R&B No. 1S Of The '40S / Various R&B No. 1S Of The '40S / Various CD

Acrobat has devoted a number of collections over the years to anthologies of the biggest hits in different years and decades across different genres, and this one fills a particular gap in the catalogue, bringing together all the records which featured at No. 1 in all of Billboard's charts relating to the R&B market during the 1940s. In October 1942, Billboard launched the "Harlem Hit Parade", which was replaced in February 1945 by the "Most Played Juke Box Race Records", to which in 1948 was added the "Best Selling Retail Race Records". This 97-track 4-CD collection features every record which reached No. 1 in any of those charts, apart from a few which are unavailable for copyright reasons. We have also included those from 1950, as it is arguably the final year of the decade, and we had space in the 4-CD format to accommodate them for the benefit of collectors who do not have our "R&B No. 1s of the '50s" set. The collection offers a fascinating spread of music, ranging across the spectrum of a genre which was continually evolving from big band music to solo singers, small group R &B and pure blues, with one or two artists like Louis Jordan and Nat King Cole maintaining a solid presence right through the decade. It's a hugely entertaining musical journey through what was a momentous decade socially and politically, in which R&B laid the groundwork for the arrival of the musical upheavals of the '50s. It contains a 12,000+ word booklet featuring background notes on every record as well as full discographical and chart information.

1. Andy Kirk ; His Clouds Of Joy - Take It And Git 2. Freddie Slack - Mr. Five By Five 3. Paul Whiteman ; His Orch. - Trav'lin' Light 4. Earl Hines ; His Orch. - Stormy Monday Blues 5. Lucky Millinder ; His Orch. - When the Lights Go On Again (All Over The World) 6. Bing Crosby - White Christmas 7. Bea Booze - See See Rider Blues 8. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - What's The Use Of Getting Sober 9. King Cole Trio - That Ain't Right 10. Lucky Millinder ; His Orch. - Apollo Jump 11. Bonnie Davis - Don't Stop Now 12. Ink Spots - Don't Get Around Much Anymore 13. Harry James Orch. With Helen Forrest - I've Heard That Song Before 14. Ink Spots - I Can't Stand Losing You 15. Duke Ellington ; His Famous Orchestra - Don't Get Around Much Anymore 16. Dick Haymes ; The Song Spinners - You'll Never Know 17. Erskine Hawkins - Don't Cry Baby 18. Duke Ellington ; His Famous Orchestra - A Slip Of The Lip 19. Duke Ellington ; His Famous Orchestra - Sentimental Lady 20. King Cole Trio - All For You 21. Ella Mae Morse - Shoo Shoo Baby 22. Lucky Millinder ; His Orch. - Sweet Slumber 23. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Ration Blues 24. Duke Ellington ; His Famous Orchestra - Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me 25. Johnny Mercer - G.I. Jive 26. Benny Goodman Orch. - Solo Flight 27. Ella Fitzgerald ; Ink Spots - Cow Cow Boogie 28. Duke Ellington ; His Famous Orchestra - Main Stem 29. Buddy Johnson - When My Man Comes Home 30. King Cole Trio - Straighten Up And Fly Right 31. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - G.I. Jive 32. Mills Brothers - Till Then 33. Lionel Hampton Orch. - Hamp's Boogie Woogie 34. Benny Carter - I'm Lost 35. King Cole Trio - Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You 36. Ella Fitzgerald ; Ink Spots - Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall 37. Cootie Williams - Somebody's Got To Go 38. Pvt. Cecil Gant - I Wonder 39. Roosevelt Sykes - I Wonder 40. Erskine Hawkins - Tippin' In 41. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Mop Mop 42. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Caldonia 43. Lucky Millinder ; Wynonie Harris - Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well 44. Joe Liggins ; His Honeydrippers - The Honeydripper Pt. 1 45. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Buzz Me 46. Lionel Hampton ; His Orch. - Hey Ba-Ba-Re-Bop 47. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule 48. Ink Spots - The Gypsy 49. Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Stone Cold Dead In The Market (He Had It Coming) 50. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Choo Choo Ch'Boogie 51. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Ain't That Just Like A Woman 52. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens 53. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Texas And Pacific 54. Savannah Churchill - I Want To Be Loved (Only By You) 55. Eddie Vinson - Old Maid Boogie 56. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Jack, You're Dead 57. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Boogie Woogie Blue Plate 58. Julia Lee And Her Boy Friends - Snatch It And Grab It 59. Julia Lee And Her Boy Friends - King Size Papa 60. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Run Joe 61. Sonny Thompson With The Sharps And Flats - Long Gone (Pts. I ; II) 62. Memphis Slim and His House Rockers - Messin' Around 63. Arbee Stidham - My Heart Belongs To You 64. Hal Singer Sextette - Corn Bread 65. Dinah Washington - Am I Asking Too Much 66. Ivory Joe Hunter - Pretty Mama Blues 67. Sonny Thompson Quintet - Late Freight 68. Pee Wee Crayton - Blues After Hours 69. The Orioles - It's Too Soon To Know 70. Amos Milburn - Chicken Shack Boogie 71. Red Miller Trio - Bewildered 72. Roy Brown Mighty Men - Long About Midnight 73. Amos Milburn - Bewildered 74. John Lee Hooker - Boogie Chillen 75. Big Jay McNeely's Blue Jays - Deacon's Hop 76. Paul Williams And His Hucklebuckers - The Hucklebuck 77. Charles Brown Trio - Trouble Blues 78. Jimmy Witherspoon - Ain't Nobody's Business (Part 1) 79. Amos Milburn - Roomin' House 80. The Orioles - Tell Me So 81. Dinah Washington - Baby, Get Lost 82. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Beans And Cornbread 83. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Saturday Night Fish Fry (Part 1) 84. Larry Darnell - For You My Love 85. Ivory Joe Hunter - I Almost Lost My Mind 86. Johnny Otis ; Little Esther - Double Crossing Blues 87. Little Esther with Mel Walker ; The Johnny Otis Orch. - Mistrustin' Blues 88. Ivory Joe Hunter - I Need You So 89. Joe Liggins ; His Honeydrippers - Pink Champagne 90. Little Esther ; Mel Walker - Cupid's Boogie 91. Roy Brown - Hard Luck Blues 92. Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa 93. Louis Jordan ; His Tympany Five - Blue Light Boogie (Part 1) 94. Lowell Fulson - Blue Shadows 95. Joe Morris ; His Orchestra - Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere 96. Percy Mayfield - Please Send Me Someone To Love 97. Ruth Brown - Teardrops From My Eyes