TOP20 R&B Artists 1942-2004

[ahorn]

According to Billboard book TOP 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits
(c) Joel Whitburn

1. James Brown
2. Aretha Franklin
3. Louis Jordan
4. Stevie Wonder
5. The Temptations
6. Ray Charles
7. Marvin Gaye
8. Fats Domino
9. Gladys Knight (& The Pips)
10. The Isley Brothers
11. B.B. King
12. R. Kelly
13. Michael Jackson
14. Bobby Bland
15. Janet Jackson
16. Prince
17. The O'Jays
18. Nat "King" Cole
19. Whitney Houston
20. Dinah Washington

[zapatoo]

16. Prince

Pfui

[lankou2]

according to sales,i hope
if so, i'm surprised at not seeing the supremes or otis redding, among others.

[ahorn]

Well, it's counted according to Billboard's mathematics, which is a mixture of sales, airplay and number of staying weeks in the top40. It favours people who have been in the business for a long time like James Brown and 'Retha. Otis Redding for example was at his height for such a short time that it doesn't entitle for higher positions in that all time list. The same goes for the Supremes - limited time of huge success and then fading into obscurity.
LP sales don't count in this list.

[Reggae Souldier (Big Five)]

No "War"
No "Brass Constrution"
No "AWB"
NO "Al Green"
NO "Fatback"
and No "Curtis Mayfield"

what a load of bollocks

[ahorn]

Yes, they're based on ice cold statistics, not emotions.

21. Luther Vandross
22. Kool & The Gang
23. The Miracles
24. Four Tops
25. Jerry Butler
26. The Impressions
27. Brook Benton
28. Earth, Wind & Fire
29. Diana Ross
30. The Supremes
31. The Jackson 5
32. Sam Cooke
33. The Drifters
34. Jay-Z
35. Jackie Wilson
36. Wilson Pickett
37. Mariah Carey
38. Elvis Presley
39. Joe Simon
40. Mary J. Blige

[zapatoo]

Quoting Big Five: ...what a load of bollocks

Couldn't disagree less - a straightforward, honest appraisal that leaves no one in any doubt as to your thoughts on this ;D

And let me repeat:

16. Prince

Pfui

[ahorn]

And here's the rest of the 100

41. Spinners
42. Barry White
43. Patti Labelle
44. The Whispers
45. Johnnie Taylor
46. Tyrone Davis
47. Dionne Warwick
48. Smokey Robinson
49. Freddie Jackson
50. Al Green
51. The Dells
52. Commodores
53. The Manhattans
54. Teddy Pendergrass
55. Ruth Brown
56. Cameo
57. Puff Daddy/P. Diddy
58. Boyz II Men
59. Natalie Cole
60. New Edition
61. Bobby Womack
62. The Moments
63. LL Cool J
64. Peabo Bryson
65. The Gap Band
66. Otis Redding
67. Keith Sweat
68. The Chi-Lites
69. Usher
70. Donna Summer
71. Stephanie Mills
72. Joe Tex
73. The Clovers
74. Rick James
75. Gene Chandler
76. Aaliyah
77. Chuck Berry
78. Parliament/Funkadelic
79. Bar-Kays
80. Lloyd Price
81. Ivory Joe Hunter
82. Maze feat. Frankie Beverly
83. Joe Turner
84. Lionel Richie
85. Etta James
86. Amos Milburn
87. Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
88. The Platters
89. Ashford & Simpson
90. Solomon Burke
91. Rufus feat. Chaka Khan
92. Little Richard
93. Melba Moore
94. Levert
95. Chaka Khan
96. George Benson
97. Ink Spots
98. Jr. Walker & The All Stars
99. Tavares
100. Atlantic Starr

[lankou2]

please, stop the killing now !!!! ; )
luther van dross
mariah carey, jay z, that's too much for me ( should i even mention whitney houston or r kelly ??)
no, actually this chart is interesting, though the way it is built is "questionable".

[Freddy C]

Interesting to see that if you are a really big selling Hip Hop artist that you are magically transformed into an R&B act (Jay-Z).

I would dispute the fact that Janet Jackson is an 'artist' of any description.

Have to disagree about Luther. Luther Vandross was a damn fine singer and his earlier albums especially his solo debut "Never Too Much" and the follow up "Busy Body" are excellent. He also put out some not very good albums and even managed a single with the lady I've maligned above.

I think soul music from the 80s suffers a bit of an image problem - generally not as socially conscious as some of the 70s releases by the likes of of Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway and Gil Scott-Heron - more reflective of the Reagan era and the black middle class. That and the fact that quite a lot of contemporary 80s soul and funk sounded over-produced and often suffered from IMO fairly poor synth and drum programming.

[lankou2]

i think the Jamaicans adapted much better to the digital revolution than the US black music scene.
maybe they had much less gear and studio technology but they brought something new out of it - like it or not, it's another matter - Freddy really has a point when he says that soul music was really reflective of the Reagan ear Buppies and such types. mots of those hits are so smoooooovvvv that they end up melting away in the gutter. i don't deny Vandross was an apt vocalist, same for L Richie and their likes.But most of their music sucks the big one, it's mostly gutless gooey stuff.
at least, though i'm no big fan of them, guys like Jacko and Prince offered a more imaginative and powerful alternative.there are some of Prince's cronies i enjoy, though, such as Sheila A and The Times.
there has been a big gap since then, it seems, i am sure there is still good stuff being recorded, but artists like r kelly or the "nu soul" alternative don't do anything for me. I find most of those male artistes so cliché, i'd be a bit more lenient for some ladies, still.it is alway funny when i go to a music shop and see those young black people spying on me while i closely checking an old soul or rhythm'n'blues album while they only have eyes for the latest r kelly, Nottooblackdolly Whatshername or 50 pee.i wish they cared more about those foundation artists, plus they could buy two anthologies for the price of one current album! ; )
a newbie to a lot of those US sounds myself , i wish i just could share my enthusiasm who youngsters and elders alike.Silly me!

[ahorn]

I think soul/r&b of late since mid 80's or so has been suffering from serious case of under producing instead of over producing. At least that's how I hear it. Less musicians, less production, more synths and emulators, more emphasis on making videos.

[zapatoo]

...and since the mid-late 80s more sampling, meaning less need to go and create something new.

Mind you, there was/is a rich vein of music from the 60s and 70s to mine and these days, I find it quite gratifying to hear a sample in a song, then go and dig out the original

[paulk]

" 38. Elvis Presley " ??

[rosko]

15. Janet Jackson

66. Otis Redding

Need I say more?

[Baldhead Selector]

Is Curtis Mayfield really not on that list or did I miss him?

Isaac Hayes?

Respect

Baldy
PS - I could nit pick over the ordr but I guess that the top 8 at least should all be 'up there'

[Mrs Trellis]

From reading that list, I'm just a bit perplexed into how they decide if someone is R&B or not. With Nat King Cole at no. 18 I thought perhaps that R&B just means black artists as opposed to being a description of any style of music but then Elvis pops up at no. 38 so now Im not any clearer....

Anyone have any ideas into their criteria for these choices?

[ekki]

Curtis is here: 26. The Impressions

[ahorn]

R&B is used as a marketing term here. It doesn't really define the style of music but music which is popular in certain segment. In this case R&B (or whatever the marketing segment has been called before: race music, soul, black music etc) means just music that is supposed to sell to black people. There are some white artists which have done very well in "black section" like Elvis, Elton John and I remember even Aerosmith has had "black" hits some while artists like Johnny Mathis has gained barely any black hits.
This is a market survey not tribute or fandom based stuff. It's based on actual sales and airplay. It only reflevcts the fact that most people, regardless of the colour and position in the society have pretty average tastes.
More about billboard charts:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_magazine

[Baldhead Selector]

Thanks Ekki

I think 26 is a long way down a man of Mr Mayfield's influence.

And chack out no.58. hahahahahahahaha

Respect

Baldy

[Baldhead Selector]

And check out no.60!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D



I think we can all be suitaly proud that Musical Youth never made the reggae chart compiled by El Zapa.

Respect

Baldy

[ahorn]

Why you see this all in so negative way? Most of the stuff is here is still very appropriate and very pure stuff: Bobby Womack, The Dells, Temps, Four Tops, Maze, Isley Bros, Sol Burke just to mention a few. Is black man only good when he's suffering and yearning for freedom?

[Baldhead Selector]

Like I said - I pretty much agree that the top 8 should all be up near the top.

But check out number 60!

;D ;D ;D ;D

Its like having a list of top producers like this:
1. Coxsone
2. Scratch
3. Tubby
4. Chuckles the Clown
5. Bunny Lee

[Freddy C]

quoting Ian: "From reading that list, I'm just a bit perplexed into how they decide if someone is R&B or not. With Nat King Cole at no. 18 I thought perhaps that R&B just means black artists as opposed to being a description of any style of music but then Elvis pops up at no. 38 so now Im not any clearer....

Anyone have any ideas into their criteria for these choices"?

I pay very little attention to charts but doesn't (or didn't) the US have 2 charts - a pop chart and an R&B (black) chart? A bit like the Negro League in Baseball.

If you were Elvis (or even George Michael, if I remember correctly) you might be in the R&B chart with your black-ish music but on the other hand if you were Seal or Tricky or some other difficult black artist (hee hee ;D) who didn't sound stereotypically black you made it into the dibby dibby (sorry, pop) chart.

Didn't the Yanks have problems with the marketing of multi-racial groups. Notice how 90s girl group Eternal shed their white member, Louise?

All in all, seems like a load of racial bullsh*t to me - stick the brothas and sistas in their own chart 'cause they had all the good tunes and would dominate if they were let loose in the regular chart!

[Baldhead Selector]

ahorn said:

Is black man only good when he's suffering and yearning for freedom?

I'm not sure where this is coming from ahorn. I'd say that most of my favourite soul/R&B tunes are all about having a good time and dancing as opposed to having a political message. I do like the political stuff too mind you.

Give me 'Hard to Handle' over 'A Change is gonna come' any day of the week.

Respect

Baldy

[ahorn]

The charts were combined in 1963-65 but I think it was separated again due to the fact that black artists dominated the charts.
Segregation it is, but is still nice to look through those charts. too bad the latest edition of the book has been truncated onto TOP40 instead of the former TOP100. Those chart entries under 50 were sometimes very very interesting in the 60's/70's and even 80's.

[Baldhead Selector]

Of course you're right btw - and its not a bad list all in all I suppose. But did you check out no. 60 yet?!?!?!!?!?

:-)

Respect

Baldy

[Freddy C]

I've been picking through that 100 and I believe that I have recordings by 87 (therefore 87% ) of the artists listed and I have no problem with this whatsoever.

Since it is more of a sales of 45s chart than a best artists one, there are still a lot of great artists in there. A great many of them would make a best artists 100 I would think. The actual order and the many glaring omissions would stop it from being just that - but it could be much, much worse for what it is!

The 13% I don't own anything by (in some cases with great relief are) B B King, R Kelly, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Elvis Presley, Puff Daddy, Boyz II Men, New Edition, Usher, The Clovers, Ivory Joe Hunter, Lionel Richie, The Platters, Ink Spots, Tavares. Yes I even bought a Janet Jackson 12" for the nice DJ Muggs remix on the b-side. Oh, and I do have Lionel but only within The Commodores!

[ahorn]

baldheadselector said:

ahorn said:

Is black man only good when he's suffering and yearning for freedom?

I'm not sure where this is coming from ahorn.

It's based on my own experience how people say things before they think. Rich black artists are considered as "sellout" while rich white artists are usually thought as genius or clever businessmen.

[Freddy C]

Quoting baldheadselector: "Of course you're right btw - and its not a bad list all in all I suppose. But did you check out no. 60 yet"?!?!?!!?!?

S'matter Baldy?? You never find yo' 'Candy Girl'??!! ;D ;D ;D

(methinks I saw a Madame Baldhead on 'ere )