Last week and in honor of Black History Month, we took a stab at calling out the Top 10 Moments in Black Music History. We really like music ’round these parts, so we decided to follow it up with a look at the chart-toppers who have helped define pop music over the years. Fire up that MP3 player and dig in!
- Tommy Edwards became the first African-American to top the Hot 100 in 1958 with his version of “It’s All in the Game.” Originally an instrumental, the 1911 composition was given lyrics in the ’50s by, among others, Vice President Calvin Coolidge. History thus collides as the first Hot 100 chart-topper by an African-American is also the only No. 1 single co-written by a VP.
- The Mills Brothers, a jazz pop quartet, became the first African-Americans to score a No. 1 song on the Billboard song sales chart with a 12-week run for “Paper Doll” in 1943. The Hot 100 would not debut for another 15 years, so this was the top song chart at the time.
- Not that it’s a race, but the Platters’ 1955 version of “Only You” was the first pop song to beat its competing white artist cover version to the Top 10. Three years later, the Platters sang “Twilight Time” on American Bandstand, and a video of the performance was used for promotional purposes, making it one of the very first “music videos.”
- Already in the history books for his mega-selling Thriller, Michael Jackson made Hot 100 history when 1995′s “You Are Not Alone” debuted at No. 1, the first song ever to do so. “Alone” also distinguished Jacko as the artist with the longest span between his first No. 1 hit (1970′s “I Want You Back”) and his most recent. The Grammy-nominated, R. Kelly-penned tune appeared on the appropriately titled “HIStory.”
- Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You” spent 14 weeks atop the charts in 1994, which tied it with Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” for the longest No. 1 run. The following year, the Philly group set the current record spending 16 weeks at No. 1 with “One Sweet Day,” a collaboration with Mariah Carey (who herself is part Afro-Venezuelan).
- Stevie Wonder set two records with 1963′s “Fingertips (Part 2).” At just 13 years old, Wonder became (and remains) the youngest artist — and “Fingertips” the first live song — to top the charts.
- Chubby Checker made history in 1962 when “The Twist” made a second run atop the charts, having previously hit No. 1 in 1960. No other song has had separate chart-topping runs separated by more than a year.
- In June 2000, Aaliyah’s “Try Again” became the first song to top the Hot 100 based on radio play alone. It was sadly the only Hot 100 chart-topper for the Brooklyn singer, who died in a tragic plane crash the following year.
- In 1988, Whitney Houston set a new record when “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” became her seventh consecutive No. 1 hit, the longest streak ever on the Hot 100. Houston kick-started the run in 1985 with “Saving All My Love for You.”
- Louis Armstrong made history in 1964 as the oldest artist to top the charts when, at the age of 62, “Hello, Dolly!” hit No. 1.
Photo of Chubby Checker doing The Twist in 1960 by RB/Redferns/Getty Images.
