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