The Top 50 Albums of the 1950s

1950-1959: Top 50 Albums

The 1950s was an interesting transitional era in the history of music. While it is most associated with rock and roll now, the decade was also marked by plenty of classic showtunes and jazz collections. Crooners and big bands were on their way out, but that didn’t stop Frank Sinatra from releasing some of the most impactful music to shape the development of the album. This list reflects the diversity of the decade. Note: there are compilations included in this list, as long as they didn’t go past the 1950s. You can check out the top albums of all time or for other decades by clicking here. Miles Davis Kind of Blue (1959) Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) South Pacific (soundtrack, 1958) Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions (archives, recorded 1954-55, released 3/76) Alan Jay Lerner/Frederick Loewe (composers) My Fair Lady (cast album, 1956) Elvis Presley Elvis Presley (aka Rock ‘N’ Roll) (1956) Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim (composers) West Side Story (cast, 1957) Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) The Sound of Music (cast album, 1959) Frank Sinatra Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! (1956) Hank Williams 40 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1947-53, released 1978) Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) The King and I (soundtrack, 1956) Elvis Presley Golden Records (compilation: 1956-58) Harry Belafonte Calypso (1956) Dave Brubeck Time Out (1959) Meredith Willson (composer) The Music Man (cast, 1957) Frank Sinatra In the Wee Small Hours (1955) Pyotor Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (1958) Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Oklahoma! (soundtrack, 1955) Bing Crosby The Definitive Collection (compilation: 1931-57, released 2006) Mario Lanza The Student Prince (soundtrack, 1954) George & Ira Gershwin (composers) An American in Paris (classical, soundtrack released 1951) Henry Mancini The Music from Peter Gunn (soundtrack, 1959) Howlin’ Wolf Moanin’ in the Moonlight (compilation: 1951-59, released in 1959) Duke Ellington At Newport (live, 1956) Little Richard Here’s Little Richard (1957) Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959) Buddy Holly & the Crickets 20 Golden Greats (compilation: 1956-58, released 1978) Charles Mingus Ah Um (1959) Miles Davis Birth of the Cool (recorded 1950, released 1957) John Coltrane Giant Steps (recorded 1959, released 1960) Guy Lombardo The Band Played On (compilation: 1927-50, released 2002) Jerome Kern (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Show Boat (soundtrack, 1951) Elvis Presley Elvis’ Christmas Album (1957) Buddy Holly & the Crickets The Chirping Crickets (1957) Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus (1956) Alan Lerner & Frederick Loewe (composers) Gigi (soundtrack, 1958) Various Artists The First Rock and Roll Record (box set: 1916-56, released 2011) Jane Froman With a Song in My Heart (soundtrack, 1952) Elvis Presley The King of Rock and Roll: The Complete ‘50s Masters (box set: 1953-58, released 1992) Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956) Jackie Gleason Music for Lovers Only (1952) The Kingston Trio At Large (1959) Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) The King and I (cast, 1951) Frank Loesser (composer) Guys and Dolls (cast, 1950) Johnny Mathis Johnny’s Greatest Hits (1958) Richard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) Carousel (soundtrack, 1956) Elvis Presley Loving You (soundtrack, 1957) Irving Berlin (music & lyrics) Annie Get Your Gun (soundtrack, 1950) Jule Styne (music) & Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) Gypsy (cast album, 1959) Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed Singin’ in the Rain (soundtrack, 1952) John Coltrane Blue Train (1957) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database “Top Albums by Decade” Dave’s Music Database: “Year-End Album Awards” Dave’s Music Database “Top 100 Albums of All Time” Dave’s Music Database: “Top 1000 Albums of All Time” Dave’s Music Database: “Top 100 Songs of Each Decade” First posted 3/8/2013; last updated 8/29/2024.

World Music: Top 25 Albums

World Music: The Top 25 Albums

Wikipedia defines world music as “is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, intercultural, and traditional music.” I compiled a dozen lists of the best world music albums and consolidated them with albums in the Dave’s Music Database with albums labeled as “world music.” These are the results. Note: the act’s country of origin is listed after the album title. Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here. Paul Simon Graceland (1986): USA various artists Buena Vista Social Club (1997): Cuba Harry Belafonte Calypso (1956): USA various artists The Indestructible Beat of Soweto (1986): South Africa Tito Puento Dance Mania (1958): Puerto Rico King Sunny Adé & His African Beats Juju Music (1983): Nigeria Manu Chao Clandestino (1998): France/Spain Paul Simon Rhythm of the Saints (1990): USA Os Mutantes Os Mutantes (1968): Brazil Youssou N'Dour Immigrés (1983): Senegal Tito Puento Top Percussion (1957): USA Bulgarian National Radio and Television Chorus Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares (1988): Bulgaria Salif Keita Moffou (2002): Mali Césaria Évora Miss Perfumado (1992): Cape Verde Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan En Concert a Paris (1988): Pakistan Konono No. 1 Congotronics (2005): Congo Fela Kuti Zombie (1977): Nigeria Baobab Orchestra Pirates Choice (1982): Senegal Ali Farka Touré Savane (2006): Mali Astor Piazolla Tango: Zero Hour (1986): Argentina Amadou & Miriam Dimanche à Bamako (2005): Mali Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Mustt Mustt (1991): Pakistan Juan Luis Guerra y 440 Bachata Rosa (1990): Dominican Republic Rubén Blades & Willie Colón Siembra (1978): Puerto Rico/Panama Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music (box set: 1958-93, released 1993): Jamaica Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: other best-of-genre lists First posted 8/27/2024; last updated 8/28/2024.

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (August 2020)

Originally posted 8/22/2020. 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 month marks the seventh batch of album inductees. Since theBillboard album chart launched in 1945, only 17 albums have spent 20 weeks or more at #1. Six of them have been previously inducted: Adele 21 (2011), Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977), Michael Jackson Thriller (1982), the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977), and the South Pacific cast album (1949) and soundtrack (1958). That leaves 11 albums to be inducted in this batch.

Harry Belafonte Calypso (1956) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

“With this landmark album, calypso not only became tattooed to Belafonte permanently; it had a revolutionary effect on folk music in the 1950s and ‘60s.” AMG “Calypso became the first million-selling album by a single artist…[and] triggered a veritable tidal wave of imitators, parodists, and artists wishing to capitalize on its success.” AMG Read more.

Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim (composers) West Side Story (soundtrack, 1961) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

West Side Story is hailed as “one of the greatest musicals of all time.” RU The modern take on Romeo and Juliet opened on Broadway in 1957 and won Tonys for choreography and design. In 1961, it was made into a movie which went on to win 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The soundtrack spent more weeks atop the Billboard album chart (54) than any other album in history and won the Grammy for Best Soundtrack or Cast Album. Read more.

Bing Crosby Merry Christmas (aka ‘White Christmas’) (1945) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

This is the second best-selling Christmas album of all-time, only behind Elvis Presley. When it comes to songs, though, nothing tops the 56 million in sales of “White Christmas,” just one of the songs featured in this collection. Originally issued as five 78s in 1945, this was reissued and repackaged multiple times. However, since the 1955 vinyl reissue, only the cast recording of Oklahoma! has been in print longer. Read more.

Jane Froman With a Song in My Heart (1952) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

The movie biopic starred Oscar-nominee Susan Hayward as Jane Froman, a star of Broadway, radio, television, and movies during a 30-year career. Froman supplied the vocals for the movie and this soundtrack of her collection of standards, including “Blue Moon” and “Tea for Two,” was released. Read more.

Jackie Gleason Music for Lovers Only (1953) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

While known more as a comedic actor, Gleason also took an active role in the music featured on his shows. He couldn’t read or write music, nor was he a conductor or composer, but he released a series of “orchestral pop” albums in the ‘50s and ‘60s that were designed as mood music. Gleason said, “The only thing better than one of my songs is one of my songs with a glass of scotch.” SA Read more.

M.C. Hammer Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em (1990) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

The album didn’t break any new ground; its biggest hits, “U Can’t Touch This” and “Pray” borrowed their hooks from Rick James’ “Super Freak” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry” respectively while “Have You Seen Her?” was pretty much a cover of the Chi-Lites’ song. However, the familiarity of the music helped propel rap music from “a specialty niche genre” AMG to a “commercial juggernaut.” AMG Read more.

Al Jolson Songs He Made Famous (soundtrack, 1946) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

This collection of re-recordings of some of Jolson’s biggest hits from 1913 to 1928 served as the soundtrack for the 1946 movie musical The Jolson Story, a somewhat fictionalized version of Jolson’s life. The re-recorded versions of “My Mammy” and “April Showers” were top-20, million-selling hits. The soundtrack was followed by a second volume entitled Souvenir Album. Read more.

Mario Lanza The Student Prince (soundtrack, 1954) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

Sigmund Romberg’s operetta The Student Prince opened on Broadway in 1924. When cast albums became popular in the 1940s, Columbia, RCA Victor, and Decca all released versions. However, the one that became the biggest success – spending more weeks at #1 than all albums in history except the cast album for The Sound of Music and the soundtrack for West Side Story – was Mario Lanza’s soundtrack recording to accompany the 1954 MGM film. Read more.

Elvis Presley Blue Hawaii (soundtrack, 1961) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

When Elvis came back from the Army, he delved into movies, churning out dozens of soundtracks. They took on a formulaic quality, but the earlier ones – like Blue Hawaii – were still “attractive if flawed efforts.” BE The Hawaiianesque flavor of this soundtrack “doesn’t necessarily present Elvis in…his strongest musical setting, BE but it does feature standout tracks such as “Aloha Oe,” “No More,” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “arguably the best song in any Elvis movie, and maybe the best song ever written for a rock & roll movie.” BE Read more.

Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (soundtrack, 1984) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

Prince had experienced mainstream success prior to Purple Rain, but the schmaltzy movie based loosely on his life became a surprise hit – and the soundtrack became a juggernaut. It was huge right out of the gate, selling a million and a half copies in its first week. “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy” were #1 hits and the title cut and “I Would Die 4 U” landed in the top 10. The album spent a whopping 6 months atop the album chart. Read more.

Various artists (Whitney Houston et al) The Bodyguard (soundtrack, 1992) Inducted August 2020 as “Albums with 20+ Weeks at #1.”

Whitney Houston was already a superstar before taking on her first big-screen role in The Bodyguard. The movie was hit, but the soundtrack’s success was astonishing. Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” spent a record-shattering 14 weeks at #1, propelling the soundtrack to the top of the album charts. It sold more than 38 million worldwide and won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Read more.

Today in Music (1965): The Miracles “The Tracks of My Tears” charted

The Tracks of My Tears The Miracles

Writer(s): Smokey Robinson/Warren Moore/Marv Tarplin (see lyrics here) Released: June 23, 1965 First Charted: July 10, 1965 Peak: 16 US, 16 CB, 27 GR, 17 HR, 2 RB, 9 UK, 5 CN, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 24.20 video, 131.0 streaming

The Tracks of My Tears Linda Ronstadt

First Charted: December 20, 1975 Peak: 25 BB, 25 CB, 23 GR, 38 HR, 30 RR, 4 AC, 11 CW, 24 CL, 42 UK, 22 CN, 10 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 12.70 video, 5.31 streaming

Awards (Miracles): Click on award for more details. Awards (Ronstadt):

About the Song: Smokey Robinson was more “Motown’s answer to Bing Crosby” DM than a soul singer. “If you’re going to be the coolest crooner around, it helps to know how to craft such material. Only one guy did.” DM His “talents as songwriter, arranger, and producer far surpass his vocal ability” DM although “The Tracks of My Tears” is marked by his “velvety high tenor voice” NRR which “conveys the passion and pain required to maintain a false, happy exterior after a romantic breakup.” NRR The Miracles’ guitarist Marvin Tarplin developed the main riff after he listened to “The Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte. BBC Robinson almost immediately wrote most of the lyrics, but it took a few weeks before he came up with the idea of tears leaving tracks on the face. BBC It has been called “one of the most gut-wrenching songs on record.” SF The group’s Pete Moore said, “there was just something about it that people loved…It…tapped into the depth of their emotions. Every time we sang that song people in the audience would cry.” TC One line – “Although she may be cute/She’s just a substitute” – actually inspired Pete Townshend to write the Who’s 1966 hit “Substitute.” He explained that he “decided to the celebrate the word itself with a song all its own.” RS500 The song has endured over time, but was not a huge hit initially. It cracked the top 20 in the U.S. and didn’t make it onto the UK charts (#9) until it was reissued four years later. BBC It was actually a bigger hit for Johnny Rivers, who took it to #10 in 1967. Aretha Franklin had a #71 hit with it in 1969 and Linda Ronstadt took it to #25 in 1976. SF The song was prominently featured in the movies The Big Chill (1983) and Platoon (1986). Resources: BBC BBC Radio 2 (2004). “Sold on Song Top 100” TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 508. DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New American Library: New York, NY. Page 36. NRR National Recording Registry RS500 Rolling Stone (4/7/2011). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” SF Songfacts Related Links: First posted 4/20/2020; last updated 2/4/4/26/2024.

50 years ago: Harry Belafonte “Banana Boat Song” charted

The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) Harry Belafonte

Writer(s): traditional, arranged: Harry Belafonte, William Attaway, Lord Burgess (see lyrics here) First Charted: January 12, 1957 Peak: 5 US, 11 HP, 3 CB, 2 HR, 7 RB, 2 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 57.2 video, 116.51 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The music of “The Banana Boat Song” is “so light and airy” LS that it is easy to overlook that lyrically it is about hired people or even slaves being overworked. They will “do everything possible to earn money and feed their families.” LS Dock workers are loading bananas on a ship. They do the work at night to avoid the hot, tropical, daytime sun. LS They also sing to develop cohesive teamwork. Trinidadian singer Edric Connor was the first to record the Jamaican folk song (originally known as “Day Dah Light”) in 1932. LS In 1954, Jamaican singer Louise Bennett recorded the song. LS The Tarriers recorded the song in 1956 and took it to #4. Harry Belafonte also recorded the song in 1956 as part of his Calypso album. It was very different from his “folk-based debut.” TB He recorded it as a tribute to his childhood and the Caribbean musical style. LS He was born in Harlem, New York, but at eight years old, his family returned to Jamaica, his mother’s homeland, for five years. LS His timing was perfect – by the end of 1957, calypso music accounted for 25% of all American record sales. TB He specifically chose “The Banana Boat Song” because of the stereotypes at the time that people in the Caribbean were “lazy, constantly drinking rum, and having sex” LS so he wanted to sing “a classic work song about a man who works all night for the equivalent of a sip of beer.” LS The song gained another measure of fame when it was used in the 1988 film Beetlejuice. It has also become popular to sing at baseball games. SS Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Act Name LS LotOfSense.com (3/9/2022). “Explaining the meaning behind the song ‘Banana Boat Day-O’ – Harry Belafonte” SF Songfacts SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 688-9. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 21. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 3/25/2023.