Monday, November 27, 2023

R&B: Annual Song Awards, 1942-2023

R&B:

Annual Song Awards, 1942-2023

This page offers a consolidated list of the R&B songs of each year as determined by various organizations and entities. They include:

  • American Music Awards: R&B/Soul Song of the Year (1974-1995, 2016-)
  • Billboard: R&B Song of the Year, 1942-.
  • Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI): R&B Song of the Year, 2001-. Music publishing company tracks most-played songs each year.
  • Grammys: Best Rhythm & Blues Performance (1959-1961), Best Rhythm & Blues Performance (1962-1968), Best R&B Song (1969)
  • Soul Train: Song of the Year (1989-1996, 2009-), Song of the Year by Male, Female, or Group/Duo (1987-2007)

See links at bottom of page for more details on above.

In some cases, awards are listed a year earlier than they were often given. For example, Bruno Mars won the Grammy for Best R&B Song in 2018 for “That’s What I Like” but the song is listed under 2017 because that was its eligibility year.

Click here to see other ‘Songs of the Year’ lists.



2023:
  • Billboard: SZA “Kill Bill
  • Soul Train: SZA “Snooze”

2022:
  • AMA: WizKid with Tems “Essence”
  • Billboard: Jack Harlow “First Class
  • DMDB: Lizzo “About Damn Time”
  • Grammy: Beyoncé “Cuff It”
  • Soul Train: Beyoncé “Break My Soul”


2021:
2020:
  • AMA: Kanye West “Heartless”
  • Billboard: The Weeknd “Blinding Lights
  • BMI: Doja Cat “Say So”
  • DMDB: Chris Brown with Young Thug “Go Crazy”
  • Grammy: Robert Glasper with H.E.R. & Me’Shell Ndegeocello “Better Than I Imagined”
  • Soul Train: Chris Brown with Young Thug “Go Crazy”


2019:
  • AMA: Khalid “Talk”
  • Billboard: Lil Nas X with Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road
  • BMI: Khalid “Talk”
  • DMDB: The Weeknd “Blinding Lights
  • Grammy: PJ Morton with JoJo “Say So”
  • Soul Train: Chris Brown with Drake “No Guidance”

2018:
  • AMA: Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”
  • Billboard: Drake “God’s Plan
  • BMI: Drake “God’s Plan
  • DMDB: Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”
  • Grammy: Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”
  • Soul Train: Ella Mai “Boo’d Up”

2017:


2016:
  • AMA: Rihanna with Drake “Work
  • Billboard: Drake with WizKid & Kyla “One Dance
  • BMI: G-Eazy with Bebe Rexha “Me, Myself & I”
  • DMDB: Rihanna with Drake “Work
  • Grammy: Maxwell “Lake by the Ocean”
  • Soul Train: Beyoncé “Formation”

2015:


2014:
  • Billboard: Pharrell Williams “Happy
  • BMI: John Legend “All of Me
  • DMDB: Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk!
  • Grammy: Beyoncé with Jay-Z “Drunk in Love”
  • Soul Train: Pharrell Williams “Happy

2013:
  • Billboard: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Wanz “Thrift Shop
  • BMI: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis with Ray Dalton “Can’t Hold Us
  • DMDB: Pharrell Williams “Happy
  • Grammy: Justin Timberlake “Pusher Love Girl”
  • Soul Train: Robin Thicke with T.I. & Pharrell Williams “Blurred Lines


2012:
  • Billboard: Rihanna “Diamonds
  • BMI: Nicki Minaj “Starships”
  • DMDB: Bruno Mars “Locked Out of Heaven
  • Grammy: Miguel “Adorn”
  • Soul Train: Tyrese “Stay”

2011:
  • Billboard: DJ Khaled with Drake, Rick Ross & Lil Wayne “I’m on One”
  • BMI: Nicki Minaj “Super Bass”
  • DMDB: Rihanna with Calvin Harris “We Found Love
  • Grammy: Cee-Lo Green with Melanie Fiona “Fool for You”
  • Soul Train: Kelly Rowland with Lil Wayne “Motivation”

2010:
  • Billboard: Alicia Keys “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)”
  • BMI: B.o.B. with Bruno Mars “Nothin’ on You”
  • DMDB: Bruno Mars “Just the Way You Are (Amazing)
  • Grammy: John Legend & the Roots “Shine”
  • Soul Train: B.o.B. with Bruno Mars “Nothin’ on You”

2009:


2008:
2007:
  • Billboard: Robin Thicke “Lost Without U”
  • BMI: Beyoncé “Irreplaceable
  • DMDB: Rihanna with Jay-Z “Umbrella
  • Grammy: Alicia Keys “No One
  • Soul Train (Female): Beyoncé “Irreplaceable
  • Soul Train (Male): John Legend “Save Room”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Gnarls Barkley “Crazy

2006:
  • Billboard: Mary J. Blige “Be Without You
  • BMI: Beyoncé with Slim Thug & Bun B “Check on It”
  • DMDB: Gnarls Barkley “Crazy
  • Grammy: Mary J. Blige “Be Without You
  • Soul Train (Female): Mariah Carey “We Belong Together
  • Soul Train (Male): John Legend with will.i.am “Ordinary People”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Destiny’s Child “Cater 2 U”


2005:
2004:
  • Billboard: Usher with Lil’ Jon & Ludacris “Yeah!
  • BMI: Usher with Lil’ Jon & Ludacris “Yeah!
  • DMDB: Usher with Lil’ Jon & Ludacris “Yeah!
  • Grammy: Alicia Keys “You Don’t Know My Name”
  • Soul Train (Female): Alicia Keys “You Don’t Know My Name”
  • Soul Train (Male): Luther Vandross “Dance with My Father”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Floetry “Say Yes”


2003:
  • Billboard: 50 Cent “In Da Club
  • BMI: R. Kelly “Ignition (remix)”
  • DMDB: OutKast “Hey Ya!
  • Grammy: Beyoncé with Jay-Z “Crazy in Love
  • Soul Train (Female): Ashanti with Ja Rule “Foolish
  • Soul Train (Male): Musiq Soulchild “Don’t Change”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): M2K with P. Diddy “Bump Bump Bump”

2002:
  • Billboard: Ashanti with Ja Rule “Foolish
  • BMI: Nelly “Hot in Herre
  • DMDB: Ashanti with Ja Rule “Foolish
  • Grammy: Erykah Badu with Common “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)”
  • Soul Train (Female): Aaliyah “Rock the Boat”
  • Soul Train (Male): Musiq Soulchild “Love”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): The Isley Brothers with Chante Moore “Contagious”

2001:
  • Billboard: Usher “U Got It Bad”
  • BMI: Janet Jackson “All for You”
  • DMDB: Alicia Keys “Fallin’
  • Grammy: Alicia Keys “Fallin’
  • Soul Train (Female): Yolanda Adams “Open My Heart”
  • Soul Train (Male): R. Kelly “I Wish”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Jagged Edge “Let’s Get Married”

2000:
  • Billboard: Erykah Badu “Bag Lady”
  • BMI: Santana with the Product G&B “Maria Maria”
  • DMDB: Destiny’s Child “Independent Women
  • Grammy: Destiny’s Child “Say My Name”
  • Soul Train (Female): Lauryn Hill “Ex-Factor”
  • Soul Train (Male): Maxwell “Fortunate”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): TLC “No Scrubs”

1999:
  • Billboard: Destiny’s Child “Bills, Bills, Bills”
  • DMDB: TLC “No Scrubs”
  • Grammy: TLC “No Scrubs”
  • Soul Train (Female): Deborah Cox “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here”
  • Soul Train (Male): Brian McKnight “Anytime”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Next “Too Close”

1998:
  • Billboard: Deborah Cox “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here”
  • DMDB: Brandy & Monica “The Boy Is Mine”
  • Grammy: Lauryn Hill “Doo Wop (That Thing)
  • Soul Train (Female): Erykah Badu “On and On”
  • Soul Train (Male): Usher “U Make Me Wanna…”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Dru Hill “In My Bed”

1997:
  • Billboard: Usher “U Make Me Wanna…”
  • DMDB: Puff Daddy with Faith Evans & 112 “I’ll Be Missing You
  • Grammy: R. Kelly “I Believe I Can Fly”
  • Soul Train (Female): Toni Braxton “You’re Makin’ Me High” / “Let It Flow”
  • Soul Train (Male): Maxwell “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Blackstreet with Dr. Dre & Queen Pen “No Diggity

1996:
  • Billboard: R. Kelly with Ronald Isley “Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)”
  • DMDB: Toni Braxton “Un-Break My Heart”
  • Grammy: Whitney Houston “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”
  • Soul Train: The Notorious B.I.G. “One More Chance”
  • Soul Train (Female): Whitney Houston “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”
  • Soul Train (Male): D’Angelo “Brown Sugar”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): TLC “Waterfalls”

1995:
  • AMA: Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love to You
  • Billboard: The Notorious B.I.G. “One More Chance” / “Stay with Me”
  • DMDB: Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men “One Sweet Day
  • Grammy: Stevie Wonder “For Your Love”
  • Soul Train: Barry White “Practice What You Preach”
  • Soul Train (Female): Anita Baker “Body and Soul”
  • Soul Train (Male): R. Kelly “Bump N’ Grind”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love to You


1994:
1993:
  • AMA: Michael Jackson “Remember the Time”
  • Billboard: Silk “Freak Me”
  • DMDB: Janet Jackson “That’s the Way Love Goes”
  • Grammy: Janet Jackson “That’s the Way Love Goes”
  • Soul Train: Boyz II Men “End of the Road
  • Soul Train (Female): Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You
  • Soul Train (Male): Michael Jackson “Remember the Time”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Boyz II Men “Please Don’t Go”


1992:
  • AMA: Color Me Badd “I Wanna Sex You Up”
  • Billboard: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You
  • DMDB: Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You
  • Grammy: Boyz II Men “End of the Road
  • Soul Train: Color Me Badd “I Wanna Sex You Up”
  • Soul Train (Female): Lisa Fischer “How Can I Ease the Pain?”
  • Soul Train (Male): Keith Washington “Kissing You”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Color Me Badd “I Wanna Sex You Up”

1991:
  • AMA: MC Hammer “U Can’t Touch This
  • Billboard: Shanice “I Love Your Smile”
  • DMDB: Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable”
  • Grammy: Luther Vandross “Power of Love/Love Power”
  • Soul Train: MC Hammer “U Can’t Touch This
  • Soul Train (Female): Mariah Carey “Vision of Love
  • Soul Train (Male): Johnny Gill “My My My”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): En Vogue “Hold On”


1990:
  • AMA: Janet Jackson “Miss You Much”
  • Billboard: Pebbles “Giving You the Benefit”
  • DMDB: C + C Music Factory “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)
  • Grammy: MC Hammer “U Can’t Touch This
  • Soul Train: Soul II Soul “Keep on Movin’”
  • Soul Train (Female): Janet Jackson “Miss You Much”
  • Soul Train (Male): Luther Vandross “Here and Now”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Soul II Soul “Keep on Movin’”

1989:
  • AMA: Freddie Jackson “Nice N Slow”
  • Billboard: Karyn White “Superwoman”
  • DMDB: Soul II Soul “Back to Life (How Ever Do You Want Me)”
  • Grammy: Simply Red “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”
  • Soul Train: Anita Baker “Giving You the Best That I Got”
  • Soul Train (Female): Anita Baker “Giving You the Best That I Got”
  • Soul Train (Male): Michael Jackson “Man in the Mirror”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): E.U. “Da Butt”

1988:
  • AMA: Michael Jackson “Bad”
  • Billboard: Keith Sweat “I Want Her”
  • DMDB: Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry, Be Happy
  • Grammy: Anita Baker “Giving You the Best That I Got”
  • Soul Train (Female): Natalie Cole “I Live for Your Love”
  • Soul Train (Male): Michael Jackson “Bad”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Levert “Casanova”
  • Soul Train (Rap): LL Cool J “I Need Love”

1987:
  • AMA: Janet Jackson “Nasty”
  • Billboard: Michael Jackson “The Way You Make Me Feel”
  • DMDB: Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me
  • Grammy: Club Nouveau “Lean on Me
  • Soul Train (Female): Anita Baker “Sweet Love”
  • Soul Train (Male): Gregory Abbott “Shake You Down”
  • Soul Train (Group/Duo): Cameo “Word Up!”
  • Soul Train (Rap): Run-D.M.C. with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler & Joe Perry “Walk This Way

1986:
  • AMA: Whitney Houston “You Give Good Love”
  • Billboard: Prince “Kiss
  • DMDB: Prince “Kiss
  • Grammy: Anita Baker “Sweet Love”

1985:
  • AMA: Prince “When Doves Cry
  • Billboard: Freddie Jackson “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Time’s Sake)”
  • DMDB: Dionne & Friends (Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder) “That's What Friends Are For
  • Grammy: Aretha Franklin “Freeway of Love”


1984:
1983:


1982:
  • AMA: Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love
  • Billboard: Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing
  • DMDB: Michael Jackson “Billie Jean
  • Grammy: George Benson “Turn Your Love Around”

1981:
  • AMA: Diana Ross “Upside Down
  • Billboard: Earth, Wind & Fire “Let’s Groove”
  • DMDB: Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love
  • Grammy: Bill Withers with Grover Washington Jr. “Just the Two of Us”

1980:
1979:
  • AMA: Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late”
  • Billboard: Chic “Good Times
  • DMDB: Sister Sledge “We Are Family
  • Grammy: Earth, Wind & Fire “After the Love Has Gone”

1978:
  • AMA: The Emotions “Best of My Love”
  • Billboard: Funkadelic “One Nation Under a Groove”
  • DMDB: Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive”
  • Grammy: Donna Summer “Last Dance”

1977:
  • AMA: Lou Rawls “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” and Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music
  • Billboard: Earth, Wind & Fire “Serpentine Fire”
  • DMDB: Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive
  • Grammy: Leo Sayer “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing”

1976:
  • AMA: KC & the Sunshine Band “Get Down Tonight”
  • Billboard: Johnnie Taylor “Disco Lady”
  • DMDB: Wild Cherry “Play That Funky Music
  • Grammy: Boz Scaggs “Lowdown”

1975:
  • AMA: Gladys Knight & the Pips “Midnight Train to Georgia
  • Billboard: The Isley Brothers “Fight the Power (Part 1)”
  • DMDB: Van McCoy “The Hustle
  • Grammy: Betty Wright “Where Is the Love”

1974:
  • AMA: Stevie Wonder “Superstition
  • Billboard: Roberta Flack “Feel Like Makin’ Love”
  • DMDB: Bob Marley & the Marleys “No Woman, No Cry
  • Grammy: Stevie Wonder “Living for the City”


1973:
1972:
1971:
  • Billboard: Jean Knight “Mr. Big Stuff”
  • DMDB: Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On
  • Grammy: Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine”

1970:
  • Billboard: The Jackson 5 “The Love You Save”
  • DMDB: The Jackson 5 “I’ll Be There
  • Grammy: Clarence Carter “Patches”

1969:
  • Billboard: Marvin Gaye “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”
  • DMDB: The Jackson 5 “I Want You Back
  • Grammy: The Winstons “Color Him Father”

1968:
1967:
  • Billboard: Aretha Franklin “Respect
  • DMDB: Aretha Franklin “Respect
  • Grammy: Aretha Franklin “Respect


1966:
  • Billboard: The Temptations “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”
  • DMDB: Four Tops “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)
  • Grammy: Ray Charles “Crying Time”

1965:
1964:
  • Billboard: Mary Wells “My Guy”
  • DMDB: The Temptations “My Girl
  • Grammy: Nancy Wilson “How Glad I Am”

1963:
1962:


1961:
  • Billboard: Bobby Lewis “Tossin’ and Turnin’”
  • DMDB: Ben E. King “Stand by Me
  • Grammy: Ray Charles “Hit the Road Jack”

1960:
  • Billboard: Dinah Washington & Brook Benton “Baby, You’ve Got What It Takes”
  • DMDB: Chubby Checker “The Twist
  • Grammy: Ray Charles “Let the Good Times Roll”

1959:
  • Billboard: Brook Benton “It’s Just a Matter of Time”
  • DMDB: Ray Charles “What’d I Say
  • Grammy: Dinah Washington “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes”

1958:
  • Billboard: Jackie Wilson “Lonely Teardrops”
  • DMDB: Chuck Berry “Johnny B. Goode
  • Grammy: The Champs “Tequila”

1957:
  • Billboard: The Coasters “Searchin’”
  • DMDB: The Coasters “Searchin’”

1956:
1955:
  • Billboard: Fats Domino “Ain’t That a Shame”
  • DMDB: Little Richard “Tutti Frutti

1954:
1953:
1952:
  • Billboard: The Dominoes “Have Mercy Baby”
  • DMDB: Lloyd Price “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”

1951:
  • Billboard: The Dominoes “Sixty Minute Man”
  • DMDB: Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats “Rocket 88

1950:
  • Billboard: Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers “Pink Champagne”
  • DMDB: Nat “King” Cole “Mona Lisa

1949:
  • Billboard: Charles Brown “Trouble Blues”
  • DMDB: John Lee Hooker “Boogie Chillen

1948:
  • Billboard: Julia Lee & Her Boy Friends “King Size Papa”
  • DMDB: Nat “King” Cole “Nature Boy”

1947:
  • Billboard: Louis Jordan “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens”
  • DMDB: T-Bone Walker “Call It Stormy Monday

1946:
1945:
  • Billboard: Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers “The Honeydripper”
  • DMDB: Billie Holiday “Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)”

1944:
  • Billboard: The Ink Spots with Ella Fitzgerald “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall”
  • DMDB: Nat “King” Cole “Straighten Up and Fly Right”

1943:
  • Billboard: Erskine Hawkins with Jimmy Mitchelle “Don’t Cry Baby”
  • DMDB: The Ink Spots “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”

1942:
  • Billboard: Paul Whiteman with Billie Holiday “Travl’lin’ Light”
  • DMDB: The Mills Brothers “Paper Doll

Resources/Related Links:


First posted 11/23/2021; last updated 11/27/2023.

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Jimi Hendrix: Top 25 Songs

Jimi Hendrix

Top 25 Songs

Legendary psychedelic-blues/rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on 11/27/1942 in Seattle, Washington. He was only 27 when he died of a drug overdose in London on 9/18/1970 but his is one of rock music’s greatest legacies.

He first worked as a sideman with Rosa Lee Brooks (1964), Isley Brothers (1964), Buddy & Stacey and the Upsetters (1965); Little Richard, Curtis Knight, and Ronnie Youngblood. He formed Jimmy James and the Blue Flames in 1965. The next year he was discovered by the Animals’ Chas Chandler at New York City’s Café Wha? He went to London and formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience (1966-1969) with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell. He also helmed the Band of Gypsys with drummer Buddy Miles and bassist Buddy Cox from 1969 to 1970.

His albums Are You Experienced (1967) and Electric Ladyland (1968) are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. His cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” (1968) is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era 1954-1999.


Links:

Awards:


Top 25 Songs


Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

1. All Along the Watchtower (1968)
2. Purple Haze (1967)
3. Hey Joe (1966)
4. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) (1968)
5. Little Wing (1967)

6. Crosstown Traffic (1968)
7. Foxey Lady (1967)
8. Fire (1967)
9. The Wind Cries Mary (1967)
10. Red House (1967)

11. The Star Spanged Banner (live, 1969)
12. Are You Experienced? (1967)
13. Freedom (1970)
14. Burning of the Midnight Lamp (1967)
15. Dolly Dagger (1970)

16. Stone Free (1966)
17. Manic Depression (1967)
18. Angel (1970)
19. Up from the Skies (1967)
20. Castles Made of Sand (1967)

21. Like a Rolling Stone (live, 1967)
22. If 6 Was 9 (1967)
23. Gloria (live, 1968)
24. I Don’t Live Today (1967)
25. Wild Thing (live, 1967)


Resources and Related Links:


First posted 5/21/2019; last updated 11/25/2023.

Friday, November 17, 2023

Kevin Gilbert: Top 20 Songs

Kevin Gilbert

Top 20 Songs

Overview:



Born: Kevin Matthew Gilbert
Date: November 20, 1966
Where: Scotch Plains, New Jersey
Died: May 17, 1996
Where: Eagle Rock, California

Known As: synth-pop/neo-progressive rock singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist


“Sometimes genius comes and goes without much notice or fanfare. Such is the case with the late Kevin Gilbert,” P “a musical prodigy” JS who “colleagues invariably called…‘the most talented musician I ever met.’” JS This little-known performer ranks as one of my favorite singers. When he died, he “left behind enormous unanswered questions about his potential.” JS

Kevin “Gilbert was a moderately important figure in Californian rock music in the 1980’s and 1990’s.” DN “He was an accomplished instrumentalist and composer, who played keyboards, guitars, drums, bass and cellos, as well as singing vocals. His talents also extended to producer.” WK He “spent several years on the edge of stardom [but] could never capitalize on his talents.” DE ” He “might be the most talented American musician to be involved with progressive rock, with the possible exception of Frank Zappa. Although all of his work contains a very strong pop element, there’s usually a lot of prog underneath it.” DN

I have said that if I were a musician, Kevin Gilbert best represents the kind of music I would want to make. His lyrics go beyond clichéd love songs and are infused with witticism. His musicianship showcase the tireless hours he spent in the studio perfecting his craft. It was a shame to lose such an astonishing talent at 29. His work, however, lives on and for those uninitiated in his music, I hope this post leads you down the same musical journey where KG’s music has taken me.


Significant Bands:


Links:

Awards:


Top 20 Songs


These are my top 20 favorite Kevin Gilbert songs.

1. There Was a Little Boy (Toy Matinee, 1990)
2. Song for a Dead Friend (1995)
3. Tired Old Man (1986)
4. Suit Fugue (Dance of the A & R Men) (1996)
5. Certifiable #1 Smash (1995)
6. Last Plane Out (Toy Matinee, 1990)
7. Kashmir (1995)
8. A Long Day’s Life (1996)
9. The Ballad of Jenny Ledge (Toy Matinee, 1990)
10. Joytown (1995)

11. Parade (1996)
12. The Best Laid Plans (with Marc Bonilla, 1991)
13. Progress (Giraffe, 1989)
14. Until I Get Her Back (1986)
15. When You Give Your Love to Me (1995)
16. El Paso (with Marc Bonilla, 1990)
17. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (Toy Matinee, 1991)
18. Bitter Souvenir (1994)
19. Blank Page (Toy Matinee, 1990)
20. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (with Marc Bonilla, 1990)


Resources and Related Links:


First posted 11/17/2023.

Tommy Dorsey: Top 100 Songs

Tommy Dorsey

Top 100 Songs

Bandleader Thomas Francis Dorsey, Jr. was born on 11/19/1905 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. He died on 11/26/1956. Known as the “Sentimental Gentleman of Swing,” he is considered among the greatest trombonists in jazz history.

He and his older brother Jimmy worked in bands led by Jean Goldkette, Vincent Lopez, Red Nichols, Nat Shilkret, Rudy Vallee, and Paul Whiteman. They also worked with the California Ramblers (25-27), Charleston Chasers, and formed their own Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (34-35). Tommy formed his own band in 1935 out of the remains of Joe Haymes’ band. Sy Oliver worked as an arranger for the band and Frank Sinatra (40-42) recorded with Dorsey as a vocalist.

“All the Things You Are” and “I’ll Never Smile Again” are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953.


Links:

Awards:


Top 100 Songs


Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards.

BS = Boswell Sisters, DB = Dorsey Brothers, JL = Jack Leonard, TS = The Sentimentalists, FS = Frank Sinatra, EW = Edythe Wright. According to Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories 1890-1954, Tommy Dorsey hit the top of the U.S. charts 19 times (#1 songs noted in list).

DMDB Top 1%:

1. All the Things You Are (w/ JL, 1939) #1
2. I’ll Never Smile Again (w/ Frank Sinatra & the Pied Pipers, 1942) #1
3. There Are Such Things (w/ Frank Sinatra & the Pied Pipers, 1942) #1
4. Once in a While (1937) #1
5. Lullaby of Broadway (DB w/ Bob Crosby, 1935) #1
6. Alone (w/ Cliff Weston, 1936) #1
7. Music, Maestro, Please! (w/ EW, 1938) #1

DMDB Top 5%:

8. Marie (w/ JL, 1937) #1
9. The Music Goes ‘Round and ‘Round (w/ EW, 1935) #1
10. I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You (1936)

11. Indian Summer (w/ JL, 1939) #1
12. In the Blue of the Evening (w/ FS, 1943) #1
13. The Dipsy Doodle (w/ EW, 1937) #1
14. Alexander’s Ragtime Band (BS w/ DB, 1935)
15. Stardust (w/ FS, 1941)
16. Stardust (w/ EW, 1936)
17. Oh, Look at Me Now (w/ FS, 1941)
18. In the Still of the Night (w/ JL, 1937)
19. Chasing Shadows (DB w/ Bob Eberly, 1935) #1
20. Opus No. 1 (1945)

21. I’ll Be Seeing You (w/ FS, 1940)
22. Our Love (w/ JL, 1939) #1
23. How About You? (w/ FS, 1942)
24. The Lady Is a Tramp (w/ JL, 1937)
25. I Should Care (w/ Bonnie Lou Williams & TS, 1945)
26. This Love of Mine (w/ FS, 1941)
27. Now It Can Be Told (w/ JL, 1938)
28. Satan Takes a Holiday (1937) #1
29. On the Sunny Side of the Street (w/ TS, 1945)
30. You (w/ EW, 1936) #1

DMDB Top 10%:

31. Everything Happens to Me (w/ FS, 1941)
32. Oh, You Crazy Moon (w/ JL, 1939)
33. Imagination (w/ FS, 1940)
34. Yes Indeed! (w/ Jo Stafford & Sy Oliver, 1941)
35. Polka Dots and Moonbeams (w/ FS, 1940)
36. Boogie Woogie (1938)
37. They Can’t Take That Away from Me (w/ JL, 1937)
38. On Treasure Island (w/ EW, 1935) #1
39. It’s Always You (w/ FS, 1943)
40. I Concentrate on You (w/ Anita Boyer, 1940)

41. The Lamp Is Low (w/ JL, 1939)
42. Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread (w/ FS, 1940)
43. Have You Got Any Castles, Baby? (w/ JL, 1937)
44. You’re the Top (DB w/ Ray McKinley, 1934)
45. Stop Beatin’ Around the Mulberry Bush (w/ EW, 1938)
46. It Started All Over Again (w/ FS, 1943)
47. I Hadn’t Anyone Till You (w/ JL, 1938)
48. Will You Still Be Mine? (w/ Connie Haines, 1944)
49. You Are My Lucky Star (DB w/ Bob Eberly, 1935)
50. It’s the Girl (BS w/ DB, 1931)

51. A-Tisket, A-Tasket (w/ EW, 1938)
52. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me) (w/ FS, 1940)
53. Darn That Dream (w/ Anita Boyer, 1940)
54. Just As Though You Were Here (w/ FS, 1942)
55. Take Me (w/ FS, 1942)
56. Until (w/ Harry Prime, 1948)
57. What Is This Thing Called Love? (w/ Connie Haines, 1942)
58. Honeysuckle Rose (Bunny Berigan & His Orchestra w/ Fats Waller, Tommy Dorsey, and Dick McDonough, 1937)
59. You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby (w/ EW, 1938)
60. On the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe (w/ TS, 1945)

61. Did I Remember? (w/ EW, 1936)
62. You Couldn’t Be Cuter (1938)
63. Honeysuckle Rose (DB w/ Don Mattison, Skeets Herfurt, & Rock Hillman, 1935)
64. My Cabin of Dreams (w/ EW, 1937)
65. San Francisco (w/ EW, 1936)
66. Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love (DB w/ Bing Crosby, 1929)
67. You Are My Lucky Star (w/ Eleanor Powell, 1935)
68. How Are Things in Glocca Mora? (w/ Stuart Foster, 1947)
69. Manhattan Serenade (w/ Jo Stafford, 1942)
70. Let’s Get Away from It All (w/ the Pied Pipers, 1941)

71. Do I Worry? (w/ FS, 1941)
72. Says My Heart (w EW, 1938)
73. You and I (w/ FS, 1941)
74. Sweet Sue, Just You (w/ JL, 1939)

DMDB Top 20%:

75. The Big Apple (w/ EW, 1937) #1
76. I Dream of You (w/ Freddy Stewart, 1944)
77. Dolores (w/ FS, 1941) #1
78. I’ll Be Seeing You (w/ FS, 1961)
79. When I Take My Sugar to Tea (BS w/ DB, 1931)
80. Again (1949)

81. Are You Having Any Fun? (w/ EW, 1939)
82. Be Careful, It’s My Heart (w/ FS, 1942)
83. Say It Over and Over Again (w/ FS, 1940)
84. Our Love Affair (w/ FS, 1940)
85. Only Forever (w/ Alan Starr, 1940)
86. You Leave Me Breathless, 1938)
87. All This and Heaven Too (w/ FS, 1940)
88. Who? (w/ JL, 1937)
89. I Can Dream, Can’t I? (w/ JL, 1938)
90. You’re Lonely and I’m Lonely (1940)

91. I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You (DB w/ Bob Crosby, 1934)
92. Lazy Bones (Mildred Bailey w/ DB, 1933)
93. More and More (w/ Bonnie Lou Williams, 1945)
94. Trade Winds (w/ FS, 1940)
95. Aren’t You Glad You’re You? (w/ Stuart Foster, 1946)
96. I’ll Never Say “Never Again” Again (DB w/ Don Mattison, Skeets Herfurt, and Rock Hillman, 1935)
97. Song of India (1937)
98. I’ve Got a Feelin’ You’re Foollin’ (DB w/ Bob Eberly, 1935)
99. Violets for Your Furs (w/ FS, 1941)
100. Fine and Dandy (DB w/ Scrappy Lambert, 1930)


Resources and Related Links:


First posted 5/26/2019; last updated 11/17/2023.

Sunday, November 12, 2023

The Top 200 Country Songs of All Time

Country Music:

Top 200 Songs

The DMDB’s list of the top 100 country songs of all time was created by aggregating 90 best-of lists focused on country songs. This included awards for Best Song and/or Single from the Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, the Grammys. See the resources at the bottom of this page. This was first posted on the DMDB Facebook page on April 3, 2011 and then on the blog on August 28, 2011.

Click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. Patsy Cline “Crazy” (1961)
2. George Jones “He Stopped Loving Her Today” (1980)
3. Tammy Wynette “Stand by Your Man” (1968)
4. Garth Brooks “Friends in Low Places” (1990)
5. Willie Nelson “Always on My Mind” (1982)
6. Randy Travis “Forever and Ever, Amen” (1987)
7. Johnny Cash “I Walk the Line” (1956)
8. Johnny Cash “Ring of Fire” (1963)
9. Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert “I Hope You Dance” (2000)
10. Hank Williams “Your Cheatin’ Heart” (1953)

11. Marty Robbins “El Paso” (1959)
12. Charlie Daniels Band “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (1979)
13. Roger Miller “King of the Road” (1965)
14. Kenny Rogers “The Gambler” (1978)
15. Tim McGraw “Live Like You Were Dying” (2004)
16. Lonestar “Amazed” (1999)
17. Hank Williams “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” (1949)
18. Conway Twitty “Hello Darlin’” (1970)
19. Dolly Parton “Jolene” (1973)
20. Loretta Lynn “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1970)

21. Garth Brooks “The Dance” (1990)
22. Merle Haggard “Mama Tried” (1968)
23. Patsy Cline “I Fall to Pieces” (1961)
24. Dolly Parton “I Will Always Love You” (1974)
25. Glen Campbell “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1975)
26. Lady Antebellum “Need You Now” (2009)
27. Johnny Cash “Folsom Prison Blues” (1955)
28. Merle Haggard “Okie from Muskogee” (1969)
29. Carrie Underwood “Before He Cheats” (2006)
30. Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson “Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” (1978)

31. Charlie Rich “Behind Closed Doors” (1973)
32. Jeannie C. Riley “Harper Valley P.T.A.” (1968)
33. Tennessee Ernie Ford “Sixteen Tons” (1955)
34. Willie Nelson “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (1975)
35. Alan Jackson “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning” (2001)
36. Charley Pride “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” (1971)
37. Kitty Wells “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels” (1952)
38. Waylon Jennings “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” (1977)
39. Ernest Tubb “Walking the Floor Over You” (1941)
40. Ray Price “For the Good Times” (1970)

41. Hank Williams “Hey, Good Lookin’” (1951)
42. Sammi Smith “Help Me Make It Through the Night” (1971)
43. Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton “Islands in the Stream” (1983)
44. Jim Reeves “He’ll Have to Go” (1959)
45. Lynn Anderson “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” (1970)
46. Billy Ray Cyrus “Achy Breaky Heart” (1992)
47. Faith Hill “Breathe” (1999)
48. Alan Jackson “Chattahoochee” (1992)
49. Eddy Arnold “Make the World Go Away” (1965)
50. Hank Williams “Lovesick Blues” (1949)

51. George Strait “Amarillo by Morning” (1983)
52. Faron Young “Hello Walls” (1961)
53. Florida Georgia Line with Nelly “Cruise” (2012)
54. Waylon Jennings with Willie Nelson “Good Hearted Woman” (1975)
55. Shania Twain “You’re Still the One” (1998)
56. Ray Price “Crazy Arms” (1956)
57. John Denver “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (1971)
58. Buck Owens “Act Naturally” (1963)
59. The Carter Family “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” (1935)
60. Lee Greenwood “God Bless the U.S.A.” (1984)

61. LeAnn Rimes “Blue” (1996)
62. Roy Acuff & the Smoky Mountain Boys “Wabash Cannonball” (1938)
63. Glen Campbell “Wichita Lineman” (1968)
64. Crystal Gayle “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (1977)
65. Tim McGraw with Faith Hill “It’s Your Love” (1997)
66. Reba McEntire “Fancy” (1991)
67. Deanna Carter “Strawberry Wine” (1996)
68. Johnny Horton “The Battle of New Orleans” (1959)
69. Brooks & Dunn “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” (1991)
70. Hank Snow “I’m Moving On” (1950)

71. Martina McBride “Independence Day” (1993)
72. Johnny Paycheck “Take This Job and Shove It” (1977)
73. The Oak Ridge Boys “Elvira” (1981)
74. Don Gibson “Oh Lonesome Me” (1958)
75. Ronnie Milsap “Smokey Mountain Rain” (1980)
76. Dixie Chicks “Wide Open Spaces” (1998)
77. Willie Nelson “On the Road Again” (1980)
78. John Michael Montgomery “I Swear” (1993)
79. Patsy Cline “Sweet Dreams of You” (1963)
80. Dolly Parton “Coat of Many Colors” (1971)

81. Patsy Cline “Walkin’ After Midnight” (1957)
82. Keith Whitley “When You Say Nothing at All” (1988)
83. Alan Jackson “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” (1991)
84. Johnny Cash “A Boy Named Sue” (live, 1969)
85. Buck Owens “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail” (1965)
86. Bill Monroe “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (1947)
87. Freddy Fender “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (1975)
88. The Statler Brothers “Flowers on the Wall” (1965)
89. Patti Page “Tennessee Waltz” (1950)
90. Jack Greene “There Goes My Everything” (1966)

91. Sons of the Pioneers “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” (1934)
92. The Carter Family “Wildwood Flower” (1928)
93. Leroy Van Dyke “Walk on By” (1961)
94. Tammy Wynette “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” (1968)
95. Taylor Swift “Love Story” (2008)
96. Faith Hill “This Kiss” (1998)
97. David Allen Coe “You Never Even Call Me by My Name” (1975)
98. Glen Campbell “Galveston” (1969)
99. Lefty Frizzell “Long Black Veil” (1959)
100. Ray Charles “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962)

101. Hank Locklin “Please Help Me, I’m Falling” (1960)
102. Jimmie Davis “You Are My Sunshine” (1940)
103. George Jones “She Thinks I Still Care” (1962)
104. Alan Jackson with Jimmy Buffett “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (2003)
105. Randy Travis “On the Other Hand” (1985)
106. Miranda Lambert “The House That Built Me” (2010)
107. Rascal Flatts “Bless the Broken Road” (2004)
108. Hank Williams “Jambalaya on the Bayou” (1952)
109. Sugarland “Stay” (2007)
110. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys “Faded Love” (1950)

111. George Strait “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” (1987)
112. Eric Church “Springsteen” (2011)
113. David Houston “Almost Persuaded” (1966)
114. Keith Urban “Somebody Like You” (2002)
115. Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash “Jackson” (1967)
116. Tanya Tucker “Delta Dawn” (1972)
117. Hank Williams “Cold, Cold Heart” (1951)
118. Gretchen Wilson “Redneck Woman” (2004)
119. Freddie Hart “Easy Loving” (1971)
120. The Band Perry “If I Die Young” (2010)

121. Dolly Parton “9 to 5” (1980)
122. Trisha Yearwood “She’s in Love with the Boy” (1991)
123. Bobbie Gentry “Ode to Billie Joe” (1967)
124. Osborne Brothers “Rocky Top” (1968)
125. Kenny Chesney “The Good Stuff” (2002)
126. Johnny Cash “Hurt” (2002)
127. Vince Gill “Go Rest High on That Mountain” (1994)
128. Hank Williams Jr. “Family Tradition” (1979)
129. Johnny Cash “Sunday Mornin’ Coming Down” (1970)
130. Jimmy Dean “Big Bad John” (1961)

131. Jimmie Rodgers “Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)” (1928)
132. The Highwaymen (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, & Kris Kristofferson) “The Highwayman” (1984)
133. Eddy Arnold “Bouquet of Roses” (1948)
134. Rosanne Cash “Seven Year Ache” (1981)
135. Tom T. Hall “Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine” (1972)
136. Dwight Yoakam “Guitars, Cadillacs” (1986)
137. Alabama “Mountain Music” (1982)
138. Thomas Rhett “Die a Happy Man” (2015)
139. Johnny Lee “Lookin’ for Love” (1980)
140. Sam Hunt “Body Like a Back Road” (2017)

141. Hank Thompson “The Wild Side of Life” (1952)
142. Donna Fargo “The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.” (1972)
143. Kenny Rogers “Lucille” (1977)
144. Loretta Lynn “Don't Come Home A’Drinkin’ with Lovin’ on Your Mind” (1967)
145. Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” (1950)
146. George Strait “Check Yes or No” (1995)
147. Kathy Mattea “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” (1988)
148. Patsy Cline “She’s Got You” (1962)
149. Brad Paisley with Alison Krauss “Whiskey Lullaby” (2004)
150. Connie Smith “Once a Day” (1964)

151. Darius Rucker “Wagon Wheel” (2013)
152. Kacey Musgraves “Follow Your Arrow” (2013)
153. Carrie Underwood “Jesus Take the Wheel” (2005)
154. Kenny Rogers “Coward of the County” (1979)
155. Zac Brown Band “Chicken Fried” (2008)
156. George Strait “Love Without End, Amen” (1990)
157. Eddy Arnold “The Cattle Call” (1945)
158. Alabama “Love in the First Degree” (1981)
159. Lefty Frizzell “If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time” (1950)
160. Vince Gill “When I Call Your Name” (1990)

161. Patsy Montana & the Prairie Ramblers “I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart” (1936)
162. Vern Gosdin “Chiseled in Stone” (1988)
163. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys “San Antonio Rose” (1939)
164. Hank Williams “Kaw-Liga” (1953)
165. Ray Price “Heartaches by the Number” (1959)
166. Dolly Parton “Here You Come Again” (1977)
167. Garth Brooks “If Tomorrow Never Comes” (1989)
168. C.W. McCall “Convoy” (1975)
169. John Denver “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” (1974)
170. Johnny Cash “Daddy Sang Bass” (1968)

171. Elvis Presley “Heartbreak Hotel” (1956)
172. Clint Black “A Better Man” (1989)
173. Little Big Town “Girl Crush” (2015)
174. The Everly Brothers “Bye Bye Love” (1957)
175. Kenny Rogers “Lady” (1980)
176. Gene Autry “Back in the Saddle” (1939)
177. Travis Tritt “Here’s a Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares” (1991)
178. Tim McGraw with Patty Loveless “Please Remember Me” (1999)
179. Glen Campbell “Gentle on My Mind” (1967)
180. Bebe Rexha with Florida Georgia Line “Meant to Be” (2017)

181. The Judds “Grandpa, Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days” (1985)
182. Hank Williams “I Saw the Light” (1948)
183. Sonny James “Young Love” (1956)
184. The Judds “Mama He’s Crazy” (1984)
185. Don Gibson “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1958)
186. Buck Owens “Together Again” (1964)
187. Hank Williams Jr. “A Country Boy Can Survive” (1981)
188. Carl Butler & Pearl “Don’t Let Me Cross Over” (1962)
189. Toby Keith “How Do You Like Me Now?!” (1999)
190. Charlie Rich “The Most Beautiful Girl” (1973)

191. Dan + Shay “Tequila” (2018)
192. Porter Wagoner “Green, Green Grass of Home” (1965)
193. Dixie Chicks “Cowboy Take Me Away” (1999)
194. Brooks & Dunn “My Maria” (1996)
195. Tex Williams “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)” (1947)
196. Merle Haggard & the Strangers “Today I Started Loving You Again” (1968)
197. Shania Twain “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” (1997)
198. Hunter Hayes “Wanted” (2011)
199. Roger Miller “Dang Me” (1964)
200. Randy Travis “Three Wooden Crosses” (2003)


Resources/Related Links:

First posted 8/3/2011; last updated 11/12/2023.