Having a hit record is quite an achievement, especially in these days of fierce competition. Getting into the American Top 40 will guarantee airplay and a place in the record books. The first Billboard chart appeared way back in 1936 and the first Hot 100 came out in 1958. Today, music fans look to the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 and there are also charts for separate genres, such as rock, country, dance, jazz, R&B, rap and Latin.
Breaking into the singles and album American Top 40 is the real milestone. Of course topping the chart is even better. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson lists every chart topper since 1955, showing all the relevant chart statistics. The charts go up to2003 and there is a history for each record with background information from the artists, producers and songwriters involved. The first entry is for Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets and the latest entry is for Bump Bump Bump by B&K and Puff Daddy.
Joel Whitburn is a remarkable music historian and author of several books on the history of the Billboard charts, one of which is the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Complete Chart Information about America’s Most Popular Songs and Artists 1955 - 2003 (8th Edition). The book contains cross referenced lists of artists and singles in alphabetical order with other lists detailing the artists with the most chart hits, the most Top 10 hits and the most Number 1 records. It also shows how many weeks the artist remained at Number 1. Each single is given its peak position, the date it charted, how many weeks it stayed in the chart, the record label and any relevant trivia. There is a brief biography for each artist and an American Top 40 Trivia Quiz. Whitburn has also written the Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits, the Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-hop Hits and Billboard Pop Hits: Singles and Albums 1940 - 1954.
Joel Whitburn’s painstaking research and attention to detail has resulted in his reference books being used by fans, DJs and music professionals all over the world. He founded Record Research Inc and began his documentation of all the music and video charts produced by Billboard with the assistance of a team of researchers. 112 books have been published in total. He has amassed one of the largest collections of phonograph records in the world, which he keeps in an underground vault. This incredible collection contains almost every copy of every 78rpm, 45rpm, Long Player, and CD single to have appeared on the Billboard chart.
A lot has changed since the start of Joel Whitburn’s research and there has been many technical innovations, including computer downloads, iPods and so on. The charts have reflected these changes. The main priority for the fans is to find out what the American Top 40 looks like with each passing week and they listen to the radio to find out if their favorite record has made the grade.
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