List of Harlem Hit Parade number ones of 1944
{{Short description|none}}
{{Featured list}}
File:(Portrait_of_Wesley_Prince,_Oscar_Moore,_and_Nat_King_Cole,_Zanzibar,_New_York,_N.Y.,_ca._July_1946)_(LOC)_(4931764613).jpg (right) led his trio to two chart-toppers.]]
In 1944, Billboard magazine published a chart ranking the "most popular records in Harlem" under the title of the Harlem Hit Parade. Placings were based on a survey of record stores primarily in the Harlem district of New York City, an area that has historically been noted for its African American population and called the "black capital of America".{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12332914|title=Who 'owns' Harlem, the capital of black America?|first=Michael|last=Goldfarb|publisher=BBC|date=February 1, 2011|accessdate=September 5, 2020|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517121723/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12332914|url-status=live}} The chart is considered to be the start of the lineage of the magazine's multimetric R&B chart,{{cite book|title=Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942–1995|page=xii|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|authorlink=Joel Whitburn|publisher=Record Research Incorporated|year=1996|isbn=9780898201154}} which since 2005 has been published under the title Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/9378-i-know-you-got-soul-the-trouble-with-billboards-rbhip-hop-chart/|title=I Know You Got Soul: The Trouble With Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Chart|work=Pitchfork|accessdate=December 19, 2021|first=Chris|last=Molanphy|date=April 14, 2014|archive-date=January 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121143650/https://pitchfork.com/features/article/9378-i-know-you-got-soul-the-trouble-with-billboards-rbhip-hop-chart/|url-status=live}}
Most of 1944's number ones were in the jazz and swing genres, which were among the most popular styles of music in the early 1940s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/swing-ma0000004423|title=Swing Music Genre Overview|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=September 4, 2020|archive-date=October 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012164959/https://www.allmusic.com/style/swing-ma0000004423|url-status=live}} Four acts achieved more than one chart-topper during the year: Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five with "Ration Blues" and "G.I. Jive", Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra with "Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" and "Main Stem", the Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald with "Cow-Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", and the King Cole Trio with "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You". Jordan's version of "G.I. Jive" was the second recording of the song to top the chart in 1944, following a rendition by Johnny Mercer with Paul Weston and his Orchestra earlier in the year. It was the most successful of many songs released during World War II which bemoaned life in the army.{{cite book |last=Jones |first=John Bush |date=2006 |title=The Songs That Fought the War |publisher=University Press of New England |page=114 |isbn=1584654430 }} Jordan was by far the most successful artist of the 1940s on Billboard{{'}}s R&B charts. His tally of 18 chart-toppers was a record which would stand until the 1980s, and he spent 113 weeks at number one,{{ref label|Apr|a|}} a record which would still stand in the 21st century.{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research Incorporated|isbn=978-0-89820-160-4|page=783}} His jump blues style was also a major influence on the later development of rock and roll.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-jordan-mn0000287604/biography?cmpredirect|first=Bill|last=Dahl|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=December 11, 2021|title=Louis Jordan Biography & History|archive-date=December 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212213146/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/louis-jordan-mn0000287604/biography?cmpredirect|url-status=live}} The King Cole Trio had the highest total number of weeks at number one in 1944, spending 14 weeks in the top spot; pianist and vocalist Nat King Cole would soon move on from the jazz field to become a hugely successful pop artist.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-king-cole-mn0000317093/biography|title=Nat King Cole Biography & History|publisher=AllMusic|first=William|last=Ruhlmann|accessdate=September 10, 2020|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331114204/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nat-king-cole-mn0000317093/biography|url-status=live}}
Two of 1944's Harlem Hit Parade number ones had sufficient crossover appeal to also top Billboard{{'}}s all-genres Most Played Juke Box Records chart: Jordan's version of "G.I. Jive" in July and "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" by Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots in December. Two others topped the Most Played Juke Box Folk Records chart, which was first published in the issue of Billboard dated January 8 and covered "Hillbillies, Spirituals, Cowboy Songs, etc";{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jwwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT17|chapter=Most Played Juke Box Folk Records|title=Billboard|date=January 8, 1944|accessdate=March 29, 2018|page=18|archive-date=October 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017074300/https://books.google.com/books?id=jwwEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT17|url-status=live}} the latter chart is considered to be the start of the lineage of the magazine's country music chart.{{cite book|title=Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944–2005|page=ix|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|authorlink=Joel Whitburn|publisher=Record Research|date=2005|isbn=978-0-89820-165-9}} "Ration Blues" by Jordan topped the Harlem chart in the issue of Billboard dated January 1 and the Folk chart eight weeks later. "Straighten Up and Fly Right" by the King Cole Trio topped both listings simultaneously in June.{{cite book|title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits|page=512|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|authorlink=Joel Whitburn|publisher=Watson-Guptill|date=1996|isbn=978-0-82308-289-6}} "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" was the year's final Harlem chart-topper, spending the last five weeks of 1944 at number one.
Chart history
File:Louis_Jordan,_New_York,_N.Y.,_ca._July_1946_(William_P._Gottlieb_04721).jpg" by Louis Jordan also reached number one on the new Most Played Juke Box Folk Records chart.|alt=Musician Louis Jordan]]
File:Ella Fitzgerald (Gottlieb 02871).jpg collaborated with the Ink Spots on two number ones.]]
File:Benny_Goodman_1942.jpg and his Orchestra topped the chart with "Solo Flight".]]
File:Lionel_Hampton_1948.jpg and his Orchestra took "Hamp's Boogie Woogie" to the top of the chart.]]
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ {{sronly|Chart history}} !scope=col|Issue date !scope=col|Title !scope=col|Artist(s) !scope=col class=unsortable|Ref. |
| scope=row|{{dts|January 1}}
| "Ration Blues" | {{sortname|Louis|Jordan}} and his Tympany Five |
|---|
| scope=row|{{dts|January 8}}
| "ShooShoo Baby" | {{sortname|Ella Mae|Morse}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|January 15}}
| "Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" | {{sortname|Duke|Ellington}} and his Famous Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|January 22}}
| "G.I. Jive" | {{sortname|Johnny|Mercer}} with Paul Weston and his Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|January 29}}
|rowspan=6|"Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" |rowspan=6| {{sortname|Duke|Ellington}} and his Famous Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|February 5}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|February 12}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|February 19}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|February 26}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|March 4}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|March 11}}
| "Solo Flight" | {{sortname|Benny|Goodman}} and his Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|March 18}}
|"Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" | {{sortname|Duke|Ellington}} and his Famous Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|March 25}}
| "Cow-Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" | {{sort|Ink|The Ink Spots}} and Ella Fitzgerald |
| scope=row|{{dts|April 1}}
|rowspan=2| "Main Stem" |rowspan=2| {{sortname|Duke|Ellington}} and his Famous Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|April 8}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|April 15}}
| {{sortname|Buddy|Johnson}} and his Band |
| scope=row|{{dts|April 22}}
|"Main Stem" | {{sortname|Duke|Ellington}} and his Famous Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|April 29}}
| "Straighten Up and Fly Right" | {{sort|Cole|King Cole}} Trio |
| scope=row|{{dts|May 6}}
| "Main Stem" | {{sortname|Duke|Ellington}} and his Famous Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|May 13}}
|rowspan=9| "Straighten Up and Fly Right" |rowspan=9| {{sort|Cole|King Cole}} Trio |
| scope=row|{{dts|May 20}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|May 27}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|June 3}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|June 10}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|June 17}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|June 24}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|July 1}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|July 8}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|July 15}}
| rowspan=5|"G.I. Jive" |rowspan=5| {{sortname|Louis|Jordan}} and his Tympany Five |
| scope=row|{{dts|July 22}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|July 29}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|August 5}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|August 12}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|August 19}}
| "Till Then" | {{sort|Mills|The Mills Brothers}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|August 26}}
| "G.I. Jive" | {{sortname|Louis|Jordan}} and his Tympany Five |
| scope=row|{{dts|September 2}}
|rowspan=4| "Hamp's Boogie Woogie" |rowspan=4| {{sortname|Lionel|Hampton}} and his Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|September 9}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|September 16}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|September 23}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|September 30}}
| "I'm Lost" | {{sortname|Benny|Carter}} and his Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|October 7}}
| {{sortname|Lionel|Hampton}} and his Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|October 14}}
|"I'm Lost" | {{sortname|Benny|Carter}} and his Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|October 21}}
|rowspan=4| "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You" | rowspan=4|{{sort|Cole|King Cole}} Trio |
| scope=row|{{dts|October 28}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|November 4}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|November 11}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|November 18}}
| "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" | {{sort|Ink|The Ink Spots}} and Ella Fitzgerald |
| scope=row|{{dts|November 25}}
| {{sortname|Lionel|Hampton}} and his Orchestra |
| scope=row|{{dts|December 2}}
|rowspan=5| "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" |rowspan=5| {{sort|Ink|The Ink Spots}} and Ella Fitzgerald |
| scope=row|{{dts|December 9}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|December 16}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|December 23}} |
| scope=row|{{dts|December 30}} |
Notes
a. {{note|Apr}} Jordan's first 16 number ones occurred at a time when Billboard published only one R&B chart. His final two number ones occurred during a period when the magazine published two charts and each topped both listings, but the figure of 113 weeks at number one does not double-count weeks when he topped both.