List of artists who reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart
Encyclopedia
This is a list of all those musicians who made #1 on the Billboard R&B chart, as defined in Joel Whitburn
's "Top R&B Singles" (ISBN 0-89820-115-2).
The chart was officially titled as follows :-
Lists are alphabetical by year.
NOTE : Annual totals may not sum to 52 weeks because :-
As well as the R&B best sellers (BS) chart, between 1948-1957 there was also an R&B juke box (JB) chart, and from 1955-58 there was an R&B airplay (JY - jockeys) chart. These charts were consolidated into one in October 1958. Years at #1 on these different charts are listed where appropriate.
Joel Whitburn
Joel Carver Whitburn is an American author and music historian.Whitburn founded Record Research Inc. in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, in 1970, and put together a team of researchers to examine in detail all of Billboards music and video charts...
's "Top R&B Singles" (ISBN 0-89820-115-2).
The chart was officially titled as follows :-
- Oct 1942 - Feb 1945 The Harlem Hit Parade
- Feb 1945 - Jun 1949 Race Records
- Jun 1949 - Oct 1958 Rhythm & Blues Records
- Oct 1958 - Nov 1963 Hot R&B Sides
- Nov 1963 - Jan 1965 No chart published
- Jan 1965 - Aug 1969 Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles
- Aug 1969 - Jul 1973 Best Selling Soul Singles
- Jul 1973 - Jun 1982 Hot Soul Singles
- Jun 1982 - Oct 1990 Hot Black Singles
- Oct 1990 - present Hot R&B Singles
Lists are alphabetical by year.
NOTE : Annual totals may not sum to 52 weeks because :-
- sometimes the #1 place was shared
- totals are counted from the start of the stay at #1 - for example, a hit which reached #1 in November 1945 and stayed there 11 weeks is included in the 1945 list but not 1946.
As well as the R&B best sellers (BS) chart, between 1948-1957 there was also an R&B juke box (JB) chart, and from 1955-58 there was an R&B airplay (JY - jockeys) chart. These charts were consolidated into one in October 1958. Years at #1 on these different charts are listed where appropriate.
1942
- Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
(3 weeks) - Earl HinesEarl HinesEarl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
(1 week) - Andy KirkAndy KirkAndrew Dewey Kirk was a jazz saxophonist and tubist best known as a bandleader of the "Twelve Clouds of Joy," popular during the swing era....
(1 week) - Lucky MillinderLucky MillinderLucius Venable "Lucky" Millinder was an American rhythm and blues and swing bandleader. Although he could not read or write music, did not play an instrument and rarely sang, his showmanship and musical taste made his bands successful...
(2 weeks) - Freddie SlackFreddie SlackFrederick Charles Slack was an American swing and boogie-woogie pianist and bandleader.He played with the Jimmy Dorsey Band in the 1930s and was a charter member of the Will Bradley Orchestra when it formed in 1939...
(2 weeks) - Paul WhitemanPaul WhitemanPaul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader and orchestral director.Leader of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s, Whiteman's recordings were immensely successful, and press notices often referred to him as the "King of Jazz"...
and Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
(3 weeks)
1943
- Bea BoozeBea BoozeBea Booze , often credited as Wee Bea Booze, was an American R&B and jazz singer most popular in the 1940s.She was born Muriel Nicholls in Baltimore, and made her name as a singer in Harlem. She was signed by Decca Records to cover the songs and emulate the style of Lil Green, and, under the...
(4 weeks) - Nat "King" Cole (3 weeks)
- Bonnie DavisBonnie DavisBonnie Davis , was an American R&B singer most popular in the 1940s.She was born Melba Smith in Bessemer, Alabama, and initially planned to become a school teacher. However, in the late 1930s she started working as a singer in New York, initially in saxophonist Teddy Hill's band...
(5 weeks) - Duke EllingtonDuke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
(5 weeks) - Erskine HawkinsErskine HawkinsErskine Ramsay Hawkins was an American trumpet player and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is most remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" with saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson...
(14 weeks) - Dick HaymesDick HaymesRichard Benjamin "Dick" Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, who was an actor, television host, and songwriter....
(4 weeks) - The Ink SpotsThe Ink SpotsThe Ink Spots were a popular vocal group in the 1930s and 1940s that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop...
(9 weeks) - Harry JamesHarry JamesHenry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
(1 week) - Louis JordanLouis JordanLouis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
(1 week) - Lucky Millinder (3 weeks)
- Ella Mae MorseElla Mae MorseElla Mae Morse , was an American popular singer. Morse blended jazz, country, pop, and R&B.-Career:Morse was born in Mansfield, Texas, United States. She was hired by Jimmy Dorsey when she was 14 years old. Dorsey believed she was 19, and when he was informed by the school board that he was now...
(2 weeks)
1944
- Benny CarterBenny CarterBennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
(2 weeks) - Nat "King" Cole (14 weeks)
- Duke Ellington (12 weeks)
- Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
(1 week) - Lionel HamptonLionel HamptonLionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
(6 weeks) - The Ink Spots and Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldElla Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
(12 weeks) - Buddy JohnsonBuddy JohnsonNot to be confused with Budd Johnson.Buddy Johnson was an American jazz and New York blues pianist and bandleader, active from the 1930s through the 1960s...
(1 week) - Louis Jordan (7 weeks)
- Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
(1 week) - The Mills Brothers (1 week)
1945
- Cecil GantCecil GantCecil Gant was an American blues singer and pianist.-Biography:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Gant worked local clubs through the mid 1930s up until the Second World War, when he enlisted in the United States Army. Though his piano was blues-based, vocally he was a crooner of considerable...
(2 weeks) - Erskine Hawkins (6 weeks)
- Louis Jordan (8 weeks)
- Joe LigginsJoe LigginsJoe Liggins was an American R&B, jazz and blues pianist, who was the frontman in the 1940s and 1950s with the band, Joe Liggins and his Honeydrippers....
(18 weeks) - Lucky Millinder (8 weeks)
- Roosevelt SykesRoosevelt SykesRoosevelt Sykes was an American blues musician, also known as "The Honeydripper". He was a successful and prolific cigar-chomping blues piano player, whose rollicking thundering boogie-woogie was highly influential.-Career:Born in Elmar, Arkansas, Sykes grew up near Helena but at age 15, went on...
(7 weeks) - Cootie WilliamsCootie WilliamsCharles Melvin "Cootie" Williams was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter.-Biography:...
(1 week)
1946
- Ella Fitzgerald (with Louis Jordan) (5 weeks)
- Lionel Hampton (16 weeks)
- The Ink Spots (3 weeks)
- Louis Jordan (35 weeks, inc. 5 weeks with Ella Fitzgerald)
1947
- Savannah ChurchillSavannah ChurchillSavannah Churchill was a successful American singer of pop, jazz, and blues music in the 1940s and 1950s.-Career:...
(8 weeks) - Louis Jordan (40 weeks)
- Julia LeeJulia Lee (musician)Julia Lee was an American blues and dirty blues musician.-Biography:Born in Boonville, Missouri, United States, Lee was raised in Kansas City, and began her musical career around 1920, singing and playing piano in her brother George Lee's band, which for a time also included Charlie Parker...
(12 weeks) - Eddie VinsonEddie VinsonEddie "Cleanhead" Vinson was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was accidentally destroyed by lye contained in a hair straightening product.-Biography:Vinson was born in Houston, Texas...
(2 weeks)
1948
- Roy BrownRoy Brown (blues musician)Roy James Brown was an American R&B singer, songwriter and musician, who had an influence on the early development of rock and roll music. His "Good Rocking Tonight" was covered by Wynonie Harris, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Pat Boone, and the rock group Montrose. In addition,...
(1 week JB) - Pee Wee CraytonPee Wee CraytonConnie Curtis Crayton , known as Pee Wee Crayton, was an American R&B and blues guitarist and singer.-Career:...
(1 week BS, 3 weeks JB) - Wynonie HarrisWynonie HarrisWynonie Harris , born in Omaha, Nebraska, was an American blues shouter and rhythm and blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. With fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952, Harris is generally considered one of rock and roll's forerunners, influencing Elvis Presley...
(1 week BS, 1 week JB) - Ivory Joe HunterIvory Joe HunterIvory Joe Hunter was an American rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, and pianist. After a series of hits on the US R&B chart starting in the mid 1940s, he became more widely known for his hit recording, "Since I Met You Baby" . He was billed as The Baron of the Boogie, and also known as The...
(3 weeks BS, 3 weeks JB) - Bull Moose JacksonBull Moose JacksonBenjamin Clarence "Bull Moose" Jackson was an American blues and rhythm and blues singer and saxophonist, who was most successful in the late 1940s.-Career:...
(11 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - Lonnie JohnsonLonnie JohnsonAlonzo "Lonnie" Johnson was an American blues and jazz singer/guitarist and songwriter who pioneered the role of jazz guitar and is recognized as the first to play single-string guitar solos...
(7 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - Louis Jordan (2 weeks JB)
- Julia Lee (9 weeks)
- Memphis SlimMemphis SlimMemphis Slim was an American blues pianist, singer, and composer. He led a series of bands that, reflecting the popular appeal of jump blues, included saxophones, bass, drums, and piano. A song he first cut in 1947, "Every Day I Have the Blues", has become a blues standard, recorded by many other...
(2 weeks JB) - Amos MilburnAmos MilburnAmos Milburn was an African American rhythm and blues singer and pianist, popular during the 1940s and 1950s...
(7 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - Red MillerRed Miller (singer)Red Miller was an American R&B singer, who had a # 1 R&B chart hit in 1948 with "Bewildered"....
(4 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB) - The OriolesThe OriolesThe Orioles were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and early 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal bands who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound....
(1 week JB) - Hal SingerHal SingerHarold Joseph "Hal" Singer is an American R&B and jazz bandleader and saxophonist.-Biography:Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Singer studied violin as a child but, as a teenager, switched to clarinet and then tenor saxophone, which became his instrument of choice...
(4 weeks BS, 4 weeks JB) - Arbee StidhamArbee StidhamArbee Stidham was an American blues singer and multi-instrumentalist, most successful in the late 1940s and 1950s....
(1 week BS, 1 week JB) - Sonny ThompsonSonny ThompsonSonny Thompson was an American R&B bandleader and pianist, popular in the 1940s and 1950s.Born Alfonso Thompson in Centreville, Mississippi, he began recording in 1946, and in 1948 achieved two #1 R&B chart hits on the Miracle label – "Long Gone " and "Late Freight", both featuring saxophonist...
(4 weeks BS, 3 weeks JB) - Dinah WashingtonDinah WashingtonDinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
(1 week JB)
1949
- Charles BrownCharles Brown (musician)Charles Brown , born in Texas City, Texas was an American blues singer and pianist whose soft-toned, slow-paced blues-club style influenced the development of blues performance during the 1940s and 1950s...
(15 weeks BS, 11 weeks JB) - Larry DarnellLarry DarnellLarry Darnell was a successful American singer who was instrumental in the formation of the New Orleans style of R&B in the late 1940s and early 1950s....
(6 weeks BS, 8 weeks JB) - Wynonie Harris (1 week BS, 2 weeks JB)
- John Lee HookerJohn Lee HookerJohn Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
(1 week JB) - Louis Jordan (12 weeks BS, 12 weeks JB)
- Big Jay McNeelyBig Jay McNeelyBig Jay McNeely is an American rhythm and blues saxophonist.-Biography:...
(1 week BS, 1 week JB) - Amos Milburn (2 weeks JB)
- The Orioles (1 week BS)
- Dinah Washington (2 weeks BS, 1 week JB)
- Paul WilliamsPaul Williams (saxophonist)Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams was an American blues and rhythm and blues saxophonist and songwriter. In his Honkers and Shouters, Arnold Shaw credits Williams as one of the first to employ the honking tenor sax solo that became the hallmark of rhythm and blues and rock and roll in the 1950s and...
(12 weeks BS, 14 weeks JB) - Jimmy WitherspoonJimmy WitherspoonJimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
(1 week BS)
1950
- Roy Brown (3 weeks BS)
- Ruth BrownRuth BrownRuth Brown was an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, composer and actress, noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as "So Long", "Teardrops from My Eyes" and " He Treats Your Daughter Mean".For these...
(11 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - Nat "King" Cole (4 weeks JB)
- Lowell FulsonLowell FulsonLowell Fulson was a big-voiced blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom...
(1 week BS, 4 weeks JB) - Ivory Joe Hunter (2 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB)
- Louis Jordan (7 weeks BS, 4 weeks JB)
- Joe Liggins (11 weeks BS, 13 weeks JB)
- Percy MayfieldPercy MayfieldPercy Mayfield was an American songwriter famous for the songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "Please Send Me Someone to Love", as well as a successful rhythm and blues artist known for his smooth vocal style.-Career:...
(2 weeks BS, 1 week JB) - Joe MorrisJoe Morris (trumpeter)Joe Morris was an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter and bandleader.Born in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, Morris began his career as a jazz trumpeter, working and recording with Earl Bostic, Milt Buckner, Arnett Cobb, Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Buddy Rich, Dinah Washington,...
(4 weeks BS, 3 weeks JB) - Johnny OtisJohnny OtisJohnny Otis is an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, and impresario.He is commonly referred to as The Godfather Of Rhythm And Blues.-Personal life:Otis, the son of Alexander...
and Little EstherEsther PhillipsEsther Phillips was an American singer. Phillips was known for her R&B vocals, but she was a versatile singer, also performing pop, country, jazz, blues and soul music.-Early life:...
(13 weeks BS, 10 weeks JB) (9 weeks BS / 5 weeks JB with The RobinsThe RobinsThe Robins were a successful and influential American R&B group of the late 1940s and 1950s, one of the earliest such vocal bands who established the basic pattern for the doo-wop sound.-Original members:...
, 4 weeks BS / 5 weeks JB with Mel WalkerMel WalkerMelvin Lightsey , known professionally as Mel Walker, was an American R&B singer best known for his recordings in the early 1950s as lead male singer with the Johnny Otis Orchestra....
)
1951
- Earl BosticEarl BosticEarl Bostic was an American jazz and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist, and a pioneer of the post-war American Rhythm and Blues style. He had a number of popular hits such as "Flamingo", "Harlem Nocturne", "Temptation", "Sleep", "Special Delivery Stomp", and "Where or When", which showed off his...
(4 weeks BS) - Jackie BrenstonJackie BrenstonJackie Brenston was an African American R&B singer and saxophonist, who recorded, with Ike Turner's band, the first version of the proto-rock and roll song "Rocket 88".-Biography:...
(3 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB) - Charles Brown (13 weeks BS, 14 weeks JB)
- The CloversThe Clovers-History:The group formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C., with members Harold Lucas, Billy Shelton, and Thomas Woods. John "Buddy" Bailey was added soon after, and they began calling themselves the "Four Clovers", with Bailey on lead...
(8 weeks BS, 3 weeks JB) - The Dominoes (14 weeks BS, 12 weeks JB)
- The Five KeysThe Five KeysThe Five Keys is an American rhythm and blues vocal group that was instrumental in shaping this genre in the 1950s.It was formed with the original name of Sentimental Four in Newport News, Virginia, U.S., in the late 1940s, and initially consisted of two sets of brothers - Rudy West and Bernie...
(4 weeks BS, 2 weeks JB) - Lloyd GlennLloyd GlennLloyd Glenn was an American R&B pianist, bandleader and arranger, who was a pioneer of the "West Coast" blues style.-Career:...
(2 weeks JB) - Peppermint HarrisPeppermint HarrisHarrison D. Nelson Jr. known as Peppermint Harris, was an American rhythm and blues and jump blues singer and guitarist....
(1 week BS, 2 weeks JB) - John Lee Hooker (4 weeks JB)
- Amos Milburn (1 week BS, 3 weeks JB)
- Jimmy NelsonJimmy NelsonJimmy "T99" Nelson was an American jump blues and rhythm and blues shouter and songwriter. With a recording career that spanned over 50 years, Jimmy "T99" Nelson became a distinguished elder statesman of American music. His best known recordings are "T-99 Blues" and "Meet Me With Your Black Dress...
(1 week JB) - Tab SmithTab SmithTalmadge "Tab" Smith , was an American swing and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist. He is best known for the tracks, "Because Of You" and "Pretend". He variously worked with Count Basie, the Mills Rhythm Boys and Lucky Millinder.-Biography:Smith was born in Kinston, North Carolina, United States...
(2 weeks BS)
1952
- Johnny AceJohnny AceJohnny Ace , born John Marshall Alexander, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, was an American rhythm and blues singer. He scored a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s before dying of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound....
(9 weeks BS) - Eddie BoydEddie BoydEdward Riley Boyd known as Eddie Boyd was an American blues piano player, born on Stovall's Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States.-Life and career:...
(2 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - Ruth Brown (7 weeks BS, 6 weeks JB)
- Tommy BrownTommy Brown (singer)Tommy Brown is an American R&B singer, who achieved most success in the early 1950s, particularly on records with The Griffin Brothers....
with The Griffin Brothers (3 weeks JB) - The Clovers (1 week BS, 1 week JB)
- Fats DominoFats DominoAntoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
(1 week BS) - The Dominoes (7 weeks BS, 10 weeks JB)
- Jimmy ForrestJimmy ForrestJimmy Forrest was an African American jazz musician, who played tenor saxophone throughout his career....
(6 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - The Four BlazesThe Four BlazesThe Four Blazes were an American R&B vocal and instrumental group formed in Chicago and popular in the 1940s and 1950s. They were also occasionally billed as The Five Blazes and as the "Blasers" or the "Flames."-Career:...
(3 weeks JB) - Rosco GordonRosco GordonRosco Gordon was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known for his 1952 #1 R&B hit single, "Booted", and two #2 singles "No More Doggin'" and "Just a Little Bit" .-Biography:...
(1 week BS) - B. B. KingB. B. KingRiley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
(7 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB) - Little WalterLittle WalterLittle Walter, born Marion Walter Jacobs , was an American blues harmonica player, whose revolutionary approach to his instrument has earned him comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix, for innovation and impact on succeeding generations...
(1 week BS, 8 weeks JB) - Willie MabonWillie MabonWillie Mabon was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist.-Career:Born Willie James Mabon, and brought up in Hollywood, Memphis, Tennessee, he had become known as a singer and pianist by the time he moved to Chicago in 1942. He formed a group, the Blues Rockers, and in 1949 began recording...
(8 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - Lloyd PriceLloyd PriceLloyd Price is an American R&B vocalist. Known as "Mr. Personality", after the name of one of his biggest million-selling hits...
(7 weeks BS, 1 week JB) - Johnnie RayJohnnie RayJohnnie Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality.-Early life:John Alvin Ray was born in...
(1 week BS, 1 week JB)
1953
- Johnny Ace (5 weeks BS, 4 weeks JB)
- Faye AdamsFaye AdamsFaye Adams is an American vocalist.-Early years:She was the daughter of David Tuell, a gospel singer and a key figure in the Church of God in Christ...
(9 weeks BS, 10 weeks JB) - Ruth Brown (5 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB)
- The "5" Royales (8 weeks BS, 8 weeks JB)
- B.B. King (3 weeks JB)
- Willie Mabon (2 weeks BS)
- Clyde McPhatterClyde McPhatterClyde McPhatter was an American R&B singer, perhaps the most widely imitated R&B singer of the 1950s and 1960s, making him a key figure in the shaping of doo-wop and R&B. He is best known for his solo hit "A Lover's Question"...
and The DriftersThe DriftersThe Drifters are a long-lived American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal group with a peak in popularity from 1953 to 1963, though several splinter Drifters continue to perform today. They were originally formed to serve as Clyde McPhatter's backing group in 1953...
(11 weeks BS, 1 week JB) - The Orioles (4 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB)
- Big Mama ThorntonBig Mama ThorntonWillie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the first to record the hit song "Hound Dog" in 1952. The song was #1 on the Billboard R&B charts for seven weeks in 1953. The B-side was "They Call Me Big Mama," and the single sold almost two million...
(6 weeks BS, 7 weeks JB) - Big Joe TurnerBig Joe TurnerBig Joe Turner was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri. According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him." Although he came to his greatest fame in the 1950s with his pioneering rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and...
(8 weeks JB)
1954
- Faye Adams (6 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB)
- Ruth Brown (5 weeks BS, 9 weeks JB)
- The CharmsOtis Williams and the CharmsOtis Williams and the Charms were an American doo-wop vocal group in the 1950s, who were originally billed as The Charms. Williams is not related to Otis Williams of The Temptations.-Career:...
(9 weeks BS, 2 weeks JB, 2 weeks JY) - Clyde McPhatter and The Drifters (8 weeks BS, 8 weeks JB)
- Guitar SlimGuitar SlimEddie Jones , better known as Guitar Slim, was a New Orleans blues guitarist, from the 1940s and 1950s, best known for the million-selling song, produced by Johnny Vincent at Specialty Records, "The Things That I Used to Do"...
(6 weeks BS, 14 weeks JB) - Roy HamiltonRoy HamiltonRoy Hamilton was an American singer, who achieved major success in the US R&B and pop charts in the 1950s...
(8 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB) - B.B. King (2 weeks JB)
- The Midnighters (9 weeks BS, 4 weeks JB)
- Big Joe Turner (3 weeks JB)
1955
- Johnny Ace (9 weeks BS, 9 weeks JB, 10 weeks JY)
- Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
(9 weeks BS, 11 weeks JB, 9 weeks JY) - Ray CharlesRay CharlesRay Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
(1 week JB, 1 week JY) - Bo DiddleyBo DiddleyEllas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
(2 weeks JB) - Fats Domino (11 weeks BS, 8 weeks JB, 10 weeks JY)
- The Drifters (1 week JB)
- Roy Hamilton (3 weeks BS)
- Al HibblerAl HibblerAlbert George "Al" Hibbler was an American baritone vocalist, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra before having several pop hits as a solo artist. Some of his singing is classified as rhythm and blues, but he is best classified as a bridge between R&B and traditional pop music...
(1 week JB) - Etta JamesEtta JamesEtta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
(4 weeks JY) - Little Walter ( 4 weeks BS, 5 weeks JB, 2 weeks JY)
- Jay McShannJay McShannJay McShann was an American Grammy Award-nominated jump blues, mainstream jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer....
(3 weeks BS, 2 weeks JB, 2 weeks JY) - The MoonglowsThe MoonglowsThe Moonglows were an American R&B and doo-wop group based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Early years:Originally formed in their native Louisville, Kentucky as the Crazy Sounds, the group moved to Cleveland, where disc jockey Alan Freed renamed them 'the Moonglows'...
(2 weeks JB, 1 week JY) - The PenguinsThe PenguinsThe Penguins were an American doo-wop group of the 1950s and early 1960s, best remembered for their only Top 40 hit, "Earth Angel ", which was one of the first rhythm and blues hits to cross over to the pop charts...
(3 weeks BS, 3 weeks JB, 1 week JY) - The PlattersThe PlattersThe Platters were a vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre...
(7 weeks BS, 6 weeks JB, 5 weeks JY)
1956
- Ray Charles (2 weeks JB, 1 week JY)
- Bill DoggettBill DoggettBill Doggett was an American jazz and rhythm and blues pianist and organist. He is best known for his tracks, "Honky Tonk" and "Hippy Dippy", and variously working with The Ink Spots, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Jordan.-Biography:William Ballard Doggett was born in...
(13 weeks BS, 1 week JB, 5 weeks JY) - Fats Domino (15 weeks BS, 17 weeks JB, 20 weeks JY)
- The El DoradosThe El DoradosThe El Dorados were an American doo-wop group, who achieved their greatest success with the song "At My Front Door", a no. 1 hit on the R&B chart in 1955.-Career:...
(1 week JB) - Little Willie JohnLittle Willie JohnWilliam Edward John was better known by his stage name Little Willie John. Many sources erroneously give his second name as Edgar...
(3 weeks BS, 1 week JB, 5 weeks JY) - Little RichardLittle RichardRichard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
(8 weeks BS, 9 weeks JB, 5 weeks JY) - Frankie LymonFrankie LymonFranklin Joseph "Frankie" Lymon was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group, The Teenagers. The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid teens...
and The TeenagersThe TeenagersThe Teenagers are an American integrated doo wop group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed...
(5 weeks BS, 2 weeks JY) - Clyde McPhatter (1 week JB)
- The Platters (10 weeks BS, 11 weeks JB, 13 weeks JY)
- Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
(1 week BS, 6 weeks JB) - Shirley and Lee (3 weeks JB, 3 weeks JY)
1957
- Paul AnkaPaul AnkaPaul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
(2 weeks BS) - LaVern BakerLaVern BakerLaVern Baker was an American rhythm and blues singer, who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedlee Dee" , "Jim Dandy" , and "I Cried a Tear" .-Early life:She was born Delores LaVern Baker in Chicago, Illinois...
(1 week JY) - Chuck Berry (1 week BS, 1 week JB, 5 weeks JY)
- Bobby BlandBobby BlandRobert Calvin Bland better known as Bobby "Blue" Bland, is an American singer of blues and soul. He is an original member of the Beale Streeters, and is sometimes referred to as the "Lion of the Blues"...
(2 weeks JY) - The BobbettesThe BobbettesThe Bobbettes were an R&B girl group who had a 1957 top 10 hit song called "Mr. Lee." The group included Jannie and Emma Pought, Reather Dixon, Lara Webb, and Helen Gather.-History:...
(4 weeks JY) - The CoastersThe CoastersThe Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
(13 weeks BS, 2 weeks JB, 7 weeks JY) - Nat "King" Cole (2 weeks JY)
- Sam CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
(6 weeks BS, 6 weeks JY) - Fats Domino (14 weeks BS, 13 weeks JB, 12 weeks JY)
- The Everly BrothersThe Everly BrothersThe Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
(1 week JY) - Ivory Joe Hunter (3 weeks JB, 1 week JY)
- Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
(2 weeks BS, 1 week JY) - Little Richard (2 weeks JB)
- Clyde McPhatter (1 week JY)
- Mickey & SylviaMickey & SylviaMickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo, composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Robinson. They were the first big seller for Groove Records.Mickey was a music instructor and Sylvia one of his pupils. Baker was inspired to form the group by the success of Les Paul & Mary Ford. They had a Top 20 hit...
(2 weeks JY) - Elvis Presley (10 weeks BS, 4 weeks JB, 5 weeks JY)
- Jimmie RodgersJimmie Rodgers (pop singer)James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:...
(2 weeks BS, 1 week JY) - Larry WilliamsLarry WilliamsLarry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana...
(1 week JY) - Chuck WillisChuck WillisHarold "Chuck" Willis was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, "C. C. Rider" and "What Am I Living For" , both reached no. 1 in the Billboard R&B chart...
(2 weeks JY)
1958
- Chuck Berry (3 weeks BS, 3 weeks JY)
- The ChampsThe ChampsThe Champs were an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged instrumental "Tequila". Formed by studio executives at Gene Autry's Challenge Records to record a B-Side for the Dave Burgess single, the intended throwaway track became more famous than its A-Side, "Train to...
(4 weeks BS, 4 weeks JY) - Jimmy ClantonJimmy ClantonJimmy Clanton is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just A Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies...
(1 week BS) - The Coasters (7 weeks BS, 6 weeks JY)
- Cozy ColeCozy ColeCozy Cole was an American jazz drummer who scored a #1 Cashbox magazine hit with the record "Topsy Part 2". "Topsy" peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100, and at number one on the R&B chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The track peaked at #29 in the UK...
(6 weeks) - Sam Cooke (1 week JY)
- Danny & The JuniorsDanny & the JuniorsDanny & The Juniors were a doo-wop quartet from Philadelphia comprising Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova. Formed in 1955, they are most widely recognized for their hit single "At the Hop", which was released in 1957...
(5 weeks BS) - Bobby DarinBobby DarinBobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
(2 weeks JY) - Bobby DayBobby DayBobby Day , was an early African American rock and roll and R&B musician.Born Robert James Byrd, , in Fort Worth, Texas, he moved to Los Angeles, California, at the age of 15...
(3 weeks JY) - Tommy EdwardsTommy EdwardsTommy Edwards was a singer and songwriter. His biggest-selling record was with the multi-million-selling song, "It's All in the Game."-Career:...
(3 weeks BS) - The ElegantsThe ElegantsThe Elegants is an American doo-wop vocal group, that was started in 1958 by Vito Picone, Arthur Venosa, Frank Tardogno, Carmen Romano and James Mochella in South Beach, Staten Island, New York. Before their nursery rhyme inspired song, "Little Star", became a number one hit, the band usually...
(4 weeks BS, 4 weeks JY) - The Everly Brothers (5 weeks BS, 3 weeks JY)
- Ernie FreemanErnie FreemanErnie Freeman was an American pianist, organist and arranger.In 1935 he began playing in local Cleveland area nightclubs, and also formed a classical music trio for local social functions with his father and his sister Evelyn...
(2 weeks JY) - Bill JustisBill JustisWilliam E. "Bill" Justis Jr. was an American pioneer rock and roll musician, composer, and musical arranger, best known for his 1957 Grammy Hall of Fame song, "Raunchy."-Biography:...
(1 week JY) - The Kalin Twins (1 week JY)
- Clyde McPhatter (1 week)
- The Platters (3 weeks BS)
- Perez PradoPerez PradoDámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...
(2 weeks BS, 1 week JY) - Elvis Presley (3 weeks JY)
- David Seville (1 week JY)
- The SilhouettesThe SilhouettesThe Silhouettes were an American doo wop/R&B group whose single "Get A Job" was a #1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and pop singles chart in 1958. The doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's lyrics. "Get A Job"' is included in the soundtracks of the movies,...
(4 weeks BS, 6 weeks JY) - Chuck Willis (1 week JY)
- Jackie WilsonJackie WilsonJack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...
(7 weeks)
1959
- Brook BentonBrook BentonBrook Benton was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.He made a comeback in 1970...
(16 weeks) - James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
(1 week) - Ray Charles (1 week)
- The Coasters (4 weeks)
- Fats Domino (1 week)
- The Drifters (1 week)
- Wilbert HarrisonWilbert HarrisonWilbert Harrison was an American rhythm and blues singer, pianist, guitarist and harmonica player.Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, Harrison had a Billboard #1 record in 1959 with the song "Kansas City". The song was written in 1952 and was one of the first credited collaborations...
(7 weeks) - Phil PhillipsPhil PhillipsPhil Phillips is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1959 hit, "Sea of Love".-Biography:...
(1 week) - Lloyd Price (11 weeks)
- Della ReeseDella ReeseDelloreese Patricia Early, known professionally as Della Reese , is an American actress, singer, game show panelist of the 1970s, one-time talk-show hostess and ordained minister. She started her career in the 1950s as a gospel, pop and jazz singer, scoring a hit with her 1959 single "Don't You...
(2 weeks) - The Spacemen (3 weeks)
- Jackie Wilson (1 week)
1960
- Hank BallardHank BallardHank Ballard , born John Henry Kendricks, was a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters and one of the first proto-rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s...
and The Midnighters (3 weeks) - Brook Benton (23 weeks, inc. 14 weeks with Dinah Washington)
- Bill BlackBill BlackWilliam Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
(8 weeks) - Buster BrownBuster Brown (musician)Buster Brown was an American blues and R&B singer best known for his hit, "Fannie Mae".Brown was born in Cordele, Georgia, and in the 1930s and 1940s he played harmonica at local clubs and made a few non-commercial recordings...
(1 week) - Jerry ButlerJerry Butler (singer)Jerry Butler is an American soul singer and songwriter. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.Butler is also an American politician...
(7 weeks) - The Drifters (1 week)
- The Everly Brothers (1 week)
- Bobby MarchanBobby MarchanBobby Marchan was a well-respected American rhythm and blues bandleader, MC, singer-performer, recording artist, and female impersonator, who initially began performing in New Orleans nightclubs, specifically the Dew Drop Inn and the Club Tijuana in the mid 1950s.Marchan also toured with the band of...
(1 week) - Dinah Washington (15 weeks, inc. 14 weeks with Brook Benton)
- Jackie Wilson (7 weeks)
1961
- Bobby Bland (1 week)
- Ray Charles (6 weeks)
- Chubby CheckerChubby CheckerChubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
(2 weeks) - Lee DorseyLee DorseyLee Dorsey was an African American pop/R&B singer during the 1960s. Much of his work was produced by Allen Toussaint with instrumental backing provided by the Meters.-Career:...
(1 week) - The Jive FiveThe Jive FiveThe Jive Five is an American doo wop group.The group formed in Brooklyn, New York in the late 1950s with Eugene Pitt, Jerome Hanna, Richard Harris, Thurmon Prophet, and Norman Johnson. The group found success in 1961 with "My True Story" on Beltone Records, which reached #3 on the U.S...
(3 weeks) - Ernie K-DoeErnie K-DoeErnie K-Doe , born Ernest Kador, Jr., was an African American rhythm and blues singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law" which went to #1 on the Billboard pop chart in the U.S.-Early career:...
(5 weeks) - Ben E. KingBen E. KingBenjamin Earl King , better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a U.S...
(4 weeks) - Bobby LewisBobby LewisBobby Lewis is an African American rock and roll and R&B singer.-Biography:Lewis learned to play the piano by age six. Adopted at age twelve, he moved to a home in Detroit, Michigan...
(10 weeks) - The MarcelsThe MarcelsThe Marcels were a doo-wop group known for turning American classical pop songs into rock and roll. The group formed in 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and signed to Colpix Records, with lead Cornelius Harp, bass Fred Johnson, Gene Bricker, Ron Mundy, and Richard Knauss...
(2 weeks) - The MarvelettesThe MarvelettesThe Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
(7 weeks) - The MiraclesThe MiraclesThe Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature...
(8 weeks) - The Pips (1 week)
1962
- Booker T. & the MGs (4 weeks)
- Gene ChandlerGene ChandlerGene Chandler also known as "The Duke of Earl" or simply "The Duke", is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, producer and record executive. He is one of the leading exponents of the 1960s Chicago soul scene...
(5 weeks) - Ray Charles (15 weeks)
- Sam Cooke (3 weeks)
- King CurtisKing CurtisCurtis Ousley , who performed under the stage name King Curtis, was an American saxophone virtuoso known for rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, funk and soul jazz. Variously a bandleader, band member, and session musician, he was also a musical director and record producer...
(2 weeks) - The Four SeasonsThe Four Seasons (group)The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...
(1 week) - Barbara GeorgeBarbara GeorgeBarbara George was an American R&B singer and songwriter.Born Barbara Ann Smith, she was raised in New Orleans and began singing in a church choir. She was discovered by singer Jessie Hill, who recommended her to record producer, Harold Battiste...
(4 weeks) - Little EvaLittle EvaEva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...
(3 weeks) - Barbara LynnBarbara LynnBarbara Lynn is an American rhythm and blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. She is best known for her R&B chart-topping hit, "You'll Lose A Good Thing" .-Life and career:She played piano as a child, but switched to guitar...
(3 weeks) - Esther PhillipsEsther PhillipsEsther Phillips was an American singer. Phillips was known for her R&B vocals, but she was a versatile singer, also performing pop, country, jazz, blues and soul music.-Early life:...
(3 weeks) - Dee Dee SharpDee Dee SharpDee Dee Sharp is an American R&B singer, who began her career recording as a backing vocalist in 1961.-Career:...
(4 weeks) - Mary WellsMary WellsMary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s...
(1 week)
1963
- Bobby Bland (2 weeks)
- The ChiffonsThe ChiffonsThe Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...
(4 weeks) - Sam Cooke (1 week)
- The EssexThe EssexThe Essex was an American R&B vocal group formed in 1962. They are best known for their 1963 chart-topper and million selling track, "Easier Said Than Done".-Career:...
(2 weeks) - Jimmy Gilmer and the FireballsThe FireballsThe Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, is an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s...
(1 week) - Lesley GoreLesley GoreLesley Gore is an American singer. She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "It's My Party", which she recorded at the age of 16. Following the hit, she became one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s.- Biography :Gore was born in New York City, New York. She was raised in...
(3 weeks) - The Impressions (2 weeks)
- Barbara LewisBarbara LewisBarbara Lewis , is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues.-Career:Lewis was born in Salem, near Ann Arbor, Michigan...
(2 weeks) - Little Peggy March (1 week)
- Martha and the VandellasMartha and the VandellasMartha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
(4 weeks) - Garnet MimmsGarnet MimmsGarnet Mimms is an American singer, influential in soul music and rhythm and blues...
and the Enchanters (3 weeks) - The Miracles (1 week)
- Paul and Paula (2 weeks)
- Ruby and the Romantics (2 weeks)
- Jimmy SoulJimmy SoulJimmy Soul was an American vocalist. He is best remembered for his 1963 million selling recording, "If You Wanna Be Happy."...
(1 week) - Little Johnny TaylorLittle Johnny TaylorLittle Johnny Taylor was an American blues and soul singer, who made recordings throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and continued public performances through the 1980s and 1990s....
(1 week) - Mary Wells (4 weeks)
- Jackie Wilson (3 weeks)
- Little Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
(6 weeks)
1964
NOTE: No R&B charts were published between November 1963 and January 1965. The following R&B artists (as assessed by Joel Whitburn) had #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart during that period :- The Dixie CupsThe Dixie CupsThe Dixie Cups are an American pop music girl group of the 1960s. They are best known for their 1964 million selling disc, "Chapel of Love".-Career:...
(3 weeks) - The Shangri-LasThe Shangri-LasThe Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 they charted with often heartbreaking teen melodramas, and remain best known for "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember ".- Early career :...
(1 week) - The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
(6 weeks) - Mary Wells (2 weeks)
1965
- Fontella BassFontella BassFontella Bass is an American soul singer, who is best known for the 1965 R&B hit "Rescue Me", which she also co-wrote.-Early life:...
(4 weeks) - James Brown (14 weeks)
- Solomon BurkeSolomon BurkeSolomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
(3 weeks) - The Four Tops (9 weeks)
- Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
(2 weeks) - Little MiltonLittle MiltonJames Milton Campbell, Jr. , better known as Little Milton, was an American electric blues, rhythm and blues, and soul singer and guitarist, best known for his hit records "Grits Ain't Groceries" and "We're Gonna Make It."-Biography:Milton was born James Milton Campbell, Jr., in the Mississippi...
(3 weeks) - Wilson PickettWilson PickettWilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
(1 week) - The Supremes (1 week)
- The TemptationsThe TemptationsThe Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
(6 weeks) - Joe TexJoe TexJoseph Arrington, Jr. , better known as "Joe Tex", was an American Southern soul singer-songwriter, most popular during the 1960s and 1970s...
(3 weeks) - Jr. Walker & the All StarsJr. Walker & the All StarsJunior Walker & the All Stars were signed to the Motown label in the 1960s, and became one of the label's signature acts.-Biography:...
(4 weeks)
1966
- James Brown (2 weeks)
- Ray Charles (1 week)
- Eddie FloydEddie FloydEddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
(1 week) - The Four Tops (2 weeks)
- Slim HarpoSlim HarpoSlim Harpo was an American blues musician. He was known as a master of the blues harmonica; the name "Slim Harpo" was derived from "harp," the popular nickname for the harmonica in blues circles.-Early life:...
(2 weeks) - Wilson Pickett (8 weeks)
- Lou RawlsLou RawlsLouis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
(1 week) - Sam & DaveSam & DaveSam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
(1 week) - Percy SledgePercy SledgePercy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer who recorded the hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966.-Early career:...
(4 weeks) - The Supremes (6 weeks)
- The Temptations (16 weeks)
- Joe Tex (1 week)
- Stevie Wonder (6 weeks)
1967
- James Brown (3 weeks)
- Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
(17 weeks) - Gladys KnightGladys KnightGladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
& The Pips (6 weeks) - Martha and the Vandellas (1 week)
- Aaron NevilleAaron NevilleAaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
(5 weeks) - Wilson Pickett (1 week)
- Sam & Dave (7 weeks)
- Freddie ScottFreddie ScottFreddie Scott was an American soul singer and songwriter. His biggest hits were "Hey, Girl", a top ten US pop hit in 1963, and "Are You Lonely For Me", a no.1 hit on the R&B chart in early 1967.-Life and career:...
(4 weeks) - The Supremes (2 weeks)
- Bettye SwannBettye SwannBettye Swann is an American soul music singer, best known for her 1967 hit song "Make Me Yours".-Career:...
(2 weeks) - Jackie Wilson (1 week)
- Stevie Wonder (4 weeks)
1968
- Archie Bell & The DrellsArchie Bell & the DrellsArchie Bell & the Drells was a R&B vocal group from Houston, Texas, and one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records...
(2 weeks) - James Brown (8 weeks)
- Jerry Butler (1 week)
- The DellsThe DellsThe Dells are an R&B and crossover musical group. Their successful recordings spanned more than four decades. Formed in 1952 after attending high school together, the Dells' repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul, disco and contemporary rhythm and blues...
(3 weeks) - Aretha Franklin (10 weeks)
- Marvin Gaye (13 weeks, inc. 6 weeks with Tammi TerrellTammi TerrellThomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...
) - The IntrudersThe IntrudersThe Intruders were an American soul music group most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they had a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul....
(1 week) - Hugh MasekelaHugh MasekelaHugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer.-Early life:Masekela was born in Kwa-Guqa Township, Witbank, South Africa. He began singing and playing piano as a child...
(4 weeks) - Otis ReddingOtis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
(3 weeks) - Smokey RobinsonSmokey RobinsonWilliam "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
& The Miracles (1 week) - Johnnie TaylorJohnnie TaylorJohnnie Harrison Taylor was an American vocalist in a wide variety of genres, from rhythm and blues, soul, blues and gospel to pop, doo-wop and disco.-Early years:...
(3 weeks) - The Temptations (4 weeks)
- Stevie Wonder (1 week)
1969
- James Brown (4 weeks)
- Jerry Butler (2 weeks)
- Tyrone DavisTyrone DavisTyrone Davis , born Tyrone Fettson, was a leading American soul singer with a distinctive style, recording a long list of hit records over a period of more than 20 years. He had three no...
(3 weeks) - The Dells (1 week)
- Aretha Franklin (5 weeks)
- Marvin Gaye (6 weeks)
- The Impressions (1 week)
- The Isley BrothersThe Isley BrothersThe Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
(4 weeks) - The OriginalsThe OriginalsThe Originals were a successful Motown R&B and soul group during the late 1960s and the 1970s, most notable for the hits "Baby I'm For Real", "The Bells" and the disco classic, "Down to Love Town"...
(5 weeks) - Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and The Supremes (4 weeks) - Joe SimonJoe Simon (musician)Joe Simon is an American chart-topping, Grammy Award winning, soul and R&B musician. Amongst other chart singles, Simon secured three number one hits on the US Billboard R&B chart between 1969 and 1975.-Career:...
(3 weeks) - Sly & The Family StoneSly & the Family StoneSly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
(2 weeks) - The Temptations (7 weeks)
- Jr. Walker & the All Stars (2 weeks)
1970
- Brook Benton (1 week)
- James Brown (2 weeks)
- Tyrone Davis (2 weeks)
- Aretha Franklin (5 weeks)
- The Jackson Five (20 weeks)
- The MomentsRay, Goodman & BrownRay, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me "...
(5 weeks) - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (3 weeks)
- Diana Ross (1 week)
- Sly & The Family Stone (5 weeks)
- The Supremes (1 week)
- Stevie Wonder (6 weeks)
1971
- James Brown (3 weeks)
- The Chi-LitesThe Chi-LitesThe Chi-Lites are a Chicago-based smooth soul vocal quartet from the early 1970s, one of the few from the period not to come from Memphis or Philadelphia...
(2 weeks) - King FloydKing FloydKing Floyd was a New Orleans soul singer and songwriter, best known for his Top 10 hit from 1970, "Groove Me".-Early career:...
(4 weeks) - Aretha Franklin (5 weeks)
- Marvin Gaye (9 weeks)
- The Honey Cone (5 weeks)
- The Jackson Five (3 weeks)
- Gladys Knight & The Pips (1 week)
- Jean KnightJean KnightJean Knight is an African-American soul/R&B/funk singer, best known for her 1971 Stax Records hit single, "Mr. Big Stuff".-Early years:...
(5 weeks) - Denise LaSalleDenise LaSalleDenise LaSalle is an American R&B/soul and blues singer, songwriter, and record producer.-Career:...
(1 week) - The PersuadersThe Persuaders (band)The Persuaders are a New York based R&B vocal group, with some fame in the 1970s, best known for their hit single, "Thin Line Between Love and Hate"...
(2 weeks) - Wilson Pickett (1 week)
- Sly & The Family Stone (5 weeks)
- Johnnie Taylor (2 weeks)
- The Temptations (3 weeks)
- Rufus ThomasRufus ThomasRufus Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm and blues, funk and soul singer and comedian fromMemphis, Tennessee, who recorded on Sun Records in the...
(2 weeks)
1972
- James Brown (5 weeks)
- The Chi-Lites (2 weeks)
- The DramaticsThe DramaticsThe Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1962. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs "In the Rain" and "Whatcha See is Whatcha Get", both of which were #1 R&B and Top 10 Pop hits.-Career:The Dramatics originally formed in 1962 recording as the...
(4 weeks) - Roberta FlackRoberta FlackRoberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
and Donny HathawayDonny HathawayDonny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
(1 week) - Aretha Franklin (2 weeks)
- Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
(12 weeks) - Luther IngramLuther IngramLuther Ingram was an American R&B and soul singer and songwriter.-Career:Born Luther Thomas Ingram in Jackson, Tennessee, his early interest in music led to him making his first record in 1965 at the age of 28. His first three recordings failed to chart but that changed when he signed for KoKo...
(4 weeks) - Harold Melvin & the Blue NotesHarold Melvin & the Blue NotesHarold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American singing group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. The group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco...
(2 weeks) - The O'JaysThe O'JaysThe O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005...
(1 week) - Billy PaulBilly PaulBilly Paul is a Grammy Award winning American soul singer, most known for his 1972 number-one single, "Me and Mrs. Jones" as well as the 1973 album and single "War of the Gods" which blends his more conventional pop, soul and funk styles with electronic and psychedelic influences...
(4 weeks) - Billy PrestonBilly PrestonWilliam Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
(1 week) - Joe SimonJoe Simon (musician)Joe Simon is an American chart-topping, Grammy Award winning, soul and R&B musician. Amongst other chart singles, Simon secured three number one hits on the US Billboard R&B chart between 1969 and 1975.-Career:...
(2 weeks) - The SpinnersThe Spinners (U.S. band)The Spinners is a soul music vocal group, active for over 50 years, and with a long run of pop and R&B hits especially during the 1970s. The group, originating from Detroit, still tours regularly ....
(5 weeks) - The Staple SingersThe Staple SingersThe Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
(4 weeks) - Joe Tex (1 week)
- Bill WithersBill WithersWilliam Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
(1 week) - Bobby WomackBobby WomackRobert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
(1 week)
1973
- Aretha Franklin (2 weeks)
- Marvin Gaye (6 weeks)
- The IndependentsThe Independents (vocal group)The Independents were an American R&B vocal group active from 1971 to 1975. They scored several hits on the U.S. Pop and R&B charts. Their biggest success came in 1973 when "Leaving Me" went to #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on that chart for 14 weeks and selling over one million copies. The...
(1 week) - Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
(2 weeks) - Gladys Knight & The Pips (8 weeks)
- Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (2 weeks)
- The Ohio Players (1 week)
- The O'Jays (4 weeks)
- Billy Preston (1 week)
- The Spinners (5 weeks)
- The Staple Singers (3 weeks)
- SylviaSylvia RobinsonSylvia Robinson was an American singer, musician, record producer, and record label executive, most notably known for her work as founder/CEO of the hip hop label Sugar Hill Records. She is credited as the driving force behind two landmark singles in the genre...
(2 weeks) - Johnnie Taylor (2 weeks)
- The Temptations (2 weeks)
- Timmy ThomasTimmy ThomasTimmy Thomas is an American R&B singer, keyboardist, songwriter and record producer, best known for the hit song, "Why Can't We Live Together".-Career:...
(2 weeks) - Fred WesleyFred WesleyFred Wesley is an American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s.-Biography:...
& The J.B.s (2 weeks) - Barry WhiteBarry WhiteBarry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
(2 weeks) - Stevie Wonder (6 weeks)
1974
- Blue MagicBlue Magic (band)Blue Magic is an American soul music group, one of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972, they were originally composed of lead Ted Mills, Vernon Sawyer, Wendell Sawyer, Keith Beaton, and Richard Pratt...
(1 week) - James Brown (5 weeks)
- Shirley BrownShirley BrownShirley Brown is an American soul singer, best known for her million-selling single "Woman to Woman" which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1975.-Woman to Woman:...
(2 weeks) - B.T. ExpressB.T. ExpressB.T. Express was an American funk/disco group, that had a number of successful songs during the 1970s.-Career:...
(1 week) - William DeVaughnWilliam DeVaughnWilliam DeVaughn is an American R&B singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known for the hit song "Be Thankful for What You Got".-Biography:...
(1 week) - Roberta Flack (5 weeks)
- Aretha Franklin (3 weeks)
- Al Green (1 week)
- The Impressions (2 weeks)
- The Jackson Five (1 week)
- Eddie Kendricks (3 weeks)
- Gladys Knight & The Pips (5 weeks)
- Kool & The GangKool & the GangKool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
(2 weeks) - LatimoreLatimore (musician)Benjamin "Benny" Latimore , usually known professionally simply as Latimore, is an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist....
(2 weeks) - George McCraeGeorge McCraeGeorge McCrae is an American soul and disco singer, most famous for his 1974 hit "Rock Your Baby".-Early life and career:...
(2 weeks) - MFSBMFSBMFSB was a pool of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up such groups as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O’Jays, the Stylistics, the...
featuring The Three DegreesThe Three DegreesThe Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
(1 week) - RufusRufus (band)Rufus was an American funk band from Chicago, Illinois best known for launching the career of lead singer Chaka Khan. They had several hits throughout their career, including "Tell Me Something Good," "Sweet Thing," and "Ain't Nobody."-Origins:...
featuring Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
(1 week) - The Spinners (2 weeks)
- TavaresTavares (band)Tavares are a successful American R&B, funk and soul music group, composed of five Cape Verdean-American brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts.-Band members:...
(1 week) - The Temptations (1 week)
- Barry White (3 weeks)
- Bobby Womack (3 weeks)
- Stevie Wonder (4 weeks)
1975
- B.T. Express (1 week)
- Natalie ColeNatalie ColeNatalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
(2 weeks) - The Commodores (1 week)
- Carl DouglasCarl DouglasCarl Douglas is a former Jamaican-born, UK-based, singer, best known for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which hit number one in both the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. The R.I.A.A. awarded gold disc status on 27 November, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Selling Single...
(1 week) - Earth, Wind & FireEarth, Wind & FireEarth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of...
(2 weeks) - Faith Hope & Charity (1 week)
- Graham Central StationGraham Central StationGraham Central Station is a funk band named after founder Larry Graham . The name is a pun on New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often incorrectly called Grand Central Station....
(1 week) - Al Green (3 weeks)
- Major Harris (1 week)
- The Isley Brothers (3 weeks)
- K.C. & The Sunshine Band (2 weeks)
- Eddie Kendricks (1 week)
- Ben E. King (1 week)
- Kool & The Gang (1 week)
- LaBelleLabelleLabelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...
(1 week) - Love UnlimitedLove UnlimitedLove Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American R&B/soul singer Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings. Formed in 1969, the group included Barry White’s future wife, Glodean James, her sister, Linda James, and...
(1 week) - Van McCoyVan McCoyVan Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...
(1 week) - Gwen McCraeGwen McCraeGwen McCrae is an American R&B singer, best known for her March, 1975 hit "Rockin' Chair".-Career:...
(1 week) - The Moments (1 week)
- New BirthNew Birth (band)New Birth is an American funk and R&B group, originally conceived in Detroit, Michigan by former Motown songwriter/producer and veteran musician Vernon Bullock, and co-founded in Louisville, Kentucky by Vernon, with former Motown songwriter/producer Harvey Fuqua, and music industry veterans, Tony...
(1 week) - The Ohio Players (4 weeks)
- The O'Jays (2 weeks)
- Sharon Paige with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (1 week)
- Peoples Choice (1 week)
- The Pointer Sisters (2 weeks)
- Smokey Robinson (1 week)
- Shirley and CompanyShirley GoodmanShirley Goodman was an American R&B singer known best for "Shirley and Lee", a 1950s R&B duo. Later in her career, she had a resurgence with the disco hit, "Shame, Shame, Shame" in the 1970s...
(1 week) - Silver ConventionSilver ConventionSilver Convention was a German euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention, or Silver Bird.-Career:...
(1 week) - Joe Simon (2 weeks)
- The Spinners (1 week)
- The Staple Singers (2 weeks)
- Tavares (1 week)
- The Temptations (2 weeks)
- WarWar (band)War is an American funk band from California, known for the hit songs "Low Rider", "Spill the Wine", "The Cisco Kid" and "Why Can't We Be Friends?". Formed in 1969, War was a musical crossover band which fused elements of rock, funk, jazz, Latin, rhythm and blues, and reggae...
(1 week) - Barry White (2 weeks)
1976
- Brass ConstructionBrass ConstructionBrass Construction was an American funk group formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. They were originally known as Dynamic Soul, and went on to record a string of hit singles and albums through to 1985.-Career:...
(1 week) - BrickBrick (band)Brick is a former American band that created a successful merger of funk and jazz in the 1970s. Their most popular single was "Dazz", which was released in 1976.-History:...
(4 weeks) - The Brothers Johnson (1 week)
- Natalie Cole (2 weeks)
- The Commodores (2 weeks)
- Tyrone Davis (1 week)
- Earth, Wind & Fire (4 weeks)
- Aretha Franklin (4 weeks)
- Marvin Gaye (1 week)
- K.C. & The Sunshine Band (4 weeks)
- L.T.D.L.T.D.L.T.D. is an American R&B/funk band best known for their 1977 hit single, " Back in Love Again," as well as their many ballads, such as "Love Ballad," "We Both Deserve Each Other's Love," and "Where Did We Go Wrong?."-Career:L.T.D...
(2 weeks) - The ManhattansThe ManhattansThe Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group, with a string of hit records spanning four decades. Their best known million-selling songs being "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and 'Shining Star' in 1980...
(1 week) - Marilyn McCooMarilyn McCooMarilyn McCoo is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group The 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series Solid Gold...
and Billy Davis Jr. (1 week) - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (2 weeks)
- The Ohio Players (1 week)
- The O'Jays (3 weeks)
- Lou RawlsLou RawlsLouis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
(2 weeks) - Rose RoyceRose RoyceRose Royce is an American soul and R&B band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," "Wishing on a Star", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "I'm Going Down".-Career:...
(2 weeks) - Diana Ross (1 week)
- David RuffinDavid RuffinDavis Eli "David" Ruffin was an American soul singer and musician most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations from 1964 to 1968...
(1 week) - Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (2 weeks)
- The Spinners (1 week)
- Candi StatonCandi StatonCandi Staton is an American soul and gospel singer, best known for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and her 1976 disco hit "Young Hearts Run Free". In 2007, Staton was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
(1 week) - The SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
(1 week) - Johnnie Taylor (6 weeks)
- Wild CherryWild Cherry (band)Wild Cherry was a funk/rock band best known for their funk song "Play That Funky Music".-History:Rob Parissi was raised in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. Parissi graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of...
(2 weeks)
1977
- William BellWilliam Bell (singer)William Bell is an American soul singer and songwriter, and one of the architects of the Stax-Volt sound. As a performer, he is probably best known for 1961's "You Don't Miss Your Water" ; 1968's "Private Number" ; and 1976's "Tryin' To Love Two", Bell's only US top 40 hit, which also hit #1 on the...
(1 week) - The Brothers Johnson (1 week)
- Natalie Cole (5 weeks)
- The Commodores (1 week)
- Earth, Wind & Fire (7 weeks)
- The EmotionsThe EmotionsThe Emotions are an American all female soul and R&B singing group. The group was formed in its current hometown of Chicago, Illinois originally consisting of the three Hutchinson sisters, all the children of Joseph and Lillian Hutchinson....
(4 weeks) - The FloatersThe FloatersThe Floaters were an African American, R&B vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan, that formed in 1976.-Career:...
(6 weeks) - Aretha Franklin (1 week)
- Marvin Gaye (5 weeks)
- Thelma HoustonThelma HoustonThelma Houston is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She scored a number-one hit in 1976 with her cover version of the song "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.-Early life & career:Houston is the daughter of a cotton picking mother...
(1 week) - The Isley Brothers (1 week)
- K.C. & The Sunshine Band (1 week)
- L.T.D. (2 weeks)
- The O'Jays (1 week)
- Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (2 weeks)
- SlaveSlave (band)Slave was an Ohio funk band popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Trumpeter Steve Washington and Mark Hicks formed the group in Dayton, Ohio in 1975.-Career:Trombonist Floyd Miller teamed with Tom Lockett Jr...
(1 week) - Tavares (1 week)
- Barry White (5 weeks)
- Stevie Wonder (6 weeks)
1978
- Bootsy's Rubber Band (1 week)
- ChicChic (band)Chic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
(5 weeks) - Natalie Cole (2 weeks)
- The Commodores (3 weeks)
- Con Funk ShunCon Funk ShunCon Funk Shun is an American R&B and funk band popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Influences include James Brown and Sly & the Family Stone.-History:...
(2 weeks) - Earth, Wind & Fire (1 week)
- EnchantmentEnchantment (band)Enchantment is a 1970s R&B band formed in Detroit, Michigan by Emanuel "EJ" Johnson, Bobby Green, Mickey Clanton, Joe Thomas and Dave Banks. Best known for the hits Gloria and It's You That I Need.- Beginnings :...
(1 week) - Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway (2 weeks)
- FoxyFoxy (band)Foxy is a Latin Dance/disco group formed in 1976 in Miami, Florida.The group consisted of vocalist-guitarist Ish "Angel" Ledesma , percussionist Richard "Richie" Puente, keyboardist Charlie Murciano, bass guitarist Arnold Paseiro and drummer Joe Galdo...
(2 weeks) - FunkadelicFunkadelicFunkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
(6 weeks) - The Isley Brothers (2 weeks)
- Rick JamesRick JamesJames Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B...
(2 weeks) - Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
(1 week) - Chaka Khan (3 weeks)
- L.T.D. (2 weeks)
- Johnny MathisJohnny MathisJohn Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
and Deniece WilliamsDeniece WilliamsJune Deniece Chandler known by her stage name Deniece Williams is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s...
(4 weeks) - The O'Jays (5 weeks)
- ParliamentParliament (band)Parliament was a funk band most prominent during the 1970s. It and its sister act Funkadelic, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
(3 weeks) - Teddy PendergrassTeddy PendergrassTheodore DeReese "Teddy" Pendergrass was an American R&B/soul singer and songwriter. Pendergrass first rose to fame as lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in the 1970s before a successful solo career at the end of the decade...
(2 weeks) - StargardStargard (band)Stargard was an American three-piece female funk band, consisting of original members Rochelle Runnells, Debra Anderson, and Janice Williams. Stargard was best known for their 1977 Norman Whitfield-penned hit song " Which Way Is Up?" which served as a theme for the movie of the same name starring...
(2 weeks) - A Taste Of HoneyA Taste of Honey (band)A Taste of Honey was the name of an American recording act, formed in 1971 by associates Perry Kibble and Donald Ray Johnson. In 1978 they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie"...
(1 week)
1979
- Chuck BrownChuck BrownChuck Brown is a guitarist and singer who is affectionately called "The Godfather of Go-go". Go-go is a subgenre of funk music developed in and around Washington, D.C. in the mid- and late 1970s...
& The Soul Searchers (4 weeks) - Chic (6 weeks)
- The Commodores (1 week)
- Earth, Wind & Fire (1 week)
- Funkadelic (3 weeks)
- G.Q. (2 weeks)
- Instant FunkInstant FunkInstant Funk were a 1970s disco band, best known for their disco classic, "I Got My Mind Made Up ".-History:Instant Funk came out of New Jersey consisting of Raymond Earl, Scotty Miller and guitarist Kim Miller. The group was then called The Music Machine and they were very successful as a back-up...
(3 weeks) - The Isley Brothers (1 week)
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
(5 weeks) - Kool & The Gang (3 weeks)
- Cheryl LynnCheryl LynnLynda Cheryl Smith , known better by her professional name Cheryl Lynn, is a female African-American disco, R&B and soul singer known best for her 1978 disco song, "Got to Be Real".-Early career:...
(1 week) - McFadden & WhiteheadMcFadden & WhiteheadMcFadden and Whitehead were an American songwriting, production, and recording duo, best known for their signature tune "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"...
(1 week) - Parliament (4 weeks)
- Peaches & HerbPeaches & HerbPeaches & Herb was an American vocalist duo, once comprising Herb Fame and Francine "Peaches" Hurd Barker...
(4 weeks) - PrincePrince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
(2 weeks) - Rufus and Chaka Khan (3 weeks)
- Sister SledgeSister SledgeSister Sledge is an American musical group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed in 1972 and consisting of four sisters: Kim Sledge Debbie Sledge , Joni Sledge , and Kathy Sledge . They are granddaughters of the former opera singer Viola Williams. The sisters used to perform under the name of "Mrs...
(2 weeks) - Donna SummerDonna SummerLaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
(1 week) - Anita WardAnita WardAnita Ward is an American singer and musician. She is best known for her 1979 million selling chart-topper, "Ring My Bell".-Career:Before signing a recording contract, Ward obtained a degree in psychology from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and had become a schoolteacher...
(5 weeks)
1980
- George BensonGeorge BensonGeorge Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
(3 weeks) - The Brothers Johnson (2 weeks)
- Tom Browne (4 weeks)
- Larry GrahamLarry GrahamLarry Graham, Jr. is an African American bass guitar player, both with the popular and influential psychedelic soul/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, and as the founder and frontman of Graham Central Station...
(2 weeks) - The Isley Brothers (4 weeks)
- Jermaine JacksonJermaine JacksonJermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
(6 weeks) - Michael Jackson (6 weeks)
- Kool & The Gang (6 weeks)
- Ray, Goodman & BrownRay, Goodman & BrownRay, Goodman & Brown is an American R&B vocal group. The group originated as The Moments, who formed in the mid-1960s and whose greatest successes came in the 1970s with hits including "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Sexy Mama" and "Look at Me "...
(1 week) - Diana Ross (4 weeks)
- ShalamarShalamarShalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...
(1 week) - The S.O.S. Band (5 weeks)
- The WhispersThe WhispersThe Whispers are a long-established R&B-dance vocal group from Los Angeles, California, with a consistent track record of hit records dating back to the late 1960s.-Career:...
(5 weeks) - Stevie Wonder (7 weeks)
1981
- Earth, Wind & Fire (8 weeks)
- The Four Tops (2 weeks)
- The Gap Band (2 weeks)
- Rick James (5 weeks)
- Chaka Khan (2 weeks)
- Evelyn KingEvelyn King (singer)Evelyn "Champagne" King is an American R&B, disco and post-disco singer. Some of her best-known songs are "Shame", "Love Come Down," and "I'm in Love."-Biography:...
(1 week) - Kool & The Gang (1 week)
- LakesideLakeside (band)Lakeside is a funk band, best known for their 1980 number one R&B hit, "Fantastic Voyage."-Formation and early years:In early 1969, The Nomads, a singing quartet consisting of lead singer Mark Wood; Tiemeyer McCain; Tony White; and Brian Marbury, met the Montereys, a band that featured Stephen...
(2 weeks) - Ray Parker Jr.Ray Parker Jr.Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. , is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters, for his solo hits, and performing with his band Raydio as well as the late Barry White.-Early life and...
& RaydioRaydioRaydio was an American funk and R&B vocal group formed in 1977, by Ray Parker Jr., with Vincent Bohnam, Jerry Knight, and Arnell Carmichael.-Career:...
(2 weeks) - Smokey Robinson (5 weeks)
- RogerRoger TroutmanRoger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years...
(2 weeks) - Diana Ross and Lionel RichieLionel RichieLionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
(7 weeks) - Frankie SmithFrankie SmithFor the football player of the same name see Frankie Smith .Franklyn Leon "Frankie" Smith is an American funk musician and R&B/soul songwriter.-History:...
(4 weeks) - A Taste Of Honey (1 week)
- Luther VandrossLuther VandrossLuther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
(2 weeks) - Yarbrough & Peoples (5 weeks)
1982
- George Benson (1 week)
- The Dazz Band (5 weeks)
- Richard "Dimples" Fields (3 weeks)
- Aretha Franklin (4 weeks)
- The Gap Band (3 weeks)
- Marvin Gaye (10 weeks)
- Daryl Hall & John Oates (1 week)
- Jennifer HollidayJennifer HollidayJennifer-Yvette Holliday is an African-American singer and Tony Award-winning actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as Dreamgirls, and later became a successful recording artist...
(4 weeks) - Evelyn King (5 weeks)
- SkyySkyySKYY can refer to:*SKYY vodka*Skyy , American R&B/funk band...
(2 weeks) - Deniece Williams (2 weeks)
- Stevie Wonder (9 weeks)
- ZappZappZapp may refer to:*Zapp , a 1980s funk band based in Ohio, USA*Zapp , the debut album by the funk band*Zapp Brannigan, a fictional character from the television series Futurama...
(2 weeks)
1983
- George ClintonGeorge Clinton (funk musician)George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
(4 weeks) - DeBargeDeBargeDeBarge was a sibling music group of American origin whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later gospel. Active as a professional recording group from 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.-Background:Hailing from...
(5 weeks) - Aretha Franklin (2 weeks)
- The Gap Band (1 week)
- Michael Jackson (13 weeks, inc. 3 weeks with Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - Rick James (6 weeks)
- Gladys Knight & The Pips (1 week)
- MtumeMtumeMtume was a funk and soul group that had several R&B hits in the 1980s. Its founder, percussionist James Mtume, previously played with Miles Davis in the 1970s. Other members of the group included Reggie Lucas and Tawatha Agee.-History:...
(8 weeks) - New EditionNew EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync...
(1 week) - Lionel Richie (7 weeks)
- Rufus and Chaka Khan (1 week)
- Donna Summer (3 weeks)
1984
- Ashford & SimpsonAshford & SimpsonNickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
(3 weeks) - CameoCameo (band)Cameo is an American soul-influenced funk group that formed in the early 1970s. Cameo was initially a 13-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo to avoid a lawsuit from Ohio Players, another group from that era. Since then, Cameo has recorded several...
(4 weeks) - Chaka Khan (3 weeks)
- Kool & The Gang (2 weeks)
- Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
(4 weeks) - Cheryl Lynn (1 week)
- Midnight StarMidnight StarMidnight Star is an R&B and electro-funk group that had a string of R&B hits in the 1980s.-Band history:The group was formed in 1976 at Kentucky State University by trumpeter Reggie Calloway, vocalist Belinda Lipscomb, guitarist/vocalist Melvin Gentry, bassist Kenneth Gant, multi-instrumentalist...
(5 weeks) - New Edition (1 week)
- O'BryanO'BryanO'Bryan McCoy Burnette Jr. is an American singer/songwriter, usually credited simply as O'Bryan. Born to O’Bryan and Glenice Burnette at Pender County Memorial Hospital in Burgaw, North Carolina, Burnette began his career in the music business at age 18...
(1 week) - Billy OceanBilly OceanBilly Ocean is a Trinidad-born English Grammy Award winning popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British-based R&B singer / songwriter of the early to mid-1980s...
(4 weeks) - Ray Parker Jr. (2 weeks)
- Prince (9 weeks)
- Lionel Richie (3 weeks)
- RockwellRockwell (musician)Rockwell is an R&B performer who was signed to the Motown label.-Biography:...
(5 weeks) - Deniece Williams (3 weeks)
- Stevie Wonder (3 weeks)
- Yarbrough & Peoples (1 week)
1985
- The Commodores (4 weeks)
- DeBarge (1 week)
- Aretha Franklin (5 weeks)
- Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
(2 weeks) - Isley Jasper Isley (3 weeks)
- Freddie JacksonFreddie JacksonFrederick Anthony "Freddie" Jackson is an American soul singer. He was an important figure in R&B during the 1980s and early 1990s...
(8 weeks) - Kool & The Gang (2 weeks)
- Loose EndsLoose Ends (band)Loose Ends was a successful British R&B band that had several urban contemporary hits. The trio was formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player, writer and founder Steve Nichol...
(1 week) - MazeMaze (band)Maze a soul / quiet storm band, also known alternately as Maze featuring Frankie Beverly and Frankie Beverly and Maze, was established in San Francisco, California in the early 1970s.-Career:...
featuring Frankie BeverlyFrankie BeverlyFrankie Beverly is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band, Maze.-Early life and career:...
(2 weeks) - New Edition (3 weeks)
- Ready For The WorldReady for the WorldReady for the World is an American R&B band from Flint, Michigan who scored several moderate pop, soul, and dance hits in the mid to late 1980s...
(2 weeks) - Rene & AngelaRené & AngelaRené & Angela were an 1980s R&B duo consisting of artist/producers René Moore and Angela Winbush. The group dissolved by the mid 1980s. Both went on to successful solo careers as performers, songwriters, and producers.-Studio albums:-Compilation albums:...
(2 weeks) - Diana Ross (3 weeks)
- USA for AfricaUSA for AfricaUSA for Africa was the name under which forty-seven predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a US and UK Number One for the collective in April of that year...
(2 weeks) - Eugene WildeEugene WildeEugene Wilde is an American R&B singer and songwriter, who had two #1 hits on the US R&B charts in the 1980s.-Career:...
(4 weeks) - Stevie Wonder (6 weeks)
1986
- Gregory AbbottGregory AbbottGregory Abbott is an American soul musician , singer, composer and producer. He currently lives in both New York and the San Francisco Bay Area.- Biography :...
(2 weeks) - Bobby BrownBobby BrownRobert Barisford "Bobby" Brown is an American R&B singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and dancer. After success in pop group New Edition, Brown began his solo career in 1987 and had a string of Top 10 Billboard hits, culminating in a Grammy Award. He was a pioneer of New Jack Swing music, a...
(2 weeks) - Cameo (3 weeks)
- Jean Carn (2 weeks)
- El DeBargeEl DeBargeEldra Patrick "El" DeBarge is an American R&B/pop falsetto singer and was the focal point and lead singer of the family group DeBarge throughout the early to mid-1980s....
(1 week) - Gwen GuthrieGwen GuthrieGwen Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter, who also sang backing vocals for Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Madonna, among others, and who wrote songs made famous by Ben E. King, and Roberta Flack....
(1 week) - Whitney Houston (1 week)
- Freddie Jackson (5 weeks inc. 1 week with Melba Moore}
- Janet JacksonJanet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
(4 weeks) - Oran "Juice" Jones (2 weeks)
- Shirley JonesThe Jones GirlsThe Jones Girls were an R&B trio of sisters from Detroit, Michigan. They first recorded for GM Records in 1968, then recorded for Philadelphia International Records with Gamble & Huff.-History:...
(2 weeks) - Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonaldMichael McDonald (singer)Michael McDonald is a five-time Grammy Award winning American singer and songwriter. McDonald is known for a soulful baritone singing style and a multi-octave range. He began his career singing back-up vocals with Steely Dan...
(4 weeks) - LevertLeVertLeVert is a R&B/pop music singing group, formed in Ohio in 1984, comprising Sean and Gerald Levert, the sons of O'Jays founder Eddie Levert, as well as Marc Gordon.-Biography:The group released their first single, "I'm Still", for Harry Coombes' Tempre label...
(1 week) - Stephanie MillsStephanie MillsStephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...
(2 weeks) - Melba MooreMelba MooreBeatrice Melba Smith , known by her stage name, Melba Moore is an American disco, R&B singer and actress. She is the daughter of saxophonist Teddy Hill and R&B singer Bonnie Davis.-Early life:...
with Freddie Jackson (1 week) - Meli'sa MorganMeli'sa MorganMeli'sa Morgan is an African American R&B singer born in Queens, New York who had a string of urban contemporary and house music hits in the 1980s and 1990s. She got her start in the music industry whilst singing with a church gospel choir called the Starlets of Corona...
(3 weeks) - Billy Ocean (3 weeks)
- Prince (4 weeks)
- Ready For The World (2 weeks)
- Rene & Angela (1 week)
- Lionel Richie (2 weeks)
- Timex Social ClubTimex Social ClubThe Timex Social Club was an American R&B/Hip hop group, formed in 1982 by students of Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California. They are perhaps best known for their 1986 hit single, "Rumors" and for being major forerunners to the soon-incipient new jack swing movement.-History:Originally...
(2 weeks) - Dionne WarwickDionne WarwickDionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
with Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder (3 weeks)
1987
- Herb AlpertHerb AlpertHerbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
with Janet Jackson (2 weeks) - Atlantic StarrAtlantic StarrAtlantic Starr was a 1980s R&B band. Among their biggest hits were "Always" and "Secret Lovers."- History :The group was started in 1976 in White Plains, New York by trumpeter Duke Jones , drummer Porter Carroll Jr., bassist Clifford Archer, percussionist and flautist Joseph Phillips, and three...
(2 weeks) - Cameo (2 weeks)
- Earth, Wind & Fire (1 week)
- Force M.D.'s (2 weeks)
- Freddie Jackson (3 weeks)
- Janet Jackson (5 weeks, inc. 2 with Herb Alpert)
- Michael Jackson (8 weeks)
- Levert (2 weeks)
- Lisa Lisa and Cult JamLisa Lisa and Cult JamLisa Lisa and her band Cult Jam were an urban contemporary band and one of first freestyle music groups to emerge from New York City in the 1980s. Cult Jam consisted of guitarist/bassist Alex "Spanador" Moseley, and drummer/keyboardist Mike Hughes...
(3 weeks) - L.L. Cool J (1 week)
- Loose Ends (1 week)
- Stephanie Mills (4 weeks)
- Melba Moore (1 week)
- The O'Jays (1 week)
- Alexander O'NealAlexander O'NealAlexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer. He is best-known for the songs "If You Were Here Tonight" and "Fake", and the duets with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This".-Biography:...
(2 weeks) - Prince (3 weeks)
- Roger (1 week)
- The SystemThe System (band)The System was an American synth pop duo consisting of vocalist/guitarist Mic Murphy and seasoned session keyboardist David Frank. The band was founded in 1982 in New York and backed up by Paul Pesco on electric guitar and Kris Khellow - keyboards, synthesizers.Sometimes the group is referred to...
(1 week) - Luther Vandross (3 weeks, inc. 1 with Gregory HinesGregory HinesGregory Oliver Hines was an American actor, singer, dancer and choreographer.-Early years:Born in New York City, Hines and his older brother Maurice started dancing at an early age, studying with choreographer Henry LeTang...
) - Jody WatleyJody WatleyJody Vanessa Watley is an American, singer, songwriter, record producer, and founder of Avitone Records whose music crosses genres from Pop, R&B, Jazz, Dance and Electronic Soul....
(3 weeks) - The Whispers (1 week)
- Angela WinbushAngela WinbushAngela Winbush is an American R&B/soul singer-songwriter who rose to fame first in the 1980s R&B duo René & Angela, also scoring hits as a solo artist.-Early life and career:...
(2 weeks) - Stevie Wonder (2 weeks)
1988
- Al B. Sure!Al B. Sure!Albert Jason Brown III is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He grew up in Leonia, New Jersey and Mount Vernon, New York. During the late 1980s under the stage name Al B...
(5 weeks) - Anita BakerAnita BakerAnita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
(2 weeks) - The BoysThe Boys (band)The Boys is an American R&B quartet composed of the four Abdulsamad brothers, Khiry , Hakeem , Tajh , and Bilal . The group started out singing in Carson, California. The group had three #1 singles on the R&B charts but never had a mainstream pop #1.-Early years:The Boys were encouraged by their...
(1 week) - Bobby Brown (4 weeks)
- CherrelleCherrelleCheryl Anne Norton, better known by her stage name, Cherrelle , is an American R&B singer who gained fame in the 1980s...
(1 week) - Terence Trent D'Arby (1 week)
- Morris DayMorris DayMorris E. Day is an American musician and composer. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time.-1970s and 1980s:...
(2 weeks) - E.U.Experience UnlimitedExperience Unlimited is a Washington, D.C.-based go-go band that enjoyed its height of popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. Fronted by lead singer/bassist Gregory "Sugarbear" Eliot, the group has had a fluctuating membership over the years, but they have maintained a fairly loyal following...
(1 week) - Freddie Jackson (4 weeks)
- Michael Jackson (2 weeks)
- Rick James feat. Roxanne ShanteRoxanne ShantéRoxanne Shanté is an American hip-hop pioneer. Born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, Shanté first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and her association with the Juice Crew....
(1 week) - Johnny KempJohnny KempJohnny Kemp is a Bahamian R&B singer and dancer. He began singing in nightclubs in the Bahamas at 13. He moved to New York in 1979 with the band "Kinky Fox." His self-titled debut album came out in 1986 and he scored a minor hit with "Just Another Lover." True success came the following year,...
(2 weeks) - Gladys Knight & The Pips (1 week)
- Levert (2 weeks)
- The Mac BandThe Mac BandThe Mac Band was an R&B group from Flint, Michigan, formed by four brothers as the primary vocalists. Their first album included production by Babyface and members of Atlantic Starr, and one of the tracks from the album, "Roses Are Red" reached #1 on the U.S. R&B chart and reached the Top 10 in the...
featuring the McCampbell Brothers (1 week) - Teena MarieTeena MarieMary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
(1 week) - Ziggy MarleyZiggy MarleyDavid "Ziggy" Marley is a Jamaican musician and leader of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He is the oldest son of famed reggae musician Bob Marley...
& The Melody Makers (2 weeks) - George MichaelGeorge MichaelGeorge Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
(1 week) - Billy Ocean (1 week)
- Jeffrey OsborneJeffrey OsborneJeffrey Linton Osborne is an American funk and R&B musician, songwriter, lyricist, and former lead singer of the band, L.T.D.-Early life and career:...
(1 week) - Pebbles (3 weeks)
- Teddy Pendergrass (2 weeks)
- Cheryl Pepsii RileyCheryl Pepsii RileyCheryl "Pepsii" Riley-Grace is an American R&B/gospel singer and actress, best known for her 1988 ballad, "Thanks for My Child."-Life and career:Cheryl Riley was born in Brooklyn, New York...
(1 week) - SadeSade (band)Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
(1 week) - Keith SweatKeith SweatKeith Sweat is an American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and a major contributor to the new jack swing era.-Music career:...
(3 weeks) - Tony! Toni! Tone!Tony! Toni! Toné!Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American Soul/R&B group from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq on lead vocals and bass, and their cousin Timothy...
(1 week) - Luther Vandross (1 week)
- Karyn WhiteKaryn WhiteKaryn White was a new jack swing singer who became popular during the late 1980s.-Biography:White was born in Los Angeles,to the parentage of Vivian and Clarence White. She is the youngest of five children...
(1 week) - Stevie Wonder (1 week)
1989
- Atlantic Starr (1 week)
- Babyface (2 weeks)
- Anita Baker (1 week)
- Regina BelleRegina BelleRegina Belle is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s. She is notable for her Grammy award winning duet with Peabo Bryson, "A Whole New World".-Biography:Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey...
(1 week) - Chuckii BookerChuckii BookerChuckii Booker is an African American award-winning producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader.-Biography:...
(1 week) - The Boys (1 week)
- Bobby Brown (2 weeks)
- Peabo BrysonPeabo BrysonPeabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...
(1 week) - Natalie Cole (1 week)
- De La SoulDe La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
(1 week) - Roberta Flack (1 week)
- Eric GableEric GableEric Gable is an American R&B singer. He released three albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and had a #1 US Billboard R&B hit in 1989 with "Remember "...
(1 week) - The Gap Band (2 weeks)
- Miki HowardMiki HowardAlicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B/jazz singer and actress who had a string of Top 10 hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howard's string of hits also included Baby,Be Mine", "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management"...
(1 week) - Janet Jackson (2 weeks)
- Jermaine Jackson (1 week)
- Levert (1 week)
- Maze feat. Frankie Beverly (2 weeks)
- Stephanie Mills (2 weeks)
- New Edition (2 weeks)
- The O'Jays (2 weeks)
- Prince (1 week)
- Teddy Riley feat. GuyGuy (band)Guy are a hip hop, R&B and soul band most closely associated with the new jack swing style of the 1980s and 1990s.-Origins :Guy was formed in Harlem, New York in 1987 by R&B singer-songwriters Aaron Hall, young musician/record producer Teddy Riley and Timmy Gatling...
(1 week) - Skyy (2 weeks)
- Soul II SoulSoul II SoulSoul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
(3 weeks) - SurfaceSurface (band)Surface was an American R&B and pop music group, active from 1983 to 1994, and best known for its #1 pop and R&B hit "The First Time".-Early years:...
(5 weeks) - Today (1 week)
- Luther Vandross (2 weeks)
- Jody Watley (1 week)
- Karyn White (5 weeks)
- Vanessa WilliamsVanessa L. WilliamsVanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
(2 weeks)
1990
- After 7After 7After 7 is an R&B group founded in 1988 by brothers Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, and Keith Mitchell. The Edmonds brothers are the siblings of popular pop and R&B singer-songwriter-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds"...
(3 weeks) - Al B. Sure! (2 weeks, inc. 1 week with Quincy Jones)
- Babyface (1 week)
- Bell Biv DeVoeBell Biv DeVoeBell Biv DeVoe is an American R&B musical group which branched off from New Edition. It consists of three of New Edition's previous members, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe...
(3 weeks) - Regina Belle (1 week)
- The Boys (1 week)
- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
(3 weeks) - En VogueEn VogueEn Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
(3 weeks) - Johnny GillJohnny GillJohnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
(5 weeks, inc. 2 weeks with Stacy Lattisaw) - Whitney Houston (2 weeks)
- Janet Jackson (2 weeks)
- Quincy Jones (4 weeks, inc. 2 weeks with Ray Charles and Chaka Khan; 1 week with Al B. Sure!, James Ingram, El DeBarge and Barry White; 1 week with Tevin CampbellTevin CampbellTevin Jermod Campbell is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor. He scored a string of R&B chart hits as a teenager in the early to mid-1990s.-Music career:...
) - Stacy LattisawStacy LattisawStacy Lattisaw is an American R&B, dance, and gospel singer. Since the 1990s, she has exclusively sung gospel music, as a callback to her Christian roots.-Career:...
with Johnny Gill (2 weeks) - M.C. Hammer (1 week)
- Pebbles (3 weeks)
- Prince (1 week)
- SamuelleSamuelleSamuelle Pratter, known simply as Samuelle, is an American R&B singer who is a former member of the R&B group, Club Nouveau. He released his first and only solo album entitled, Living in Black Paradise on October 30, 1990 on Atlantic Records, which reached number 37 on the Billboard R&B Albums...
(2 weeks) - Skyy (1 week)
- Lisa StansfieldLisa StansfieldLisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
(3 weeks) - Keith Sweat (1 week)
- The TimeThe Time (band)The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
(1 week) - Tony! Toni! Tone! (6 weeks)
- Ralph TresvantRalph TresvantRalph Tresvant , aka Rizz, is an American tenor singer, best known as one of the lead singers in New Edition.-New Edition:Tresvant sang lead on many of the New Edition lead singles including "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "If It Isn't Love"...
(1 week) - TroopTroop (band)----Troop is an R&B group from Pasadena, California. TROOP has had three number one singles and ten top ten singles on the Billboard R&B Charts. They have also completed five albums, which include three certified gold and one certified platinum album...
(3 weeks) - Ruby TurnerRuby TurnerRuby Turner is a British R&B and soul singer, songwriter and actress. In 1967, she relocated with her family to Handsworth, Birmingham, England when she was nine years old...
(1 week)
1991
- Boyz II MenBoyz II MenBoyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
(1 week) - Peabo Bryson (2 weeks)
- Mariah Carey (1 week)
- C & C Music Factory feat. Freedom WilliamsFreedom WilliamsFrederick Brandon Williams , better known by his stage name Freedom Williams is an American hip hop and dance music performer, who gained fame as the lead vocalist on C+C Music Factory's biggest hits.-Career:...
(1 week) - Color Me BaddColor Me BaddColor Me Badd was an R&B vocal group that was formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. The original members of the group were Bryan Abrams ; Mark Calderon ; Sam Watters and Kevin Thornton...
(3 weeks) - Damian DameDamian DameDamian Dame was an R&B duo consisting of Debra Jean "Deah Dame" Hurd and Bruce Edward "Damian" Broadus .In 1991, Damian Dame became the first act signed to LaFace Records...
(2 weeks) - DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh PrinceDJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh PrinceDJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince is a hip hop duo from West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Vocalist Will Smith met Jeff Townes while trying to make a name for himself in West Philadelphia's local hip hop scene. After joining forces with Clarence Holmes the team members became local celebrities...
(1 week) - En Vogue (1 week)
- Lisa FischerLisa FischerLisa Fischer is an American R&B singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 1991 with her debut album So Intense, which produced the Grammy Award winning hit single "How Can I Ease the Pain". Known for her high notes, which extends into the whistle register, Fischer has been recognized as one of...
(2 weeks) - Johnny Gill (1 week)
- Hi-FiveHi-FiveHi-Five is an American R&B quintet based out of Waco, Texas, who had a #1 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 in the early 1990s with "I Like the Way ". Hi-Five was formed in 1990, and consisted of the late Tony Thompson, Roderick "Pooh" Clark, Marcus Sanders, Russell Neal, and Toriano Easley...
(3 weeks) - Whitney Houston (2 weeks)
- Phyllis HymanPhyllis HymanPhyllis Linda Hyman was an American soul singer and actress.-Early years:Phyllis Hyman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the St. Clair Village, the South Hills section of Pittsburgh...
(1 week) - Freddie Jackson (3 weeks)
- JodeciJodeciJodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
(2 weeks) - Levert (1 week)
- Gerald LevertGerald LevertGerald Levert was an American R&B singer. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert...
(1 week) - Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (1 week)
- Pebbles (2 weeks)
- Teddy Pendergrass (1 week)
- Phil PerryPhil PerryPhil Perry is an American R&B singer, songwriter, musician and a former member of the soul group The Montclairs from 1971 to 1975.- Biography :...
(1 week) - The Rude BoysThe Rude Boys-Group:Band members: Joe N Little III , Edward Lee Banks , Larry Marcus and Melvin Sephus-History:Beginnings...
(2 weeks) - ShaniceShaniceShanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox , better known as Shanice, is a Grammy-nominated American R&B/soul singer-songwriter. She scored two Top 5 Billboard hit single's "I Love Your Smile" in 1991, and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. In 1999, Shanice scored another top hit song, "When I Close My Eyes"...
(4 weeks) - Tracie SpencerTracie SpencerTracie Monique Spencer is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, actress, and model.-Biography:She began singing by the age of three and modeling in pageant competitions at age five. Tracie performed, produced and directed her first music videos before she was ten years of age...
(1 week) - Surface (1 week)
- Keith Sweat (1 week)
- Tony! Toni! Tone! (2 weeks)
- Luther Vandross (2 weeks)
- Keith WashingtonKeith WashingtonKeith Washington is an American R&B vocalist from Detroit, Michigan who scored a hit single in the United States in 1991 with "Kissing You," which was also used as background music for a General Hospital on ABC...
(1 week) - Karyn White (1 week)
- Christopher WilliamsChristopher Williams (singer)Christopher Williams is an American R&B singer and actor.-Music career:...
(1 week) - Vanessa Williams (2 weeks)
- BeBe & CeCe WinansBeBe & CeCe WinansBeBe & CeCe Winans are an American Gospel music brother and sister duo. BeBe and CeCe Winans are the seventh and eighth of "Mom" and "Pop" Winans' ten children, most of whom have had successful Gospel music careers.-Musical career:...
(3 weeks, inc. 1 week feat. Mavis StaplesMavis StaplesMavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
)
1992
- Al B. Sure! (1 week)
- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
(3 weeks) - Arrested DevelopmentArrested Development (hip hop group)Arrested Development is an American alternative hip hop group, founded by Speech and Headliner as a positive, Afrocentric alternative to the gangsta rap popular in the early 1990s.-History:...
(1 week) - Mary J. BligeMary J. BligeMary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
(3 weeks) - Chuckii Booker (1 week)
- Boyz II Men (5 weeks)
- Bobby Brown (2 weeks)
- Tevin Campbell (2 weeks)
- En Vogue (3 weeks)
- Aaron Hall (2 weeks)
- Whitney Houston (11 weeks)
- Miki Howard (1 week)
- Michael Jackson (3 weeks)
- Jodeci (4 weeks)
- Glenn JonesGlenn JonesGlenn Jones, , is an American R&B/soul singer.-Career:He started his career as a gospel singer and has since, managed a successful move into the R&B field. He got his start in R&B in 1980 when Norman Connors featured Jones on a track on his album, Take It To The Limit...
(1 week) - R. KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
and Public AnnouncementPublic AnnouncementPublic Announcement is an R&B and hip hop group, which was formed in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois, originally backing singer R. Kelly on his first album.-1990-1994: Born Into The 90's:...
(3 weeks) - Gerald Levert (1 week)
- Lo-Key?Lo-Key?Lo-Key? is a American funk/R&B band that formed in Kansas City, Missouri and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their single, "I Got A Thang 4 Ya!" , reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, and #27 on the Hot 100.-History:...
(1 week) - Prince (1 week)
- Lionel Richie (1 week)
- Lisa Stansfield (1 week)
- Keith Sweat (2 weeks)
- TLCTLC (band)TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
(2 weeks) - Troop (1 week)
- Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson with BBDBell Biv DeVoeBell Biv DeVoe is an American R&B musical group which branched off from New Edition. It consists of three of New Edition's previous members, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe...
and Ralph Tresvant (1 week) - Vanessa Williams (3 weeks)
1993
- Tevin CampbellTevin CampbellTevin Jermod Campbell is an American R&B singer-songwriter and actor. He scored a string of R&B chart hits as a teenager in the early to mid-1990s.-Music career:...
(3 weeks) - Dr Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg (2 weeks)
- D.R.S. (6 weeks)
- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
(10 weeks) - H-TownH-TownH-Town most commonly refers to the city of Houston, TX.Other references:* Hamilton, Ontario* Houston, Mississippi* Hell* Heidelberg West, Melbourne* Hampstead, Maryland* Hackney, London* Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire* Hondo, Texas...
(4 weeks) - Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
featuring Das EFXDas EFXDas EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Skoob and Dray...
(1 week) - Janet Jackson (4 weeks)
- Jodeci (4 weeks)
- Naughty By NatureNaughty by NatureNaughty by Nature are a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop trio from East Orange, New Jersey that at the time of its formation in 1989 consisted of Treach, Vin Rock, and the DJ Kay Gee...
(1 week) - SilkSilk (group)Silk is an American R&B group, formed in 1989 in Atlanta, Georgia.-Career:Silk are best known for their hit singles, "Happy Days", "Freak Me" from their debut album, Lose Control. Another hit from Lose Control, "Girl U For Me", helped the album reach double platinum status...
(8 weeks) - SWVSWVSisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is an American female R&B trio from New York. Formed in 1990 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here/Human Nature", "I'm So Into You", and "You're the One"....
(Sisters With Voices) (9 weeks) - Tag TeamTag TeamTag Team was a hip hop/pop rap duo from Atlanta, Georgia, United States active from 1993 up to 1995. The duo was made up of Cecil Glenn and Steve Gibson . They are best known for their #1 single, "Whoomp! ", which was released in 1993, but rereleased as a remix in 2000...
(1 week) - XscapeXscape (band)Xscape, was a female American R&B group that originally started out as a quintet and then became a quartet. The group had a string of hit songs during the 1990s...
(4 weeks)
1994
- AaliyahAaliyahAaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
(3 weeks) - Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
(2 weeks) - Boyz II Men (9 weeks)
- BrandyBrandy (entertainer)Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
(4 weeks) - Janet Jackson (10 weeks)
- Jodeci (4 weeks)
- R. Kelly (12 weeks)
- TLC (9 weeks)
- Barry White (3 weeks)
- Xscape (2 weeks)
1995
- Brandy (4 weeks)
- Mariah Carey (6 weeks)
- Whitney Houston (8 weeks)
- Michael Jackson (4 weeks)
- Montell JordanMontell JordanMontell Jordan is a former American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. Jordan became the main solo male artist on its Def Soul imprint until leaving the label in 2003. Of his live performances it is often regarded that he is a rock oriented musician, with Jordan even going as far as to...
(7 weeks) - R. Kelly (1 week)
- Method ManMethod ManClifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
feat. Mary J. Blige (3 weeks) - MonicaMonica (singer)Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
(2 weeks) - The Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
(9 weeks) - ShaggyShaggy (musician)Orville Richard Burrell , better known by his stage name Shaggy, is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and rapper. He is perhaps best known for his 1995 single "Boombastic" and 2000 single "It Wasn't Me"...
(1 week) - Soul For RealSoul for RealSoul for Real is an R&B group from Wheatley Heights, New York, made up of brothers Andre , Brian , Christopher , and Jason Dalyrimple...
(3 weeks) - Xscape (1 week)
1996
- Monica (2 weeks)
- Mary J. Blige (5 weeks)
- R. Kelly (15 weeks inc. 1 with Ronald Isley)
- SWV (1 week)
- Mariah Carey (1 week)
- Bone Thugs N Harmony (7 weeks)
- Toni BraxtonToni BraxtonToni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
(2 weeks) - 2Pac (3 weeks)
- K-Ci and JoJoK-Ci and JoJoK-Ci & JoJo are an American R&B duo, consisting of brothers Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and Joel "JoJo" Hailey , Natives of Monroe, North Carolina, they were also members of the chart-topping R&B group Jodeci with the DeGrate brothers—Donald and Dalvin.-On their own:K-Ci and JoJo's first sign of...
(3 weeks with 2Pac) - Roger Troutman (3 weeks with 2Pac)
- Keith Sweat (6 weeks inc. 3 with Athena Cage)
- New Edition (3 weeks)
- Aaliyah (2 weeks)
- Az YetAz YetAz Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their hit "Last Night" and their cover of the Chicago song "Hard to Say I'm Sorry."-Formation:...
(1 week) - Blackstreet (4 weeks)
- Dr. DreDr. DreAndre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
(4 weeks with Blackstreet) - GinuwineGinuwineElgin Baylor Lumpkin , better known by his stage name Ginuwine is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Signed to Epic Records since the mid-1990s, Ginuwine had released a number of multi-platinum and platinum-selling albums and singles, becoming one of R&B's top artists during the late 1990's...
(2 weeks)
1997
- En Vogue (1 week)
- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
(3 weeks) - Erykah BaduErykah BaduErica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
(2 weeks) - Dru HillDru HillDru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and gospel music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", ...
(3 weeks) - Puff Daddy (14 weeks)
- The Notorious B.I.G. (3 weeks)
- Changing Faces (7 weeks)
- MaseMaseMason Durell Betha , better known by stage name Mase who was previously known as Murda Ma$e, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and inspirational speaker...
(6 weeks with Puff Daddy) - Faith EvansFaith EvansFaith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
(8 weeks with Puff Daddy) - UsherUsher (entertainer)Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
(11 weeks) - LSGLSGLSG was an urban R&B musical supergroup, composed of R&B artists Gerald Levert from Cleveland, Ohio, Keith Sweat from Harlem, NY and Johnny Gill from Washington DC. The group's name "LSG" is derived from the first letter in the last name of each artist .In 1997, LSG released their début album...
(7 weeks) - Boyz II Men (2 weeks)
- 112112Year 112 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Cornelius...
(8 weeks with Puff Daddy)