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Billboard Top Race Records of 1948

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Billboard Top Race Records of 1948 is a year-end chart compiled by Billboard magazine ranking the year's top race records based on record sales.Billboard assigned point totals to each record based on its sales.[1]

"Long Gone", an instrumental by Sonny Thompson with the "Sharps and Flats" was the year's No. 1 race record with 195 points. Thompson had another instrumental record, "Late Freight", that made the year-end list at No. 13.

"Good Rocking Tonight" by Wynonie Harris finished in the No. 2 spot with 145 points. The song anticipated elements of rock and roll music and has been cited as one of the candidates for the title of the first rock and roll record.[2][3][4]

"Tomorrow Night", a blues record by Lonnie Johnson, finished third with 129 points. The record was a remake of a 1939 version by Horace Heidt. Johson's version held the No. 1 spot on the race chart for seven weeks and crossed over to reach the No. 19 spot on the pop chart.

"Nature Boy" by King Cole, with an orchestra conducted by Frank De Vol, was the only song to be included in Billboard's year-end lists for both race and pop records. It finished at No. 11 among the year's race records and No. 14 among the pop records.[1][5]

King Records led all other labels with six records on the year-end chart, followed by Miracle and Capitol with three records each.[1]

Rank Title Artist(s) Label Points
1 "Long Gone" Sonny Thompson Miracle 195
2 "Good Rocking Tonight" Wynonie Harris King 145
3 "Tomorrow Night" Lonnie Johnson King 129
4 "Pretty Mama Blues" Ivory Joe Hunter 4 Star 125
5 "I Can't Go on Without You" Bull Moose Jackson King 117
6 "Messin' Around" Memphis Slim Miracle 108
7 "My Heart Belongs to You" Arbee Stidham RCA Victor 97
8 "Corn Bread" Hal Singer Sextette Savoy 79
9 "Run Joe" Louis Jordan Decca 62
10 "Blues After Hours" Pee Wee Crayton Modern 55
11 "Nature Boy" Nat King Cole Capitol 47
12 "All My Love Belongs to You" Bull Moose Jackson King 42
13 "Late Freight" Sonny Thompson Miracle 41
14 "Send for Me if You Need Me" The Ravens National 39
14 "Am I Asking Too Much?" Dinah Washington Mercury 39
15 "Hop, Skip and Jump" Roy Milton Specialty 38
16 "King Size Papa" Julia Lee Capitol 34
17 "Long About Midnight" Roy Brown DeLuxe 32
18 "It's Too Soon to Know" The Orioles Natural 28
19 "It's Too Soon to Know" Dinah Washington Mercury 23
20 "Fine Brown Frame" Nellie Lutcher Capitol 20
21 "Don't Burn the Candle at Both Ends" Louis Jordan Decca 19
22 "Everything I Do Is Wrong" Roy Milton Specialty 15
23 "Bewildered" Red Miller Trio Bullet 12
24 "Pleasing You" Lonnie Johnson King 11
25 "Blues for the Red Boy" Todd Rhodes King 10

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "The Year's Top Race Records". The Billboard. January 1, 1949. p. 13.
  2. ^ "Morgan Wright's HoyHoy.com: The Dawn of Rock 'n Roll". Hoyhoy.com. May 2, 1954. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  3. ^ 5 Candidates for the First Rock 'n' Roll Song
  4. ^ "The first rock'n'roll record is released". The Guardian. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  5. ^ "The Year's Top Popular Retail Record Sellers" (PDF). The Billboard. Vol. 61, no. 1. January 1, 1949. p. 12-13.