Wikipedia

List of Billboard number-one R&B songs of 1952

In 1952, Billboard magazine published National Best Sellers and Most Played in Juke Boxes, two charts covering the top-performing songs in the United States in rhythm and blues and related African-American-oriented music genres. These charts, published as Best Selling Retail Rhythm & Blues Records and Most Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues Records through the issue dated November 8, were based on sales in stores and plays in jukeboxes, respectively. They 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.[2]

Musician Fats Domino
"Goin' Home" was the first number one for Fats Domino.

In the issue of Billboard dated January 5, the Clovers were at number one on the juke box chart with "Fool, Fool, Fool" and Earl Bostic and his Orchestra were atop the best sellers listing with "Flamingo", both tracks retaining the position from the last issue of 1951. The following week both songs were displaced from number one, as the Griffin Brothers Orchestra moved into the top spot on the juke box chart with "Weepin' & Cryin'" and "Cry" by Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads reached number one on the best sellers listing. Both songs were the only R&B chart-topper achieved by their respective performers.[3] The year's longest unbroken run at number one on the juke box chart was seven weeks, achieved by Jimmy Forrest in March and April with "Night Train", but the longest-running chart-topper overall was "Juke" by Little Walter, which spent eight non-consecutive weeks in the top spot. On the best sellers listing, two songs each spent seven consecutive weeks in the top spot: "5–10–15 Hours" by Ruth Brown and "My Song" by Johnny Ace. The latter song spent nine weeks at number one in total, making it the longest-running number one of the year on that chart. Despite its sales success, Ace's song failed to top the juke box chart, peaking at number 2.[4]

In June, Fats Domino gained his first number one when he topped the best sellers list for a single week with "Goin' Home".[5] Domino was the most successful black rock & roll artist of the 1950s and achieved a string of pop and R&B successes until the mid-1960s.[6] In recognition of this, he was included in the inaugural class of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.[7] Domino also played on the song "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", which gave another future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Lloyd Price, his first number one in July.[8][9] The song is considered to have been a significant early influence on the emerging rock and roll genre and was covered by Elvis Presley in 1956.[10] The year's final number one on the juke box chart was "Five Long Years" by Eddie Boyd and the last chart-topper on the best sellers listing was "I Don't Know" by Willie Mabon and his Combo. In both cases it was the artist's first charting song.[11]

Chart history edit

 
Eddie Boyd topped both charts with "Five Long Years".
 
B.B. King had two number ones in 1952.
 
Lloyd Price (pictured in later life) topped both charts with "Lawdy Miss Clawdy".
Chart history
Issue date Juke Box Best Sellers Ref.
Title Artist(s) Title Artist(s)
January 5 "Fool, Fool, Fool" The Clovers "Flamingo" Earl Bostic and his Orchestra [12]
January 12 "Weepin' & Cryin'" Griffin Brothers Orchestra "Cry" Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads [13]
January 19 "Fool, Fool, Fool" The Clovers [14]
January 26 "Flamingo" Earl Bostic and his Orchestra [15]
February 2 "3 O'Clock Blues" B.B. King [16]
February 9 "Cry" Johnnie Ray and the Four Lads "3 O'Clock Blues" B.B. King [17]
February 16 "3 O'Clock Blues" B.B. King [18]
February 23 [19]
March 1 [20]
March 8 [21]
March 15 "Night Train" Jimmy Forrest "Booted" Roscoe Gordon [22]
March 22 "Night Train" Jimmy Forrest [23]
March 29 [24]
April 5 [25]
April 12 [26]
April 19 [27]
April 26 [28]
May 3 "5–10–15 Hours" Ruth Brown "5–10–15 Hours" Ruth Brown [29]
May 10 [30]
May 17 [31]
May 24 [32]
May 31 [33]
June 7 [34]
June 14 "Have Mercy Baby" The Dominoes [35]
June 21 "Goin' Home" Fats Domino [36]
June 28 "Have Mercy Baby" The Dominoes [37]
July 5 [38]
July 12 "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" Lloyd Price [39]
July 19 [40]
July 26 [41]
August 2[a] [42]
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" Lloyd Price [42]
August 9 [43]
August 16 [44]
August 23 "Mary Jo" The Four Blazes [45]
August 30 [46]
September 6[a] "Have Mercy Baby" The Dominoes "Have Mercy Baby" The Dominoes [47]
"Ting-A-Ling" The Clovers
September 13 "Mary Jo" The Four Blazes "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" Lloyd Price [48]
September 20 "Ting-A-Ling" The Clovers [49]
September 27 "Juke" Little Walter "My Song" Johnny Ace [50]
October 4 [51]
October 11 [52]
October 18 [53]
October 25 [54]
November 1 [55]
November 8[a] "Five Long Years" Eddie Boyd [56]
"You Know I Love You" B.B. King
November 15 "My Song" Johnny Ace [57]
November 22 [58]
November 29 "You Know I Love You" B.B. King [59]
December 6 "Juke" Little Walter [60]
December 13 "Juke" Little Walter "Five Long Years" Eddie Boyd [61]
December 20 [62]
December 27 "Five Long Years" Eddie Boyd "I Don't Know" Willie Mabon and his Combo [63]

a. ^ Two songs tied for number one on the best sellers chart in this issue.

References edit

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  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Whitburn 2004, pp. 239, 484.
  4. ^ Whitburn 2004, p. 22.
  5. ^ Whitburn 2004, p. 167.
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  8. ^ Coleman 2006, p. 72.
  9. ^ Whitburn 2004, p. 469.
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  11. ^ Whitburn 2004, pp. 73, 369.
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Works cited edit

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