Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones (August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963), was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, R&B and
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues". She is a 1986 inductee of the
Alabama Jazz Hall of FameThe Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame was founded in 1978, and opened a museum on September 18, 1993, with a mission "to foster, encourage, educate, and cultivate a general appreciation of the medium of jazz music as a legitimate, original and distinctive art form indigenous to America...
, and was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1993.
Career
Ruth Jones was born in
Tuscaloosa, AlabamaTuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and moved to
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
as a child. Dinah became deeply involved in gospel and played piano for the choir in St. Luke's Baptist Church while she was still in elementary school. She sang
gospel musicGospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
in church and played piano, directing her church choir in her teens and being a member of the Sallie Martin Gospel Singers. She sang lead with the first female gospel singers formed by Ms Martin, who was co-founder of the Gospel Singers Convention. Jones' involvement with the gospel choir occurred after she won an amateur contest at Chicago's Regal Theater where she sang "I Can't Face the Music".
After winning a talent contest at the age of 15, she began performing in clubs. By 1941-42 she was performing in such Chicago clubs as Dave's Rhumboogie and the Downbeat Room of the Sherman Hotel (with
Fats WallerFats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
). She was playing at the Three Deuces, a jazz club, when a friend took her to hear
Billie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
at the Garrick Stage Bar. Joe Sherman was so impressed with her singing of "I Understand", backed by The Cats & The Fiddle, who were appearing in the Garrick's upstairs room, that he immediately hired her. During her year at the Garrick - she sang upstairs while Holiday performed in the downstairs room - she acquired the name by which she became known. Joe Sherman is generally credited with suggesting the change from Ruth Jones, but both Joe Glaser, the booker-manager who brought
Lionel HamptonLionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
to hear Dinah at the Garrick, and Hampton himself have occasionally been given the responsibility for the name change. Hampton's visit brought an offer, and Dinah went to work as his female vocalist in 1943 after she had sung with the band for its opening at the Chicago Regal Theatre. She sang with the Hampton band for two years.
She made her recording debut for the
KeynoteKeynote Records was a record label founded by record store owner Eric Bernay in 1940. The label's initial releases were folk and protest songs from the Soviet Union and the Spanish Civil War, and several anti-war releases from American musicians followed...
label that December with "Evil Gal Blues", written by
Leonard FeatherLeonard Geoffrey Feather was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.-Biography:...
and backed by Hampton and musicians from his band, including
Joe MorrisJoe Morris was an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter and bandleader.Born in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, Morris began his career as a jazz trumpeter, working and recording with Earl Bostic, Milt Buckner, Arnett Cobb, Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, Buddy Rich, Dinah Washington,...
(trumpet) and
Milt BucknerMilt Buckner was an American jazz pianist and organist, originally from St. Louis, Missouri. He was orphaned as a child, but an uncle in Detroit taught him to play...
(piano). Both that record and its follow-up, "Salty Papa Blues", made
BillboardBillboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s "Harlem Hit Parade" in 1944.
She stayed with Hampton's band until 1946 and, after the Keynote label folded, signed for
Mercury RecordsMercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
as a solo singer. Her first record for Mercury, a version of
Fats WallerFats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
's "
Ain't Misbehavin'Ain't Misbehavin' is a musical revue with a book by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr., music by Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller, and lyrics by various writers...
", was another hit, starting a long string of success. Between 1948 and 1955, she had 27 R&B top ten hits, making her one of the most popular and successful singers of the period. Both "Am I Asking Too Much" (1948) and "
Baby Get Lost"Baby Get Lost" is a July, 1949 single by Dinah Washington . The single was Dinah Washington's second number one on the R&B chart where it stayed at the top for two weeks...
" (1949) reached # 1 on the R&B chart, and her version of "
I Wanna Be Loved"I Wanna Be Loved" is a popular song with music by Johnny Green and lyrics by Edward Heyman and Billy Rose, published in 1933.The song is a standard, with many recorded versions.Grant Green plays on the song on his album Am I Blue....
" (1950)
crossed overCrossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
to reach # 22 on the US pop chart. Her hit recordings included blues, standards, novelties, pop covers, and even a version of Hank Williams' "
Cold, Cold Heart"Cold, Cold Heart" is a country music and popular music song, written by Hank Williams. This blues ballad is both a classic of honky tonk and an entry in the Great American Songbook....
" (R&B # 3, 1951). At the same time as her biggest popular success, she also recorded sessions with many leading jazz musicians, notably
Clifford BrownClifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...
on the 1954 live album
Dinah JamsDinah Jams is a 1954 live album by vocalist Dinah Washington. Remastered in 1990.-Tracks:#"Lover Come Back to Me"#"Alone Together" #"Summertime" #"Come Rain or Come Shine"#"No More"#"I've Got You Under My Skin"...
, and also recorded with Cannonball Adderley,
Clark TerryClark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
, and
Ben WebsterBenjamin Francis Webster , a.k.a. "The Brute" or "Frog," was an influential American jazz tenor saxophonist. Webster, born in Kansas City, Missouri, was considered one of the three most important "swing tenors" along with Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young...
.
In 1959, she had her first top ten pop hit, with a version of "
What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"What a Diff'rence a Day Made" is a popular song originally written in Spanish by María Méndez Grever , a Mexican composer, in 1934. Originally, the song was known as Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado...
", which made # 4 on the US pop chart. Her band at that time included arranger
Belford HendricksBelford C. Hendricks was an American composer, pianist, arranger, conductor and record producer. He used a variety of names, including Belford Hendricks, Belford Cabell Hendricks, Belford Clifford Hendricks, Sinky Hendricks and Bill Henry...
, with
Kenny BurrellKenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
(guitar),
Joe ZawinulJosef Erich Zawinul was an Austrian-American jazz keyboardist and composer.First coming to prominence with saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, Zawinul went on to play with trumpeter Miles Davis, and to become one of the creators of jazz fusion, an innovative musical genre that combined jazz with...
(piano), and Panama Francis (drums). She followed it up with a version of Nat "King" Cole's "
Unforgettable"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable". The music publishing company asked Irving to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951....
", and then two highly successful duets in 1960 with
Brook BentonBrook Benton was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.He made a comeback in 1970...
, "
Baby (You've Got What It Takes)"Baby " is a 1960 song written by Clyde Otis, Murray Stein and Brook Benton. It was originally recorded as a duet by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. In their first collaboration, the single was very successful on both the pop and R&B charts...
" (# 5 pop, # 1 R&B) and "
A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love)"A Rockin' Good Way " is a song first recorded by The Spaniels in 1958.. In 1960, the song was recorded as a pop and R&B duet by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. The single was the second pairing for both Washington and Benton...
(# 7 pop, # 1 R&B). Her last big hit was "
September in the Rain"September in the Rain" is a popular song by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, published in 1937. The song was introduced by James Melton in the film Melody for Two...
" in 1961 (# 23 pop, 5 R&B).
According to Richard S. Ginell at Allmusic:
"[She] was at once one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the mid-20th century - beloved to her fans, devotees, and fellow singers; controversial to critics who still accuse her of selling out her art to commerce and bad taste. Her principal sin, apparently, was to cultivate a distinctive vocal style that was at home in all kinds of music, be it R&B, blues, jazz, middle of the road pop - and she probably would have made a fine gospel or country singer had she the time. Hers was a gritty, salty, high-pitched voice, marked by absolute clarity of diction and clipped, bluesy phrasing..."
Washington was well known for singing
torch songA torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
s. In 1962, Dinah hired a male backing trio called the Allegros, consisting of Jimmy Thomas on drums, Earl Edwards on sax, and Jimmy Sigler on organ. Edwards was eventually replaced on sax by John Payne. A
VarietyVariety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
writer praised their vocals as "effective choruses".
Washington's achievements included appearances at the
Newport Jazz FestivalThe Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
(1955–59), the Randalls Island Jazz Festival in New York City (1959), and the International Jazz Festival in Washington D.C. (1962), frequent gigs at
BirdlandBirdland is a jazz club started in New York City on December 15, 1949. The original Birdland, which was located at 1678 Broadway, just north of West 52nd Street in Manhattan, was closed in 1965 due to increased rents, but it re-opened for one night in 1979...
(1958, 1961–62), and performances in 1963 with
Count BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
and
Duke EllingtonEdward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
.
Performing at the London Palladium, with
Queen ElizabethElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
sitting in a box, Washington told the audience: "There is but one Heaven, one Hell, one queen, and your Elizabeth is an imposter."
Personal life
Washington was married eight times and divorced seven times, while having several lovers, including, according to
Patti Austin-Life and career:Austin was born in Harlem, New York. She made her debut at the Apollo Theater at age four and had a contract with RCA Records when she was only five. Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington have proclaimed themselves as her godparents....
,
Quincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
. She had two children. Her husbands were John Young (1942–43), George Jenkins (1949), Walter Buchanan (1950), saxophonist Eddie Chamblee (1957), Rafael Campos (1957), Horatio Maillard (1959–60), Jackie Hayes (1960), and Dick "Night Train" Lane (1963).
Early on the morning of December 14, 1963, Washington's eighth husband Lane went to sleep with his wife, and awoke later to find her slumped over and not responsive. Doctor B. C. Ross came to the scene to pronounce her dead. An autopsy later showed a lethal combination of
secobarbitalSecobarbital sodium is a barbiturate derivative drug that was first synthesized in 1928 in Germany. It possesses anaesthetic, anticonvulsant, sedative and hypnotic properties...
and
amobarbitalAmobarbital is a drug that is a barbiturate derivative. It has sedative-hypnotic and analgesic properties. It is a white crystalline powder with no odor and a slightly bitter taste. It was first synthesized in Germany in 1923...
which contributed to her death at the age of 39. She is buried in the Burr Oak Cemetery in
Alsip, IllinoisAlsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,725 at the 2000 census. It is a suburb of Chicago.Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village is named after Frank Alsip, the owner of a brickyard that opened there in 1885...
.
Grammy Award
| Year |
Category |
Title |
Genre |
| 1959 |
Best Rhythm & Blues Performance |
What a Diff'rence a Day Makes |
R&B |
Grammy Hall of Fame
Recordings by Dinah Washington were inducted into the
Grammy Hall of FameThe Grammy Hall of Fame Award is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance"...
, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."
| Year |
Title |
Genre |
Label |
Year Inducted |
| 1959 |
Unforgettable "Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable". The music publishing company asked Irving to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951....
|
pop (single) |
Mercury |
2001 |
| 1954 |
Teach Me Tonight "Teach Me Tonight" is a popular song. The music was written by Gene De Paul, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1953.Cahn wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra's 1984 recording on L.A...
|
R&B (single) |
Mercury |
1999 |
| 1959 |
What a Diff'rence a Day Makes "What a Diff'rence a Day Made" is a popular song originally written in Spanish by María Méndez Grever , a Mexican composer, in 1934. Originally, the song was known as Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado...
|
traditional pop (single) |
Mercury |
1998 |
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The
Rock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
listed a song of Dinah Washington as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock.
| Year Recorded |
Title |
Genre |
| 1948 |
Am I Asking Too Much? |
R&B |
Honors and Inductions
- Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington
In January 1995, John Snyder, the producer of the reissue, said - "...This is a very soulful record, a record of ispired singing by one of the great voices of our time. That makes it a "must-have" and a record that is once again "current." It's that kind of work: Ms. Franklin's performance makes...
is a 1964 album recorded by Aretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
as a tribute.
- In 1993, the U.S. Post Office issued a Dinah Washington 29 cent commemorative postage stamp.
- In 2005, the Board of Commissioners renamed a park, near where Washington had lived in Chicago in the 1950s, Dinah Washington Park
Dinah Washington Park is a park located at 8215 S. Euclid Avenue in the South Chicago community area of Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was named for singer and Chicago resident Dinah Washington. It is one of four Chicago Park District parks named after persons surnamed Washington...
in her honor.
- In 2008, the city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Washington's birthplace, renamed the section of 30th Avenue between 15th Street and Kaulton Park "Dinah Washington Avenue." The unveiling ceremony for the new name took place on March 12, 2009, with Washington's son Robert Grayson and three of her grandchildren, Tracy Jones, Tera Jones, and Bobby Hill Jr., in attendance.
| Year |
Title |
Result |
Notes |
| 1993 |
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
Inducted |
Early Influences |
| 1984 |
Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame |
Inducted |
|
Albums
- 1950: Dinah Washington (MG-25260)
- 1950: Dynamic Dinah! - The Great Voice of Dinah Washington
- 1952: Blazing Ballads
Blazing Ballads is a 1952 album by Dinah Washington, arranged by Jimmy Carroll, Nook Shrier and Ike Carpenter.-Tracks:#"My Heart Cries For You" #"I Apologize"...
- 1954: After Hours with Miss "D"
After Hours with Miss "D" is a 1954 studio album by Dinah Washington. The 2004 CD reissue included an extended take of "Blue Skies". - Track listing :# "Blue Skies" – 7:52...
- 1954: Dinah Jams
Dinah Jams is a 1954 live album by vocalist Dinah Washington. Remastered in 1990.-Tracks:#"Lover Come Back to Me"#"Alone Together" #"Summertime" #"Come Rain or Come Shine"#"No More"#"I've Got You Under My Skin"...
- 1955: For Those in Love
For Those In Love is a 1955 studio album by Dinah Washington, arranged by Quincy Jones, and reissued by Verve Records in 1992. -Track listing:# "I Get A Kick Out Of You" – 6:17# "Blue Gardenia" – 5:18...
- 1956: Dinah!
Dinah! is a 1956 album by blues, R&B and jazz singer Dinah Washington released on the Emarcy label. The album includes a mix of jazz, popular and blues standards of the period, all selected to emphasize the vocalist's style. Allmusic details the album in its review as saying: "Dinah! includes a...
- 1956: In the Land of Hi-Fi
In the Land of Hi-Fi is a 1956 album by blues, R&B and jazz singer Dinah Washington released on the Emarcy label. The album includes a mix of jazz, popular and blues standards of the period, all selected to emphasize the vocalist's style...
- 1956: The Swingin' Miss "D"
The Swingin' Miss D is a 1956 studio album by Dinah Washington, arranged by Quincy Jones.-Track listing:# "They Didn't Believe Me" – 2:44# "You're Crying" – 3:29...
- 1957: Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller
Dinah Washington Sings Fats Waller is a 1957 LP album by blues, R&B and jazz singer Dinah Washington released on the Emarcy label, and reissued by Verve Records in 1990 as The Fats Waller Songbook. In the album Washington covers 12 songs, which have been penned or performed by jazz pianist,...
- 1958: Dinah Sings Bessie Smith
Dinah Sings Bessie Smith is a 1958 album by blues, R&B and jazz singer Dinah Washington released on the Emarcy label, and reissued by Verve Records in 1999 as The Bessie Smith Songbook. The album arrangements are headed by Robare Edmondson and Ernie Wilkins, and the songs are associated with...
- 1958: Newport '58
Newport '58 is a live album by vocalist Dinah Washington. It was recorded on July 6, 1958 at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, and arranged by Melba Liston.-Tracks:#"Lover, Come Back to Me" - 2:16...
- 1959: The Queen
- 1959: What a Diff'rence a Day Makes!
What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! is a 1959 album by Dinah Washington, arranged by Belford Hendricks, featuring her hit single of the same name.The title track won Washington the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording at the Grammy Awards of 1960....
- 1959: Unforgettable
Unforgettable is a 1961 LP record by blues, R&B and jazz singer Dinah Washington, released on the Mercury Records label, and reissued as a compilation album in 1991. The record shows the singer mostly in a Pop star role instead of her traditional jazz & blues style...
- 1960: The Two of Us (with Brook Benton
Brook Benton was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.He made a comeback in 1970...
)
- 1960: I Concentrate on You
- 1960: For Lonely Lovers
- 1961: September in the Rain
- 1962: Dinah '62
- 1962: In Love
- 1962: Drinking Again
- 1962: Tears and Laughter
- 1962: I Wanna Be Loved
- 1963: Back to the Blues
- 1963: Dinah '63
- 1963: This Is My Story
- 1964: In Tribute
- 1964: Dinah Washington (SR-25269)
- 1967: Dinah Discovered
Notes Compilation albums with tracks of early 78 rpm era. Compilation albums from Mercury Records which consist of previously unreleased tracks, released after Dinah moved to Roulette Records. Posthumous compilation albums which consist of previously unreleased tracks.
References
- Mercury Records Discography Project - JAZZDISCO.org, retrieved June 24, 2010
- Mercury Records Collection, retrieved June 24, 2010
- Roulette Album Discography, Part 1, Both Side Now Publications, retrieved June 24, 2010
- [ allmusic ((( Dinah Washington > Discography > Main Albums )))], retrieved June 24, 2010.
Compilations
- The Complete Dinah Washington on Mercury (7 x 3-CDs, PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
, 1987–1989)
- Vol. 1 (1946–1949)
- Vol. 2 (1950–1952)
- Vol. 3 (1952–1954)
- Vol. 4 (1954–1956)
- Vol. 5 (1956–1958)
- Vol. 6 (1958–1960)
- Vol. 7 (1961)
- The Complete Roulette Dinah Washington Sessions (5-CDs, Mosaic Records
Mosaic Records is an American specialist jazz record label, founded in 1983 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie to issue coherent limited edition box sets of jazz recordings by individual musicians, which had fallen out-of-print...
, 2004)
Singles
| Year |
Song |
Peak chart positions |
| US The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
|
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
|
UK The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
|
| 1944 |
"Salty Papa Blues" |
|
8 |
|
| "Evil Gal Blues" |
|
9 |
|
| 1948 |
"Ain't Misbehavin'Ain't Misbehavin' is a musical revue with a book by Murray Horwitz and Richard Maltby, Jr., music by Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller, and lyrics by various writers...
" |
|
6 |
|
| "West Side Baby" |
|
7 |
|
| "Walkin' and Talkin' (And Crying My Blues Away)" |
|
13 |
|
| "I Want to Cry" |
|
11 |
|
| "Resolution Blues" |
|
15 |
|
| "Am I Asking Too Much" |
|
1 |
|
| "It's Too Soon To Know "It’s Too Soon To Know" is an American doo-wop ballad by Deborah Chessler, performed first by The Orioles. It was number one on the American Rhythm and blues charts in November of 1948...
" |
|
2 |
|
| 1949 |
"You Satisfy" |
|
8 |
|
| "Baby Get Lost "Baby Get Lost" is a July, 1949 single by Dinah Washington . The single was Dinah Washington's second number one on the R&B chart where it stayed at the top for two weeks...
" |
|
1 |
|
| "Good Daddy Blues" |
|
9 |
|
| "Long John Blues" |
|
3 |
|
| 1950 |
"I Only Know" |
|
3 |
|
| "It Isn't Fair" |
|
5 |
|
| "I Wanna Be Loved" |
22 |
5 |
|
| "I'll Never Be Free" |
|
3 |
|
| "Time Out For Tears" |
|
6 |
|
| 1951 |
"Harbor Lights "Harbor Lights" is a popular song by Hugh Williams with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. This song was originally sung by Frances Langford in 1937 and was published again in 1950....
" |
|
10 |
|
| "My Heart Cries for You "My Heart Cries for You" is a popular song, adapted by Carl Sigman and Percy Faith from an 18th century French melody.The music is from an old French song attributed to Marie Antoinette " La jardinière du Roi"...
" |
|
7 |
|
| "I Won't Cry Anymore" |
|
6 |
|
| "Cold, Cold Heart "Cold, Cold Heart" is a country music and popular music song, written by Hank Williams. This blues ballad is both a classic of honky tonk and an entry in the Great American Songbook....
" |
|
3 |
|
| 1952 |
"Wheel of Fortune" |
|
3 |
|
| "Tell Me Why" |
|
7 |
|
| "Trouble in Mind "Trouble in Mind" is a slow eight-bar blues song written by jazz pianist Richard M. Jones. The song was recorded in 1924 by singer Thelma La Vizzo with Jones providing the piano accompaniment...
" |
|
4 |
|
| "New Blowtop Blues" |
|
5 |
|
| 1953 |
"TV Is the Thing (This Year)" |
|
3 |
|
| "Fat Daddy" |
|
10 |
|
| 1954 |
"I Don't Hurt Anymore "I Don't Hurt Anymore" is a 1954 song by Hank Snow. It was written by Don Robertson and Jack Rollins. The song was Hank Snow's fourth number one on the country chart where it spent twenty weeks at the top spot and a total of forty-one weeks on the chart....
" |
|
3 |
|
| "Dream "Dream", sometimes referred to as "Dream ", is a jazz and pop standard with words and music written by Johnny Mercer in 1944...
" |
|
9 |
|
| "Teach Me Tonight "Teach Me Tonight" is a popular song. The music was written by Gene De Paul, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1953.Cahn wrote a new verse for Frank Sinatra's 1984 recording on L.A...
" |
23 |
4 |
|
| 1955 |
"I Concentrate on You "I Concentrate on You" is a song written by Cole Porter for the 1940 film Broadway Melody of 1940, where it was introduced by Douglas McPhail.-Notable recordings:...
" |
|
11 |
|
| "I Diddle" |
|
14 |
|
| "If It's the Last Thing I Do" |
|
13 |
|
| "That's All I Want from You "That's All I Want from You" is a popular song by Fritz Rotter , published in 1955.The song was recorded by a number of artists, but became a major hit for Jaye P. Morgan, reaching #3 on the Billboard chart in the United States...
" |
|
8 |
|
| "You Might Have Told Me" |
|
14 |
|
| 1956 |
"I'm Lost Without You Tonight" |
|
13 |
|
| "Soft Winds" |
|
13 |
|
| 1958 |
"Make Me a Present of You" |
|
27 |
|
| 1959 |
"What a Difference a Day Made" |
8 |
4 |
|
| "Unforgettable "Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable". The music publishing company asked Irving to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951....
" |
17 |
15 |
|
| 1960 |
"Baby (You've Got What It Takes) "Baby " is a 1960 song written by Clyde Otis, Murray Stein and Brook Benton. It was originally recorded as a duet by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. In their first collaboration, the single was very successful on both the pop and R&B charts...
" (with Brook BentonBrook Benton was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960s, when he scored hits such as "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Endlessly", many of which he co-wrote.He made a comeback in 1970...
) |
5 |
1 |
|
| "A Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love) "A Rockin' Good Way " is a song first recorded by The Spaniels in 1958.. In 1960, the song was recorded as a pop and R&B duet by Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. The single was the second pairing for both Washington and Benton...
" (with Brook Benton) |
7 |
1 |
|
| "This Bitter Earth "This Bitter Earth" is a 1960 song made famous by rhythm and blues singer Dinah Washington. Written and produced by Clyde Otis, it topped the U.S. R&B charts for the week of 25 July 1960 and also reached #24 on the U.S. pop charts...
" |
24 |
1 |
|
| "Love Walked In "Love Walked In" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was composed in 1930, but the lyrics were not written until 1937, for the movie musical The Goldwyn Follies . Hit versions include Sammy Kaye , The Hilltoppers , Ella Fitzgerald , and Dinah Washington...
" |
30 |
16 |
|
| "It Could Happen to You "It Could Happen to You" is a popular standard with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was written in 1944 and was introduced by Dorothy Lamour in the Paramount musical comedy film, And the Angels Sing....
" |
53 |
|
|
| 1961 |
"September in the Rain "September in the Rain" is a popular song by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, published in 1937. The song was introduced by James Melton in the film Melody for Two...
" |
23* |
5 |
35 |
| 1962 |
"Tears and Laughter" |
71* |
|
|
| "Cold, Cold Heart" (new version of 1951 hit) |
96 |
|
|
| "Dream" (new version of 1954 hit) |
92 |
|
|
| "I Want to Be Loved" (new version of 1950 hit) |
76 |
|
|
| "Where Are You" |
36* |
|
|
| "You're a Sweetheart" |
98 |
|
|
| "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" |
87 |
|
|
| 1963 |
"Soulville" |
92 |
|
|
| 1992 |
"Mad About the Boy Dinah Washington's 1952 recording of "Mad about the Boy" is possibly the most widely known version of the song in modern times. The 6/8-time arrangement for voice and jazz orchestra by Quincy Jones omits two verses and was recorded in the singer's native Chicago on the Mercury label.Washington's...
" |
|
|
41 |
- "September In the Rain", "Tears and Laughter" and "Where Are You" also made the AC charts (nos. 5, 17 and 11 respectively)
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