Back in the days of Louis Jordan and Bullmoose Jackson

and His Buffalo Bearcats, swing, and World War II, Billboard magazine started keeping tabs on the best-sellers in record

stores in New York City’s Harlem. That Harlem Hit Parade

chart of 1942, the starting point of this book, was Billboard ’s

first accounting of the growing interest in the music that

would come to be known as R&B. Today, more than sixty

years later, Billboard is proud to present the first edition of

The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits , packed

with complete, authoritative chart information

on the most popular songs and artists,

including everyone from the Nat King

Cole Trio to Ray Charles to Mary J.

Blige to Jay-Z. Great for music fans,

record collectors, industry professionals,

and trivia lovers, this book

will answer questions, resolve arguments,

and inspire new ideas.

• Capitalizes on one of W-G’s top-selling

titles, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits—

more than 50,000 copies sold of the 7th

edition!

• Complete history of Top 40 R&B and

hip-hop hits, covering 62 years

• 300 pictures of top recording artists

• Author Joel Whitburn is the leading

authority on charted music