60 Years of the UK Charts - a celebration!
In November 2012 it will be exactly 60 years since New Musical Express published the UK's first singles chart, a top 12 with 15 records in it and Al Martino at the summit. To celebrate this important anniversary I wanted to compile something new that covered the entire history of the charts and was both chart-related and had emphasis on britishness. To this end I decided to investigate what songs would have been charttoppers if only british acts and artists had been eligible for the UK chart. This is only an entertaining (I hope) way of having a sideways look at the history of the UK pop music world over 60 years, and no racism is intended by this project, nor is it in any way implied that music from artists of any other nationality is in any way inferior to british artists' music. So that disclaimer aside lets have a look first at the 50s hitmakers of Britain.
Key
(r) or (2r) denotes a return or second return as chart-topper of the British-only chart.
# denotes this British-only chart-topper actually topped the full NME chart of the time (though not necessarily in the the week or all of the weeks it topped the British-only listing here)
001. 1952/11/15 Vera Lynn - Forget Me Not (1wk)
002. 1952/11/22 Vera Lynn - Homing Waltz (1wk)
001.(r) 1952/11/29 Vera Lynn - Forget Me Not (3wks)
003. 1952/12/20 Tony Brent - Walkin' To Missouri (2wks)
004. 1953/01/03 Max Bygraves - Cowpuncher's Cantata (1wk)
003.(r) 1953/01/10 Tony Brent - Walkin' To Missouri (1wk)
005. 1953/01/17 Tony Brent - Make It Soon (1wk)
004.(r) 1953/01/24 Max Bygraves - Cowpuncher's Cantata (5wks-last wk tied)
006. 1953/02/21 Dickie Valentine - Broken Wings (1wk-tied)
007.# 1953/02/28 Stargazers - Broken Wings (3wks)
008. 1953/03/21 Lita Roza - (How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window (2wks)
007.#(r) 1953/04/04 Stargazers - Broken Wings (2wks)
008.#(r) 1953/04/18 Lita Roza - (How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window (3wks-last week tied)
009. 1953/05/02 Johnston Brothers - Oh Happy Day (3wks-first week tied)
010. 1953/05/23 Billy Cotton - In A Golden Coach (1wk-tied)
011. 1953/05/23 Muriel Smith - Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me (1wk-tied)
012. 1953/05/30 Frank Chacksfield - Limelight (2wks)
011.(r) 1953/06/20 Muriel Smith - Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me (2wks)
012.(r) 1953/07/04 Frank Chacksfield - Limelight (7wks)
013. 1953/08/22 Ron Goodwin - Limelight (1wk)
012.(2r) 1953/08/29 Frank Chacksfield - Limelight (9wks)
014.# 1953/10/31 David Whitfield - Answer Me (10wks)
015.# 1954/01/09 Eddie Calvert - Oh Mein Papa (9wks)
016.# 1954/03/13 Stargazers - I See The Moon (10wks)
017. 1954/05/22 Billy Cotton - Friends And Neighbours (5wks)
018.# 1954/06/26 David Whitfield (and Mantonvani) - Cara Mia (17wks)
019.# 1954/10/23 Vera Lynn - My Son, My Son (6wks)
020. 1954/12/04 David Whitfield - Santo Natale (5wks)
021.# 1955/01/08 Dickie Valentine - Finger Of Suspicion (5wks)
022.# 1955/02/12 Ruby Murray - Softly, Softly (11wks)
023.# 1955/04/30 Eddie Calvert - Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White (8wks)
024.# 1955/06/25 Jimmy Young - Unchained Melody (3wks)
025.# 1955/07/16 Alma Cogan - Dreamboat (5wks)
026. 1955/08/20 Ruby Murray - Evermore (1wk)
027. 1955/08/27 David Whitfield - Ev'rywhere (6wks)
028.# 1955/10/08 Jimmy Young - The Man From Laramie (5wks)
029.# 1955/11/12 Johnston Brothers - Hernando's Hideaway (3wks)
030.# 1955/12/03 Dickie Valentine - Christmas Alphabet (5wks)
031. 1956/01/07 Max Bygraves - Meet Me On The Corner (3wks)
032. 1956/01/28 Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Blues (6wks)
033. 1956/03/10 Dave King - Memories Are Made Of This (7wks)
034.# 1956/04/28 Ronnie Hilton - No Other Love (7wks)
035. 1956/06/16 Lonnie Donegan - Lost John (4wks)
036. 1956/07/14 Various Artists - All Star Hit Parade (3wks)
037. 1956/08/04 Ronnie Hilton - Who Are We (1wk)
036.(r) 1956/08/11 Various Artists - All Star Hit Parade (2wks)
037.(r) 1956/08/25 Ronnie Hilton - Who Are We (1wk)
038.# 1956/09/01 Anne Shelton - Lay Down Your Arms (11wks-last wk tied)
039. 1956/11/10 Jimmy Young - More (3wks-first and last wk tied)
040. 1956/11/24 Frankie Vaughan - Green Door (7wks-first and sixth wk)
041. 1956/12/29 Malcom Therese - St Therese Of The Roses (1wk-tied)
042.# 1957/01/12 Tommy Steele - Singing The Blues (2wks)
043.# 1957/01/26 Frankie Vaughan - The Garden Of Eden (7wks)
044. 1957/03/16 Lonnie Donegan - Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O (3wks)
045.# 1957/04/06 Lonnie Donegan - Cumberland Gap (8wks)
046. 1957/06/01 Charles McDevitt Skiffle Group - Freight Train (2wks)
047. 1957/06/15 Ronnie Hilton - Around The World (1wk)
048.# 1957/06/22 Lonnie Donegan - Puttin' On The Style/Gamblin' Man (6wks)
049. 1957/08/03 Russ Hamilton - We Will Make Love (1wk)
048.#(r) 1957/08/10 Lonnie Donegan - Puttin' On The Style/Gamblin' Man (3wks)
050. 1957/08/31 Petula Clark - With All My Heart (2wks)
051. 1957/09/14 Tommy Steele - Water Water/A Handful Of Songs (1wk)
050.(r) 1957/09/21 Petula Clark - With All My Heart (2wks)
051.(r) 1957/10/05 Tommy Steele - Water Water/A Handful Of Songs (2wks)
050.(2r) 1957/10/19 Petula Clark - With All My Heart (2wks)
052. 1957/11/02 Frankie Vaughan - Man On Fire/Wandering Eyes (2wks)
053. 1957/11/16 Jim Dale - Be My Girl (4wks)
054. 1957/12/14 Malcom Vaughan - My Special Angel (7wks)
055.# 1958/02/01 Michael Holliday - The Story Of My Life (9wks)
056. 1958/04/05 Tommy Steele - Nairobi (2wks)
057. 1958/04/19 Ted Heath - Swingin' Shepherd Blues (4wks)
058. 1958/05/17 Mudlarks - Lollipop (4wks)
059. 1958/06/14 Michael Holliday - Stairway Of Love (3wks-second wk tied)
060. 1958/06/21 Max Bygraves - Tulips From Amsterdam/You Need Hands (1wk-tied)
060.(r) 1958/07/15 Max Bygraves - Tulips From Amsterdam/You Need Hands (7wks)
061. 1958/08/23 Marty Wilde - Endless Sleep (4wks)
062. 1958/09/20 Charlie Drake - Splish Splash (1wk)
063. 1958/09/27 Bernard Bresslaw - Mad Passionate Love (2wks)
064. 1958/10/11 Cliff Richard and The Drifters - Move It (4wks)
065.# 1958/11/08 Lord Rockingham's XI - Hoots Mon (11wks)
066. 1959/01/24 Shirley Bassey - Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me (3wks-last wk tied)
067.# 1959/02/07 Shirley Bassey - As I Love You (7wks)
068.# 1959/03/28 Russ Conway - Side Saddle (5wks)
069. 1959/05/02 Chris Barber - Petite Fleur (1wk)
068.#(r) 1959/05/09 Russ Conway - Side Saddle (3wks-second wk tied)
070. 1959/05/23 Marty Wilde - Donna (1wk-tied)
071. 1959/06/06 Anthony Newley - I've Waited So Long (2wks)
072.# 1959/06/20 Russ Conway - Roulette (4wks)
073. 1959/07/11 Marty Wilde - A Teenager In Love (2wks)
074. 1959/07/25 Lonnie Donegan - The Battle Of New Orleans (1wk)
075.# 1959/08/01 Cliff Richard and The Shadows - Living Doll (6wks)
076.# 1959/09/12 Craig Douglas - Only Sixteen (6wks)
077.# 1959/10/24 Cliff Richard and The Shadows - Travellin' Light (6wks)
078.# 1959/12/05 Adam Faith - What Do You Want (7wks)
Page Last Updated - 24/10/2012 |