The very first U.K. singles chart, from exactly 60 years ago today....

[ChickenGuy]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20320963

The first British singles chart (mostly of American singers) appeared in the newspaper of the New Musical Express (later known as NME magazine) on November 14, 1952.

It was a top 12 (which ended up being a top 15 because they doubled-up equal placings)

I actually listened to all these songs a few years ago. It was quite interesting!


1 - Al Martino - Here In My Heart

2 - Jo Stafford - You Belong To Me

3 - Nat King Cole - Somewhere Along The Way

4 - Bing Crosby - The Isle Of Innisfree

5 - Guy Mitchell - Feet Up

6 - Rosemary Clooney - Half As Much

=7 - Vera Lynn - Forget Me Not

=7 - Frankie Laine - High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)

=8 - Ray Martin - Blue Tango

=8 - Doris Day & Frankie Laine - Sugarbush

9 - Vera Lynn - The Homing Waltz

10 - Vera Lynn - Auf Wiedersehn Sweetheart

=11 - Mario Lanza - Because You're Mine

=11 - Max Bygraves - Cowpuncher's Cantata

12 - Johnnie Ray - Walkin' My Baby Back Home


The U.K.'s very first No. 1....





....by the way, my favourite tune when I heard them all was definitely the number 2 song by Jo Stafford - it went up to 1 a few weeks later so it was the second ever British No. 1.

They don't do sentimentality like this these days.





P.S. Vera Lynn is now 95 years old and still going strong - she was dubbed the 'forces sweetheart' for her popularity during World War II and her songs were often about romantic war-time lovers and sentimental leavings and partings etc.

[talbot57]

Vera Lynn was born close to where I live. She brought out a new Christmas album a few years ago.

[Essex Boy]

Keith Skues (aka Cardboard Shoes) played the whole lot of them on his Sunday night programme on BBC Eastern Counties. I haven't enjoyed anything so much in ages. Jo Stafford was my favourite too. Curious factoid: the only award Jo Stafford ever won was a comedy prize for her 'Jonathan and Darlene Edwards' LP.

[frankfrank]

Surprising that there's only one British artist in the entire lot.

My favorite of that whole bunch, by the way, is ROSEMARY CLOONEY Half As Much...