Albany Herald

Photo by Vicki Harris

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or mary.braswell@albanyherald.com.

The pop music chart originated 75 years ago when Billboard Magazine published such a list on Jan. 4, 1936 for the week ending Dec. 30, 1935. The first list included Tommy Dorsey's version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Here is a look back at just a few of the singles from years gone by that made the list (in no particular order). How many do you remember?

1936

* "Pennies From Heaven" -- Bing Crosby

* "Way You Look Tonight" -- Fred Astaire

* "The Music Goes Round and Round" -- Tommy Dorsey

* "It's A Sin To Tell a Lie" -- Fats Waller

* "Glory Of Love" -- Benny Goodman

* "Is It True What they Say About Dixie?" -- Jimmy Dorsey

* "Moon Over Miami" -- Eddy Duchin

1939

* "Over The Rainbow" -- Judy Garland

* "God Bless America" -- Kate Smith

* "Three Little Fishies" -- Kay Kyser

* "When The Saints Go Marching In" -- Louis Armstrong

* "Moonlight Serenade" -- Glenn Miller

* "Beer Barrel Polka" -- Will Glahe

* "Jeepers Creepers" -- Al Donahue

1942

* "White Christmas" -- Bing Crosby

* "Deep In The Heart of Texas" -- Alveno Rey

* "Tangerine" -- Jimmy Dorsey

* "Paper Doll" -- Mills Brothers

* "Pennsylvania Polka" -- Andrews Sisters

* "Blues In The Night" -- Dinah Shore

* "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)" -- Glenn Miller

1946

* "Christmas Song" -- Nat King Cole

* "Personality" -- Johnny Mercer

* "Bumble Boogie" -- Freddy Martin

* "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" -- Vaughn Monroe

* "Five Minutes More" -- Frank Sinatra

* "Blue Skies" -- Count Basie

* "There's No Business Like Show Business" -- Ethel Merman

1949

* "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" -- Andrews Sisters

* "A Little Bird Told Me " -- Evelyn Knight

* "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend" -- Vaughn Monroe

* "Some Enchanted Evening" -- Perry Como

* "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues" -- Billie Holiday

* "Mule Train" -- Frankie Lane

1951

* "Too Young" -- Nat King Cole

* "Sixty Minute Man" -- Billy Ward and His Dominoes

* "Cry" -- Johnny Ray

* "Mockingbird Hill" -- Patti Page

* "On Top Of Old Smokey" -- Weavers

* "Because of You" -- Tony Bennet

* "I'm In The Mood" -- John Lee Hooker

* "Shanghai" -- Doris Day

1954

* "Shake Rattle and Roll" -- Bill Haley and The Comets

* "That's All Right (Mama)" -- Elvis Presley

* "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" -- Spaniels

* "Mr Sandman" -- The Chordettes

* "Mambo Italiano" -- Rosemary Clooney

* "Three Coins in the Fountain" -- Al Alberts & Four Aces

* Although not so much a song as a spoken recording, "What It Was, Was Football" (Parts I & II) by Andy Griffith also made the charts.

1959

* "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" -- The Platters

* "Mack the Knife" -- Bobby Darin

* "A Fool Such as I" -- Elvis Presley

* "Venus" -- Frankie Avalon

* "Tom Dooley" -- Kingston Trio

* "Lonely Boy" -- Paul Anka

* "Stagger Lee" -- Lloyd Price

* "It's Only Make Believe" -- Conway Twitty

* "Heartaches by the Number" -- Guy Mitchell

1961

* "Runaway" -- Del Shannon

* "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" -- Elvis Presley

* "Big Bad John" -- Jimmy Dean

* "Travelin' Man" -- Ricky Nelson

* "Pony Time" -- Chubby Checker

* "Goodbye Cruel World" -- James Darren

* "Hit the Road Jack" -- Ray Charles

1964

* "I Want to Hold Your Hand" -- The Beatles

* "House of the Rising Sun" --The Animals

* "Oh, Pretty Woman" -- Roy Orbison

* "Baby Love" -- The Supremes

* "A World Without Love" -- Peter & Gordon

* "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" -- Manfred Mann

* "Glad All Over" -- The Dave Clark Five

* "You Really Got Me" -- The Kinks

1967

* "I'm a Believer" -- The Monkees

* "Somethin' Stupid" -- Nancy and Frank Sinatra

* "Release Me" -- Engelbert Humperdinck

* "The Letter" --The Box Tops

* "Snoopy vs the Red Baron" -- Royal Guardsmen

* "Ode to Billy Joe" -- Bobbie Gentry

* "A Whiter Shade of Pale" -- Procol Harum

* "Penny Lane" -- The Beatles

1973

* "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" -- Dawn

* "You're So Vain" -- Carly Simon

* "Killing Me Softly with His Song" -- Roberta Flack

* "Delta Dawn" -- Helen Reddy

* "Photograph" -- Ringo Starr

* "You are the Sunshine of My Life" -- Stevie Wonder

* "Midnight Train to Georgia" -- Gladys Knight

* "Half Breed" -- Cher

* "Crocodile Rock" -- Elton John

1977

* "How Deep Is Your Love" -- The Bee Gees

* "Walk Right In" -- Dr. Hook

* "You Light Up My Life" -- Debby Boone

* "Knowing Me, Knowing You" -- Abba

* "The First Cut Is the Deepest" -- Rod Stewart

* " You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" -- Leo Sayer

* "Best of My Love" -- The Emotions

1980

* "Magic" -- Olivia Newton-John

* "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" -- Pink Floyd

* "Rock With You" -- Michael Jackson

* "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" -- Queen

* "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me" -- Billy Joel

* "Do That To Me One More Time" -- The Captain and Tennille

* "Let's Get Serious" -- Jermaine Jackson

* "Coward of the County" -- Kenny Rogers

1983

* "Every Breath You Take" -- The Police

* "Billie Jean" -- Michael Jackson

* "She Works Hard for the Money" -- Donna Summer

* "Total Eclipse of the Heart" -- Bonnie Tyler

* "Never Gonna Let You Go" -- Sergio Mendes

* "Maneater" -- Daryl Hall and John Oates

* "You Can't Hurry Love" -- Phil Collins