Here are Billboard's Number One charted hits for a few years in the Fifties. Note that in 1955 there were 14 #1 hits, 1956 17, 1957 20, 1958 23, and 1959 only 15 made #1. Happy reminiscing! Frank
Fantastico Frank ! Got this through my Email and sat there mesmerised looking at those fabulous songs and the memories they evoked for me Thank you so much ! @Frank Sanoica
@Patsy Faye You are very welcome, Patsy! Knowing someone liked this is rewarding; it required tearing the pages out of my aging Billboard book, scanning them, then downloading to Servimg.com, then copying and pasting here. I find the sizing comes out more reliably legible this way. Not to worry about the book; it's falling apart! My nephew got it for me about 1989. It came out not long before Roy Orbison passed away....has listed his last recording with Traveling Wilburys "Anything you Want"........ Frank
This was the top 50 chart hits in 1959 in the UK.... how many do you remember? 01 Russ Conway Side Saddle 02 Cliff Richard & The Drifters Living Doll 03 Buddy Holly It Doesn't Matter Anymore 04 Bobby Darin Dream Lover 05 Elvis Presley A Fool Such As I / I Need Your Love Tonight 06 The Platters Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 07 Shirley Bassey As I Love You 08 Craig Douglas Only Sixteen 09 Cliff Richard & The Shadows Travellin' Light 10 Russ Conway Roulette 11 Bobby Darin Mack The Knife 12 Chris Barber's Jazz Band Petite Fleur 13 Lonnie Donegan Battle Of New Orleans 14 Emile Ford & The Checkmates What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For? 15 Marty Wilde A Teenager In Love 16 Ricky Nelson It's Late 17 Jerry Keller Here Comes Summer 18 Elvis Presley One Night / I Got Stung 19 The Everly Brothers ('Til) I Kissed You 20 Paul Anka Lonely Boy 21 Connie Francis Lipstick On Your Collar 22 Shirley Bassey Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me 23 Marty Wilde Donna 24 Anthony Newley I've Waited So Long 25 The Teddy Bears To Know Him Is To Love Him 26 Adam Faith What Do You Want? 27 Slim Dusty A Pub With No Beer 28 Little Richard Baby Face 29 Johnny & The Hurricanes Red River Rock 30 Jane Morgan The Day The Rains Came 31 Conway Twitty It's Only Make Believe 32 Connie Francis My Happiness 33 Marty Wilde Sea Of Love 34 Johnny Mathis Someone 35 Lonnie Donegan Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On The Bedpost Overnight) 36 Conway Twitty Mona Lisa 37 Frankie Vaughan The Heart Of A Man 38 Lloyd Price Stagger Lee 39 Russ Conway China Tea 40 The Browns The Three Bells 41 Frank Sinatra High Hopes 42 Neil Sedaka Oh Carol 43 Anthony Newley Personality 44 The Beverley Sisters Little Drummer Boy 45 Sarah Vaughan Broken Hearted Melody 46 Billy Eckstine Gigi 47 The Coasters Charlie Brown 48 Duane Eddy Peter Gunn 49 Joan Regan May You Always 50 Paul Anka Put Your Head On My Shoulder
What a fabulous list of songs, three's only a couple I'll have to look up and I know when I do I'll remember them Weren't we lucky @Holly Saunders
I was just a toddler in 1959 Patsy, but I know every one of those songs...my mum never had the wireless off....and of course we've heard these songs played all our lives too. Classics, unlike the forgettable songs of today...
Which reminds me...I remember always hearing Russ Conways ' side saddle' played in the supermarkets whenever we went shopping...so to this day when I hear it, it takes me back to those far off dreaded grocery shopping days where I had to struggle to help carry the heavy bags home for 2 miles in all weathers.....
Oh yes Holly remember those days too, I fell over meself trying to be helpful to me Mum and please her but the bags we had were thick paper and the handles were of string, which cut into me little hands. I never told her though Russ had a lovely smiley face - liked him @Holly Saunders
Buddy Holly always brings back memories of a very special girl I knew in the 1950's. My first true love. A little butter ball of a gal, always laughing, driving around town in a red Pontiac convertible, exactly like the one pictured. She loved Buddy Holly. We had some fun times.
It is interesting the different songs that were popular in America and the ones in England. Some were the same, and some that you remember, we didn't have over here, or at least not that I remember. The Sidesaddle song by Russ Conway is one example. If we had his music here at all, I do not remember ever hearing it. Another name that doesn't ring any bells is Marty Wilde, although we had the same song, "A Teenager in Love" by Dion and the Belmonts, and it was very popular over here as well. One song that was released in late 1959 and topped the charts well into early 1960 was apparently banned in England. It was called "Teen Angel" and was sung by Mark Dinning. It was considered too morbid here, too; but became popular anyway, and I remember we listened to it for months. Since it was one of my favorites also, I had a couple of Mark Dinning's albums, and liked most of the songs that he sang, many of which were melancholy songs.
@Yvonne Smith , Yes there's many American stars we don't know either..not from that list but generally..if you see what I mean. Marty Wilde was a huge star here..he's in fact a close neighbour of mine. I don't know if you might have heard of his daughter Kim tho'...she had many hits but the most famous is ''Kids in America''...
@Yvonne Smith - no, I don't recall Teen Angel - reminded me of 'Tell Laura I love her' My Dad had a huge collection of American records, with a flurry of the Irish recordings too