Top RandB Singles 1942-1999 (Top R & B Singles) (Hardcover)

by Joel Whitburn (Author)
Key Phrases: album snippets, female vocal trio, rap trio, Gold A-side, B-side Pop, Pic Label (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The biggest, baddest, best book on charted RandB music and the artists who made it happen! Joel Whitburn's Top RandB Singles 1942-1999 is a compelling compendium covering all of the over 17,800 titles and 4,375 artists that hit Billboard's RandB singles charts from October 24, 1942 through July 31, 1999. Of course, it includes the essential chart data you expect in any Record Research book. Great new features include the B-sides of the records and special highlighting of each artist's top hits. You'll also find complete picture sleeve and record price guides, additional title notes, new biographies on recently charted artists, and a whole lot more! No other book so exhaustively explores the history of America's rich and righteous music.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 690 pages
• Publisher: Record Research Inc. (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898201365
• ISBN-13: 978-0898201369
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,368,571 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If It Hit the R&B Charts, It's Here, January 10, 2001

By	Ibochild (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Have you ever been haunted by a song, but couldn't remember the title? Perhaps there is a debate among friends or associates about a the popularity of a particular song or artist. If that's so, here is the right place.

This massive volume lists EVERY song to make Billboard's various R&B singles charts between 24 October 1942 through 31 July 1999. This spans from "Take It and Git" by Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy on the "Harlem Hit Parade" chart to "U Know What's Up" by Donell Jones (which actually topped the "R&B Singles" chart on 13 November 1999). However, please note that from 30 November 1963 through 23 January 1965, Billboard combined the R&B charts with the Pop charts. During that period, only select songs with their respective "Pop" chart positions are listed in this volume. These include songs like "Every Little Bit Hurts" (Brenda Holloway), "Baby Love" (The Supremes), and "Out of Sight" (James Brown), all of which would have certainly been major R&B hits had a chart been published during that time.

A nice feature of this volume is the inclusion of "B" sides and the estimated retail value of records (including alternate releases). In the back it also lists the names of the inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

If you're serious about R&B and love the charts, this volume is a must have. Where else can you get this much information about so many different artists in one place?

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect R&B Music resource!, May 18, 2000

By A Customer

Joel Whitburn has done it again. This newest version of the "Top R&B Singles 1942-1999" lists all artists that have ever had a song enter the R&B charts. Additional info includes: debut date, peak position, bio info, label/selection #, suggested price value, and best of all: it lists the b-sides of each single! If you're a chart hound like me, you need this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What song was that?, April 11, 2002

By A Customer

This book contains tremendous information on r&b. For an artist who has charted a hit song (from pos 1 - 100), the book contains a concise biograph of him or her; their year of highest popularity; weeks on chart; record companies pertaining to each hit; a ranking of their biggest hits in order; and of course, a listing of each tune that charted.

For a majority of hip-hop songs, the book lists what songs were sampled in the production of each song. For example, "Mo Money Mo Problems" (1997, #2) by Notorious BIG, samples Diana Ross - "I'm Coming Out" (1980, #6).

The book contains an invaluable listing of the top 100 singles of all time in terms of highest number of weeks at #1. The top position is "The Honeydripper" by Joe Liggins (1945, #1 for 18 weeks); the last is "Hound Dog" by Willie Mae Thornton (1953, #1 for 7). The newest track at the highest position is "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here" by Deborah Cox (1998, #1 for 14 weeks).

Pick it up, especially if you want suggestions on what music to download.