America'S Greatest Hits 1949 / Various America'S Greatest Hits 1949 / Various CD

We continue our popular and successful series devoted to the biggest chart records of each calendar year in the early chart era as we focus on 1949, the final year of the first decade of the Billboard Best Sellers chart - the chart was launched in July 1940. This great value 103-track 4-CD set comprises just about every record which peaked in the Top 15 of the Billboard Best Sellers and Cash Box charts during 1949. For reasons of space, it excludes some records were still in the chart at the start of the year, but which peaked in the Top 15 in 1948, and so will be included in the forthcoming 1948 collection. It was a big year for solo vocalists, who were now dominating as television offered an ideal means of exposure and the big swing bands declined in the era of post-war austerity, although the "sweet" orchestras with their featured singers continued to hold sway, and the year had it's customary smattering of novelty songs, often in jazzy R&B or country styles. Only eight different records made No. 1 in the chart, some with very long stays at the top. As usual, there were also quite a number of highly collectable records by some artists we don't hear too much about these days. It makes for an intriguing and very entertaining musical snapshot of the music scene as the war receded in people's minds and a momentous new decade in music approached. It includes a 15,000+ word booklet with a commentary on every record as well as full discographical and chart information.

1. Sammy Kaye ; The Kaydets - Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly) 2. Russ Morgan - So Tired 3. Betty Rhodes - Buttons And Bows 4. Evelyn Knight ; Stardusters - A Little Bird Told Me 5. Margaret Whiting ; the Crew Chiefs - Far Away Places 6. Evelyn Knight ; The Stardusters - Powder Your Face With Sunshine 7. Bing Crosby - Far Away Places 8. Brother Bones ; His Shadows - Sweet Georgia Brown 9. Perry Como - By The Way 10. Perry Como - Far Away Places 11. Les Brown - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm 12. Bing Crosby - Galway Bay 13. Patty Andrews and Bob Crosby - The Pussy Cat Song (Nyow! Nyot! Nyow!) 14. Dinah Shore - Lavender Blue 15. Blue Barron - Cruising Down The River 16. Vaughn Monroe - Red Roses For A Blue Lady 17. Sammy Kaye ; The Kaydets - Powder Your Face With Sunshine 18. Mills Brothers - I Love You So Much It Hurts 19. Sammy Kaye ; The Kaydets - Careless Hands 20. Russ Morgan ; The Skylarks - Cruising Down The River 21. Jo Stafford - Here I'll Stay 22. Gordon MacRae - So In Love 23. Tommy Dorsey ; His Orchestra - Down By The Station 24. Ames Brothers - You, You, You Are The One 25. Russ Morgan ; The Skylarks - Forever And Ever 26. Perry Como - Forever And Ever 27. Russ Morgan ; The Skylarks - Sunflower 28. Guy Lombardo ; His Royal Canadians (Don Rodney, vocal) - Red Roses For A Blue Lady 29. Mel Torme - Careless Hands 30. Jack Fulton - Sunflower 31. Jo Stafford ; Gordon MacRae - "A" You're Adorable 32. Jo Stafford ; Gordon MacRae - Need You 33. Perry Como ; Fontane Sisters - "A" You're Adorable 34. Dennis Day - Clancy Lowered The Boom 35. Jack Smith ; The Clark Sisters - Cruising Down The River 36. Vaughn Monroe - Riders In The Sky 37. Gordon Jenkins ; Joe Graydon Chorus - Again 38. Stardusters - I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore 39. Ray Bolger - Once In Love With Amy 40. Cass Daley - All Right Louie, Drop The Gun 41. Tony Martin - Comme Ci, Comme Ca 42. Mel Torme - Again 43. Perry Como - Some Enchanted Evening 44. Margaret Whiting ; Johnny Mercer - Baby, It's Cold Outside 45. Vic Damone - Again 46. Perry Como - Bali Ha'i 47. Margaret Whiting - A Wonderful Guy 48. Bing Crosby - Some Enchanted Evening 49. Sammy Kaye ; The Kaydets - Room Full Of Roses 50. Sammy Kaye ; Tony Alamo Choir - Four Winds And The Seven Seas 51. Vic Damone - You're Breaking My Heart 52. Dinah Shore ; Buddy Clark - Baby,It's Cold Outside 53. Guy Lombardo ; His Royal Canadians (Kenny Gardner, vocal) - Merry Go Round Waltz 54. Perry Como - I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore 55. Kitty Kallen - Kiss Me Sweet 56. Connie Haines - How It Lies, How It Lies 57. Tommy Dorsey Orchestra - The Huckle-Buck 58. Dick Haymes - Room Full Of Roses 59. Benny Strong ; His Orchestra - Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue 60. Frankie Yankovic ; His Yanks with The Marlin Sisters - Blue Skirt Walitz 61. Frank Sinatra - The Huckle Buck 62. Al Morgan - Jealous Heart 63. Dick Haymes - Maybe It's Because 64. Don Cornell and Laura Leslie - Baby,It's Cold Outside 65. Vaughn Monroe - Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You) 66. Dinah Shore - Lover's Gold 67. Eddy Howard - Room Full Of Roses 68. Evelyn Knight - You're So Understanding 69. Eddy Howard - Yes! Yes! In Your Eyes 70. Perry Como - Let's Take An Old Fashioned Walk 71. Vic Damone - My Bolero 72. Frankie Laine - That Lucky Old Sun 73. Ink Spots - You're Breaking My Heart 74. Art Mooney ; His Orchestra - Twenty-Four Hours Of Sunshine 75. Ezio Pinza - Some Enchanted Evening 76. Perry Como - I Love You (Just One Way To Say) 77. Margaret Whiting ; Jimmy Wakely - Slipping Around 78. Jo Stafford ; Gordon MacRae - Whispering Hope 79. Mills Brothers - Someday (You'll Want Me To Want You) 80. Kenny Roberts - I Never See Maggie Alone 81. Gordon Jenkins ; Betty Brewer - Don't Cry, Joe (Let Her Go, Let Her Go) 82. Doris Day and The Mellomen - (Where Are You) Now That I Need You 83. Spike Jones ; Doodles Weaver - Dance Of The Hours 84. Tony Martin - Circus 85. Buddy Clark - You're Breaking My Heart 86. Perry Como - Give Me Your Hand 87. Guy Lombardo ; Kenny Gardner Trio - Hop-Scotch Polka (Scotch Hot) 88. Vaughn Monroe - That Lucky Old Sun 89. Perry Como ; Fontane Sisters - A Dreamer's Holiday 90. Frankie Laine ; The Muleskinners - Mule Train 91. Margaret Whiting ; Jimmy Wakely - I'll Never Slip Around Again 92. Sammy Kaye - Dime A Dozen 93. Freddy Martin and His Orchestra - I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts 94. Art Mooney ; His Orchestra - Toot Toot Tootsie (Goodbye) 95. Vaughn Monroe - Mule Train 96. Doris Day - Canadian Capers 97. Tennessee Ernie - Mule Train 98. Yogi Yorgesson - I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas 99. Andrews Sisters - Charley, My Boy 100. Bing Crosby - Way Back Home 101. Yogi Yorgesson - Yingle Bells 102. Perry Como - I Wanna Go Home With You 103. Andrews Sisters - She Wore A Yellow Ribbon