List of Hot R&B Singles number ones of 1962

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs is a chart published by Billboard that ranks the top-performing songs in the United States in African-American-oriented musical genres; the chart has undergone various name changes since its launch in 1942 to reflect the evolution of such genres. In 1962, it was published under the title Hot R&B Sides through the issue of the magazine dated October 27 and Hot R&B Singles thereafter, reflecting the fact that rhythm and blues was the dominant genre. During that year, 16 different singles topped the chart, based on playlists submitted by radio stations and surveys of retail sales outlets.[1]

Ray Charles had three number ones in 1962. His recording of "I Can't Stop Loving You" was the year's longest-running chart-topper.

In the issue of Billboard dated January 6, Ray Charles and his orchestra moved up to number one with "Unchain My Heart", which held the top spot for two weeks. Charles would go on to achieve two further chart-toppers later in the year, both taken from his album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, which is considered to have been a ground-breaking record.[2][3] His recording of Don Gibson's 1957 song "I Can't Stop Loving You" spent ten weeks at number one, the year's longest unbroken spell in the top spot. The song was a triple chart-topper, as it also reached number one on the Easy Listening chart as well as the all-genre Hot 100.[4][5] In December, Charles spent two weeks atop the chart with his version of "You Are My Sunshine", giving him a total of 14 weeks at number one, the most for any act in 1962. The only other act with more than one number one during the year was the 4 Seasons, who topped the chart with both "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry".

Several of 1962's number ones were associated with dance crazes of the time. In March, Sam Cooke spent three weeks atop the chart with "Twistin' the Night Away", which was followed into the top spot by "Soul Twist" by King Curtis and the Noble Knights, both of which referenced the dance the Twist.[6] The latter song was in turn displaced by "Mashed Potato Time" by Dee Dee Sharp, referring to the dance the Mashed Potato,[7] and later in the year Little Eva spent three weeks at number one with "The Loco-Motion", which described a dance which did not actually exist at the time but which came into being following the song's success.[8] Almost all of the acts to reach number one in 1962 did so for the first time; of the 13 acts to top the chart during the year, only Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Esther Phillips had achieved a previous R&B number one. Phillips, then known as Little Esther, had reached number one three times in 1950 as a featured vocalist with the Johnny Otis Orchestra, but had not entered the chart at all for more than ten years when her version of "Release Me" charted in late 1962 and quickly rose to number one.[9]

Chart history
Sam Cooke topped the chart with "Twistin' the Night Away".
Gene Chandler (pictured in later life) reached number one with his most successful song, "Duke of Earl".
Saxophonist King Curtis topped the chart with "Soul Twist".
Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" was one of a number of dance craze songs to top the R&B chart in 1962.
Key
Indicates best-charting R&B single of 1962[10]
Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
January 6 "Unchain My Heart" Ray Charles and his orchestra [11]
January 13 [12]
January 20 "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" Barbara George [13]
January 27 [14]
February 3 [15]
February 10 [16]
February 17 "Duke of Earl" Gene Chandler [17]
February 24 [18]
March 3 [19]
March 10 [20]
March 17 [21]
March 24 "Twistin' the Night Away" Sam Cooke [22]
March 31 [23]
April 7 [24]
April 14 "Soul Twist" King Curtis and the Noble Knights [25]
April 21 [26]
April 28 "Mashed Potato Time" Dee Dee Sharp [27]
May 5 [28]
May 12 [29]
May 19 [30]
May 26 "I Can't Stop Loving You" Ray Charles [31]
June 2 [32]
June 9 [33]
June 16 [34]
June 23 [35]
June 30 [36]
July 7 [37]
July 14 [38]
July 21 [39]
July 28 [40]
August 4 "You'll Lose a Good Thing" Barbara Lynn [41]
August 11 [42]
August 18 [43]
August 25 "The Loco-Motion" Little Eva [44]
September 1 [45]
September 8 [46]
September 15 "Green Onions" Booker T. & the M.G.'s [47]
September 22 "You Beat Me to the Punch" Mary Wells [48]
September 29 "Green Onions" Booker T. & the M.G.'s [49]
October 6 "Sherry" The 4 Seasons [50]
October 13 "Green Onions" Booker T. & the M.G.'s [51]
October 20 "Do You Love Me" The Contours [52]
October 27 "Green Onions" Booker T. & the M.G.'s [53]
November 3 "Do You Love Me" The Contours [54]
November 10 [55]
November 17 "Big Girls Don't Cry" The 4 Seasons [56]
November 24 [57]
December 1 [58]
December 8 "Release Me" Esther Phillips ("Little Esther") [59]
December 15 "You Are My Sunshine" Ray Charles [60]
December 22 "Release Me" Esther Phillips ("Little Esther") [61]
December 29 "You Are My Sunshine" Ray Charles [62]

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1995. Record Research Incorporated. p. xii. ISBN 9780898201154.
  2. Cook, Stephen. "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music". AllMusic. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
  3. Hughes, Charles L. (2015). Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South. UNC Press Books. p. 36. ISBN 9781469622446.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 52. ISBN 9780898201499.
  5. Schinder, Scott; Schwartz, Andy (2007). Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever. ABC-CLIO. p. 43. ISBN 9780313338458.
  6. Pollock, Bruce (2011). If You Like the Beatles... Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781617130731.
  7. "Thanksgiving playlist: Add a soundtrack to your holiday dinner". USA Today. December 15, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  8. Runtagh, Jordan (February 9, 2017). "10 Songs You Didn't Know Carole King Wrote". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  9. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942-1995. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 40, 71, 74, 93, 94, 154, 168, 248, 269, 278, 348, 396, 474. ISBN 9780898201154.
  10. "Billboard.com - Year End Charts - Year-end Singles - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  11. "R & B Chart for January 6, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  12. "R & B Chart for January 13, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  13. "R & B Chart for January 20, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  14. "R & B Chart for January 27, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  15. "R & B Chart for February 3, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  16. "R & B Chart for February 10, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  17. "R & B Chart for February 17, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  18. "R & B Chart for February 24, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  19. "R & B Chart for March 3, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  20. "R & B Chart for March 10, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  21. "R & B Chart for March 17, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  22. "R & B Chart for March 24, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  23. "R & B Chart for March 31, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  24. "R & B Chart for April 7, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  25. "R & B Chart for April 14, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  26. "R & B Chart for April 21, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  27. "R & B Chart for April 28, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  28. "R & B Chart for May 5, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  29. "R & B Chart for May 12, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  30. "R & B Chart for May 19, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  31. "R & B Chart for May 26, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  32. "R & B Chart for June 2, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  33. "R & B Chart for June 9, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  34. "R & B Chart for June 16, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  35. "R & B Chart for June 23, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  36. "R & B Chart for June 30, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  37. "R & B Chart for July 7, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  38. "R & B Chart for July 14, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  39. "R & B Chart for July 21, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  40. "R & B Chart for July 28, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  41. "R & B Chart for August 4, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  42. "R & B Chart for August 11, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  43. "R & B Chart for August 18, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  44. "R & B Chart for August 25, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  45. "R & B Chart for September 1, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  46. "R & B Chart for September 8, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  47. "R & B Chart for September 15, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  48. "R & B Chart for September 22, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  49. "R & B Chart for September 29, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  50. "R & B Chart for October 6, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  51. "R & B Chart for October 13, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  52. "R & B Chart for October 20, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  53. "R & B Chart for October 27, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  54. "R & B Chart for November 3, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  55. "R & B Chart for November 10, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  56. "R & B Chart for November 17, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  57. "R & B Chart for November 24, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  58. "R & B Chart for December 1, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  59. "R & B Chart for December 8, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  60. "R & B Chart for December 15, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  61. "R & B Chart for December 22, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  62. "R & B Chart for December 29, 1962". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
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