Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 [Paperback]

Ron Smith (Compiler)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 7, 2001

Music charts have been around as long as recorded music and radio programs from Your Hit Parade to American Top 40 have capitalized on the idea of counting down the day's top hits.Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 documents those songs that dominated the Midwestern airwaves during that decade- considered by many to be top 40's "golden age." Many of the songs listed did not appear at all on the national charts. Others, including local acts, fared much better in Chicago than in the rest of the country. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 contains an alphabetical listing by title and by artist of every tune listed on the WLS Silver Dollar Surveys during those years. It also lists the top 40 songs of each year and for the entire decade, as well as a supplemental listing of songs on the station's Rhythm-and-Blues chart of 1964.For those who grew up listening to radio in the Windy City as well as for record collectors from anywhere, Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 will be a valued addition to any music reference library.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ron Smith is a 30-year veteran of oldies radio as a disk jockey, program and music director. He served for more than eight years as Music Director of WJMK-FM, Oldies 104.3 in Chicago and was Senior Music Programmer of Internet Radio for RadioWave.com in the Windy City. For over six years, he has delighted fans of 50s, 60s and 70s music with the Internet's premiere oldies Web site- www.oldiesmusic.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595196144
• ISBN-13: 978-0595196142
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,375,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ron Smith has been involved in Oldies radio for nearly 40 years as a Disk Jockey, Program and Music Director, most recently as the Music Director and Evening DJ at Real Oldies 1690 in Chicago. He also served for more than eight years as Music Director of WJMK-FM, Oldies 104.3 in the Windy City. He was Senior Music Programmer of Internet Radio for Radiowave.com and created and hosted streaming channels for MusicNow.com, including the Net's only all-Elvis station. His '50s Hits and '60s Hits channels are currently enjoyed on Slacker.com. And, since 1995, he has delighted fans of '50s, '60s and '70s music with the Internet's premiere Oldies web site- www.oldiesmusic.com. Smith is the author of four reference books of Chicago music charts. He resides in suburban Chicago with his vast music and book libraries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Regional sixties music unfolds in these pages, September 12, 2001

By 

Ronald Smith "Radio & Internet programmer & a... (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 (Paperback)

As a broadcaster for the past 30 years, I know that a set of Joel Whitburn's Billboard chart books are indispensible. But often, it was the local and regional hits that drove popular music. For example, twenty times in the 60's, a song reached the top ten on WLS in Chicago without ever appearing on the Billboard Hot 100. In Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969, I identify every tune to reach the WLS Silver Dollar Survey by title and artist, along with their debut and peak dates, highest position reached and weeks on the survey. I've attempted to bring to a local music chart, the professional research Joel brings to his Billboard books. In the early sixties, WLS in Chicago called itself 'One of America's two great radio stations'. Though they never identified, the other, there's little doubt this was true. For record collectors or radio enthusiasts, this book should bring back incredible music memories.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential with one quibble, February 8, 2002

By 

R. Riis "rriis" (NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 (Paperback)

I've given this must-have book four stars for one striking omission. Smith does identify every tune to reach Chicago's WLS weekly music survey by title and artist, along with the debut and peak dates, highest position reached and weeks on the survey, along with the top songs of each year and the entire decade. There is also a section collecting the data from the WLS R&B chart that ran for a few months in late 1964. What is missing is a listing of the number ones week-by-week or at the very least some indication of how many weeks a given number one hit spent at the top. Still, this is an essential reference for those whose interest in the charts extends beyond merely the national Hot 100. I hope Mr. Smith puts out a 1980s volume to go along with this volume and the companion 1970s volume, and that some other people with access to source material get the same idea and do similar works on some of the other regional markets.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow, a truly comprehensive reference!, November 4, 2001

By 

B. Jastrab - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 (Paperback)

A masterful, visually beautiful, and astonishingly thorough music reference for Chicago's Top 40 charts in the 1960s. I look forward to the author's '70s companion book.