DavesMusicDatabase.com is devoted to ranking, rating, and reviewing music of all genres and eras. The DMDB blog serves up album and song reviews, best-of lists, music history snapshots, and music-related essays.
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 | Digital Dream Door:Songs of the year, 1920-2021 |
Digital Dream Door offers multiple best-of music lists, including song-of-the-year lists from 1940 to present. Here are the best songs from each year: Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.
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First posted 4/6/2019; last updated 12/31/2022. |
 | IFPI:Songs of the Year, 2007-2021 |
As it says on their website, IFPI (the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) “is the voice of the recording industry worldwide. [They] represent the interests of 1,300 record companies across the globe.” They put out annual reports on the state of the music industry. Since 2007, that report has included lists of the top acts, albums, and singles each year. Here are the top singles: Check out other “songs of the year” lists here.
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First posted 3/15/2020; last updated 1/7/2023. |
 | Wabash BluesIsham Jones |
Writer(s): Fred Meinken (music), Dave Ringle (words) (see lyrics here) First Charted: December 10, 1921 Peak: 16 US, 11 GA, 12 SM (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.06 video, -- streaming |
Awards:Click on award for more details. 
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About the Song:Born in Ohio in 1894, Isham Jones became a pianist, saxophonist, and composer before he formed his own jazz band. Some considered his “the best dance band of the pre-swing era.” PM That band included trumpeter Louis Panico, who played an integral part of “Wabash Blues” as “the laughing cornet,” a nickname derived from how much his trumpet playing sounded like a person laughing. SM Wabash was a river which flows through Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. It had been written about previously, most notably in “On the Banks of the Wabash” in the late 1890s. SM Dave Ringle added “standard blues lyrics” SM about being unhappy and lonesome that were similar to the song “Wang Wang Blues,” a hit from a year earlier. SM Both songs are examples of “up-tempo, rather cheerful blues,” TY2 a break from the view “of the blues as being slow and depressing.” TY2 “Wabash Blues” “doesn’t follow the classic 12-bar blues form.” TY2 Instead, it was “a good example of a commercial blues, written in Tin Pan Alley for the general market.” TY2 “Wabash Blues” was one of Jones’ earliest hits. He reached the charts 73 times from 1920 to 1938. This was his first of eight #1 songs. PM It became “a jazz band favorite.” DJ The Benson Orchestra, featuring pianist Roy Bargy, also charted with the song (#6, 1922) DJ as did Dolly Kay (#13, 1922), Ted Lewis (#16, 1930), and Russ Morgan (#17, 1939). PM Resources:
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First posted 4/25/2023. |
 | Dave’s Music Database:Top Albums of 2021 |
Based on a combination of year-end lists and overall status in Dave’s Music Database, these are the top 25 albums of 2021:
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First posted 1/4/2022. |
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| Dave’s Music Database:Top 50 Songs of 2021 |
These are the top 50 songs of 2021 based on their overall performance in Dave’s Music Database, which is determined by combining chart data, sales figures, streaming, video views, and aggregates from more than 30 year-end lists. Check out “Top Songs and Albums of the Year” lists here. Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Top 20 songs of 2021 based on this list. 
DMDB Top 1%:
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First posted 12/26/2021; last updated 1/17/2023. |
 | Grammy Winners for Best Musical Theater Album:1959 to 2021 |
The Grammys have awarded “Best Musical Theater Album” since 1959. The work must be comprised of more than 51% or more new material. The award is typically given to the album producer, principal singers, and composers and lyricists. It has been known under multiple names including Best Original Cast Album, Best Broadway Show Album, Best Show Album, Best Original Cast Show Album, Best Score from an Original Cast Show Album, Best Cast Show Album, Best Musical Cast Show Album, and Best Musical Show Album. Check out other album of the year awards here.
Check out other stage & screen lists here.
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First posted 12/24/2021. |
 | Laurence Olivier Award:Best New Musical: 1976-2020 |
The Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical was established in 1976. It is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre in recognition of British productions. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Awards, but renamed in honor of actor Laurence Olivier in 1984. Check out other album of the year awards here.
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First posted 12/24/2021. |
 | Tony Awards:Best Revival of a Musical: 1977-2019 |
From 1977 to 1993, the Tonys gave an award annually to the Best Revival. Musicals and non-musicals were lumped into the same category. In 1994, they were separated into two separate awards. Those musicals which won for Best Revival of a Musical or Best Revival are noted below. Check out other album of the year awards here.
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First posted 12/24/2021. |
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| Tony Awards:Best Musical: 1949-2020 |
The Tony Award for Best Musical has been presented since 1949. Broadway musicals which have no been previously produced on Broadway are eligible. Winners are determined by Tony Award voters. Check out other album of the year awards here.
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First posted 12/24/2021. |
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Originally posted 12/22/2021. January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog! To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This twelfth class of music maker inductees is comprised of the top jazz acts. Inductees were determined by looking at the DMDB list of the top 100 jazz acts, ranking them by overall points in Dave’s Music Database, and then inducting the ten highest-ranked acts not previously inducted. See the full list of music maker inductees here. |
Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Jazz singer, trumpeter, and bandleader born in Corona, Queens, NY. Nicknamed “Satchmo.” His version of “St. Louis Blues” with Bessie Smith is a DMDB Hall of Fame inductee and in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. That song, “West End Blues,” “All of Me,” “Hello, Dolly!,” and “What a Wonderful World” rank in the top 1% of all time. The latter is also featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era. His box set, The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings, ranks as one of the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more. |  |
Count Basie (1904-1984)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Jazz/big band leader and pianist born William James Basie in Red Bank, NJ. Learned to play the organ from Fats Waller. One of only seven recipients of both the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Trustees Award. “One O'Clock Jump” and “April in Paris” rank in the top 1% of all time. Read more. |  |
Nat “King” Cole (1919-1965)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Traditional pop singer and pianist born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, AL. Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” and “Mona Lisa” are in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. Those two, along with “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons,” “Nature Boy,” and “Too Young” also rank in the top 1% of all time. After his death, his daughter recorded his famous “Unforgettable” song with him as a duet. It is also in the top 1% and won Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. Read more. |  |
John Coltrane (1926-1967)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Jazz musician born in Hamlet, NC. The songs “Giant Steps,” “My Favorite Things,” “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Lush Life,” and “Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme, Part 1)” all rank in the top 100 jazz songs. His album, A Love Supreme, is in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. That album and Giant Steps both rank in the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more. |  |
Miles Davis (1926-1991)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Jazz musician born in Alton, IL. Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The songs “So What,” “Blues in Green,” and “All Blues” rank in the top 100 jazz songs. All three are featured on Kind of Blue, which is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. That album, as well as Birth of the Cool, Sketches of Spain, In a Silent Way, and Bitches Brew rank in the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more. |  |
Duke Ellington (1899-1974)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Jazz/big band leader and pianist born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington, D.C. One of only seven recipients of both the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Trustees Award. He has also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and won the Pulitzer Prize. “Mood Indigo” and “Take the ‘A’ Train” are DMDB Hall of Fame inductees and are both in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. Those songs, as well as “It’ Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” and “Sophisticated Lady” the top 1% of all time. His box set The Blanton-Webster Band and live album At Newport rank in the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more. |  |
Etta James (1938-2012)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| R&B/blues singer born Jamesetta Hawkins in Los Angeles, CA. Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Blues Hall of Fame. Recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “At Last” ranks in the top 1% of all time. It is also in the Grammy Hall of Fame and National Recording Registry and in the DMDB lists of the top blues songs, jazz songs, love songs, and R&B songs. Read more. Her album Tell Mama is one of the top R&B albums and is in the Blues Hall of Fame. |  |
Thelonious Monk (1917-1982)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Jazz pianist born in Rocky Mount, NC. He is a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and won the Pulitzer Prize. his song “Round Midnight” is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, one of the top 100 jazz songs, and ranks in the top 1% of all time. His albums Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1, Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2, and Brilliant Corners are all in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more. |  |
Bessie Smith (1894-1937)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Blues singer born in Chattanooga, TN. Known as “The Empress of the Blues.” Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Blues Hall of Fame. Recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her version of “St. Louis Blues” with Louis Armstrong is a DMDB Hall of Fame inductee and in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. That song and “Down Hearted Blues” rank in the top 1% of all time. Her compilation The Essential ranks as one of the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more. |  |
Fats Waller (1904-1943)Inducted December 2021 as a “Top Jazz Act” |
| Jazz/big band songwriter and pianist born Thomas Wright Waller in New York, NY. Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” is a DMDB Hall of Fame inductee and in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. That song and “Honeysuckle Rose” rank in the top 1% of all time. Both of those songs and “Jitterbug Waltz” are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more. |  |
 | Soundtracks:The Top 100 of All Time |
This list was first posted on April 17, 2011, as a note on the Dave’s Music Database Facebook page. It has been revised a few times since then. As with most DMDB lists, this was created based on sales, chart peaks, awards, and an aggregate of lists, in this case more than 100 best-of lists focused on cast albums, musicals, soundtracks, and music-themed movies. You can click on the titles of the soundtrack for more detailed pages at DavesMusicDatabase.com. Unless noted otherwise, soundtracks are recorded by various artists. Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.
1. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (1984)
11. Richard and Robert Sherman (composers) Mary Poppins (1964)
21. Eminem et al 8 Mile (2002)
31. Flashdance (1983)
41. John Kander & Fred Ebb (composers) Chicago (2003)
51. High School Musical 2 (TV soundtrack, 2007)
61. Henry Mancini Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
71. Lionel Bart (composer) Oliver! (1968)
81. Exodus (1961)
91. Bad Boys II (2003)
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First posted 4/17/2011; last updated 12/19/2021. |
 | Alan Freed1921-1965 |
Overview:Alan Freed was born on 12/15/1921 in Windber, Pennsylvania. In 1933, his family moved to Salem, Ohio, where Freed graduated from high school. While in high school, he played trombone in a band he formed called the Sultans of Swing. Sadly, he had to end his dreams of being a bandleader due to an ear infection. He became interested in radio while at Ohio State University. After serving in US Army during World War II and working as a DJ on Armed Forces radio, he began a broadcasting career, moving around to several smaller radio stations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He joined WAKR 1590 AM radio in Akron, Ohio, in 1945 and became a star. In 1950, he moved to Cleveland’s WEXL-TV and began his late-night, rock-n-roll-themed Moondog show on WJW radio in July 1951. On March 21, 1952, he presented the “Moondog Coronation Ball” in Cleveland. It is considered to be the first rock and roll concert. He went to New York in 1954. His career was derailed in 1959 by a payola scandal in which he was accused of taking money to play certain songs on the radio. He died on 1/20/1965. He became the first DJ and concert producer to frequently play and promote rock and roll. He is even credited with coining the term “rock and roll” although it is more appropriate to say he popularized an already existing but obscure term. He was also influential in knocking down the walls of segregation by playing black artists on his radio program and presenting live concerts for racially mixed audiences. Links:
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First posted 12/12/2023. |
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| Dave’s Music Database book:Music of the 1980s |
AC/DC, Beastie Boys, Bon Jovi, Phil Collins, Def Leppard, Duran Duran, Guns N’ Roses, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, George Michael, the Police, Prince, Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Run-D.M.C., Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, U2, Van Halen. All of them and more are in this handy guide to the decade which:
 This book was inspired by a countdown of the top 909 songs of the 1980s done by Kansas City radio station 90.9 The Bridge. That list and this book also became catalysts for the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode “Music of the 1980s.” That episode keys in on songs spotlighted in the book which also appear on the Bridge countdown and the Dave’s Music Database list of The Top 100 Songs of the 1980s. Songs Featured in the Book:
Albums Featured in the Book:
Spotify Podcast:Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode Music of the 1980s (debut: 12/14/2021)
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First posted 12/14/2021; last updated 2/28/2024. |
