Billboard dated January 7, Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five topped both charts with "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (Parts I & II), which had experienced lengthy runs atop both listings in the last quarter of 1949 and added a single week to each tally in the new year before being displaced from the top spot of both charts by Larry Darnell's "For You My Love". Jordan returned to number one later in the year with "Blue Light Boogie", his 18th and final chart-topper.[2] Having first reached number one in 1943, Jordan was by far the most successful artist of the 1940s on Billboard's R&B charts. His tally of 18 chart-toppers was a record which would stand until the 1980s, and "Blue Light Boogie" took his total number of weeks at number one to 113,[a] more than three times the figure achieved by any other act to this point and a record which would still stand in the 21st century.[3] Jordan's success fell away in the 1950s, but his music is considered to have been hugely influential on the development of both R&B and rock and roll.[4]

In addition to Jordan, Johnny Otis and Ivory Joe Hunter each achieved more than one number one in 1950. Otis and his band topped the best sellers chart twice and the juke box listing three times; "Cupid's Boogie" missed the top spot on the former, peaking at number two.[5] Vocalist Little Esther, aged 14,[6][7] received featured credit on all three of Otis's chart-toppers and Mel Walker on two. Otis and his band spent 13 weeks atop the best sellers chart, the highest total achieved by any act. On the juke box listing, Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers had the highest total number of weeks at number one, also with 13 weeks. Liggins's song "Pink Champagne" was the year's longest-running chart-topper on both listings, spending 13 non-consecutive weeks atop the juke box chart and 11 consecutive weeks in the peak position on the best sellers chart. It was the second long-running number one for Liggins after 1945's "The Honeydripper", which spent a record-setting 18 weeks in the peak position, but by the end of 1951 his chart career was over.[8] Artists who reached number one for the first time in 1950 included Joe Morris and Percy Mayfield, both of whom reached the top spot with their first charting singles.[9] Another first-time chart-topper was Ruth Brown, whose single "Teardrops from My Eyes" was the final number one of 1950 on both charts.[10] Nat "King" Cole gained his first nunber one for six years when he topped the juke box chart with "Mona Lisa", which achieved sufficient crossover success to also top Billboard's pop charts, the only one of 1950's R&B number ones to achieve this feat.[11]

Chart history

"Teardrops from My Eyes" was a number one for Ruth Brown.
Roy Brown topped the best sellers chart with "Hard Luck Blues".
Louis Jordan achieved his final number one in 1950 with "Blue Light Boogie". His total number of weeks in the top spot vastly exceeded that achieved by any other artist to this point.
Nat "King" Cole had his first number one since 1944 with "Mona Lisa".
Issue date Juke Box Best Sellers Ref.
Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s)
January 7 "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (Parts I & II)Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (Parts I & II)Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
January 14 "For You My Love"Larry Darnell "For You My Love"Larry Darnell
January 21
January 28
February 4
February 11
February 18 "I Almost Lost My Mind"Ivory Joe Hunter
February 25 "I Almost Lost My Mind"Ivory Joe Hunter
March 4 "Double Crossing Blues"Johnny Otis Quintette, The Robins, and Little Esther
March 11
March 18
March 25 "Double Crossing Blues"Johnny Otis Quintette, The Robins, and Little Esther
April 1
April 8
April 15 "Mistrusting Blues" Little Esther with Mel Walker and the Johnny Otis Orchestra
April 22
April 29 "I Almost Lost My Mind"Ivory Joe Hunter
May 6 "Mistrusting Blues" Little Esther with Mel Walker and the Johnny Otis Orchestra "Mistrusting Blues" Little Esther with Mel Walker and the Johnny Otis Orchestra
May 13 "I Need You So" Ivory Joe Hunter
May 20
May 27 "Pink Champagne"Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers
June 3 "Pink Champagne"Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers
June 10
June 17
June 24
July 1
July 8 "Cupid's Boogie"Johnny Otis Orchestra, Little Esther, and Mel Walker
July 15 "Pink Champagne"Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers
July 22
July 29
August 5
August 12
August 19 "Hard Luck Blues"Roy Brown
August 26
September 2 "Mona Lisa"Nat "King" Cole
September 9 "Blue Light Boogie" (Parts 1 & 2)Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
September 16
September 23
September 30 "Blue Light Boogie" (Parts 1 & 2)Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
October 7
October 14
October 21
October 28 "Blue Shadows"Lowell Fulson "Blue Shadows"Lowell Fulson
November 4 "Anytime — Any Place — Anywhere"Joe Morris and his Orchestra
November 11
November 18
November 25 "Anytime — Any Place — Anywhere"Joe Morris and his Orchestra "Please Send Me Someone to Love"Percy Mayfield and his Orchestra
December 2 "Anytime — Any Place — Anywhere"Joe Morris and his Orchestra
December 9 "Teardrops from My Eyes"Ruth Brown
December 16 "Please Send Me Someone to Love"Percy Mayfield and his Orchestra "Please Send Me Someone to Love"Percy Mayfield and his Orchestra
December 23 "Teardrops from My Eyes"Ruth Brown "Teardrops from My Eyes"Ruth Brown
December 30

Notes

a. ^ Jordan's first 16 number ones occurred at a time when Billboard published only one R&B chart. His final two number ones occurred during a period when the magazine published two charts and each topped both listings, but the figure of 113 weeks at number one does not double-count weeks when he topped both.

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1995. Record Research Incorporated. p. xii. ISBN 9780898201154.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. p. 310. ISBN 9780898201604.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. p. 783. ISBN 9780898201604.
  4. Dahl, Bill. "Louis Jordan Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. p. 445. ISBN 9780898201604.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. p. 459. ISBN 9780898201604.
  7. Huey, Steve. "Esther Phillips Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. p. 349. ISBN 9780898201604.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 385, 415. ISBN 9780898201604.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. p. 87. ISBN 9780898201604.
  11. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 126–127. ISBN 9780898201604.
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