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1940
1) Artie Shaw, "Frenesi"
2) Glenn Miller, 'In the Mood"
3) Tommy Dorsey, "I'll Never Smile Again"
4) Bing Crosby, "Only Forever"
5) Glenn Miller "Tuxedo Junction"
6) Glenn Miller, "Woodpecker Song"
7) Glenn Miller, "Careless"
8) Glenn Miller, "When You Wish Upon a Star"
9) Bing Crosby, "Trade Winds"
10) Andrews Sisters, "Ferry Boat Serenade"
The Big Bands led the hit parade, with Glenn Miller having five out of ten top hits!
1941
1) Jimmy Dorsey, "Amapola"
2) Sammy Kaye, "Daddy"
3) Freddy Martin, "Piano Concerto"
4) Glenn Miller, "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
5) Jimmy Dorsey, "Maria Elena"
6) Jimmy Dorsey, "Green Eyes"
7) Glenn Miller, "You and I"
8) Benny Goodman, "There'll Be Some Changes Made"
9) Vaughn Monroe, "There I Go"
10) Ink Spots, "We Three"
Another top year for the Big Bands...The Ink spots vocal group the
only non-band represented.
1942
1. White Christmas - Bing Crosby
2. Deep In The Heart of Texas - Alveno Rey
3. (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) the White Cliffs of Dover - Kay Kyser
4. Tangerine - Jimmy Dorsey
5. Paper Doll - Mills Brothers
6. Moonlight Cocktail - Glenn Miller
7. Pennsylvania Polka - Andrews Sisters
8. Blues In The Night - Dinah Shore or Woody Herman
9. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) - Glenn Miller
10. (I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo - Glenn Miller
Bing Crosby stars in "Holiday Inn" (White Christmas won the Best Song Oscar)
1943
1. Oklahoma!
2. Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' - Bing Crosby
3. Sentimental Lady - Duke Ellington
4. Paper Doll - Mills Brothers
5. Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Duke Ellington
6. As Time Goes By - Rudy Vallee
7. I've Heard That Song Before - Harry James
8. That Old Black Magic - Glenn Miller
9. Artistry In Rhythm - Stan Kenton
10. Don't Cry, Baby - Erskine Hawkins
Broadway's "Oklahoma" a smash hit for Rodgers and Hammerstein (First collaboration)
1944
1) Bing Crosby, "Swinging on a Star"
2) Andrews Sisters, "Shoo-Shoo Baby"
3) Bing Crosby & Andrews Sisters, "Don't Fence Me In"
4) Jimmy Dorsey, "Besame Mucho"
5) Harry James, "I'll Get By"
6) Merry Macs, "Mairzy Doats"
7) Bing Crosby, "San Fernando Valley"
8) Bing Crosby, "I Love You"
9) Mills Brothers, "You Always Hurt the One You Love"
10) Dinah Shore, "I'll Walk Alone"
Bing Crosby starred in the movie "Going My Way" (Swinging On A Star-Oscar winning song)
1945
1) Andrews Sisters, "Rum & Coca-Cola"
2) Perry Como, "Till the End of Time"
3) Les Brown, "Sentimental Journey"
4) Johnny Mercer, "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe"
5) Les Brown, "My Dreams are Getting Better"
6) Bing Crosby, "I Can't Begin to Tell You"
7) Vaughn Monroe, "There! I've Said it Again"
8) Sammy Kaye, "Chickery Chick"
9) Bing Crosby, "White Christmas"
10) Bing Crosby, "It's Been a Long, Long Time"
The Second World War Ended in September.
1946
1) Ink Spots, "The Gypsy"
2) Frankie Carle, "Oh What it Seems to Be"
3) Frankie Carle, "Rumours are Flying"
4) Dinah Shore, "The Gypsy"
5) Eddy Howard, "To Each His Own"
6) Frank Sinatra, Oh What it Seemed to Be"
7) Sammy Kaye, "The Old Lamp-Lighter"
8) Nat King Cole, For Sentimental Reasons"
9) Vaughn Monroe, "Let it Snow"
10) Perry Como, "Prisoner of Love.
Perry Como had his first of a long line of top hit recordings with "Prisoner of
Love" The other "ballad boys'...Nat Cole, Frank Sinatra and bandleader/singer
Vaughn Monroe scored as well.
1947
1) Francis Craig, "Near You"
2) Ted Weems, "Heart Aches"
3) Vaughn Monroe, "Ballerina"
4) Harmonicats, "Peg O My Heart"
5) Buddy Clark, "Peg O My Heart"
6) Tex Williams, "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette"
7) Three Suns, "Peg O My Heart"
8) Hoagy Carmichael, "Huggin & Chalkin"
9) Freddy Martin, "Managua, Nicaragua"
10) Count Basie, "Open the Door Richard"
Three versions of "Peg O My Heart" all make the top ten!
1948
1) Dinah Shore, "Buttons and Bows"
2) Peggy Lee, "Manana"
3) Pee Wee Hunt, "12th Street Rag"
4) Ken Griffin, "You Can't Be True, Dear"
5) Nat King Cole, "Nature Boy"
6) Kay Kyser, "WoodY Woodpecker"
7) Al Trace, "You Call Everybody Darling"
8) Doris Day, "Love Somebody"
9) Spike Jones, "All I Want for Christmas"
10) Bing Crosby, "Now is the Hour"
The most unusual hit was "Nature Boy". Two novelty songs,
'Woody Woodpecker" and "All I Want for Christmas Is
My Two Front Teeth" made the top hit list.
1949
1. Vaugn Monroe, "Riders in the Sky"
2. Frankie Laine, "That Lucky Old Sun"
3. Russ Morgan, "Crusing down the River"
4. Blue Barron, "Crusing Down the River"
5. Evelyn Knight, "A Little Bird Told Me"
6. Frankie Laine, "Mule Train"
7. Perry Como, "Some Enchanted Evening"
8. Vic Damone, "You're Breaking My Heart"
9. Perry Como, "'A' You're Adorable"
10. Margaret Whiting, "Slippin Around"
"Some Enchanted Evening" from the Broadway production
of South Pacific was a very big hit for ( Mr. Smooth) Perry Como.
NAT "KING" COLE
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ARTIE SHAW
BENNY GOODMAN
VAUGHN MONROE
HOAGY CARMICHAEL
PERRY COMO
