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121-595: The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to Billboard by stations that are members of the Adult Contemporary radio panel. The chart debuted in Billboard magazine on July 17, 1961. Over the years, the chart has undergone

242-464: A "tent show" section covering traveling shows and a subsection called "Freaks to order". Donaldson also published news articles opposing censorship, supporting productions exhibiting good taste and decrying yellow journalism ." As railroads became more developed, Billboard enabled a mail-forwarding system for traveling entertainers. The location of an entertainer was tracked in the paper's Routes Ahead column, and then Billboard would receive mail on

363-568: A 15-year-old student in junior high school, he began his career as an up-and-coming teenage idol by singing with a local swing band headed by don Ramón Cruz. This band was composed mainly of Mexican and Mexican American musicians and played primarily in East Los Angeles . He also sang with the Stan Kenton Orchestra , and other groups, until one day he was told that he also would have to play an instrument to stay with

484-475: A Latin singer. Besides, he felt the public would know his ethnic background by his singing in Spanish and by telling everybody he was Mexican. In contrast, the case has been made that Russell's light-skin and European features (like Vikki Carr ) were the determining factors in opening the doors to the recording industry (Avant-Mier, 59; Macias, 125) that otherwise shut out Mexican-Americans whose appearance

605-549: A Top 10 pop hit as well. The method for compiling the chart at that time allowed some rock and roll artists, such as Lesley Gore and the Drifters , to make the chart on occasion with their softer or ballad releases, regardless of whether Easy Listening and middle of the road radio stations were actually playing those songs. In 1965, no No. 1 pop hits appeared on the Easy Listening chart. After 1965, differences between

726-540: A background in the music industry. Gervino was appointed editor-in-chief in April 2014. An NPR item covered a leaked version of Billboard ' s annual survey, which it said had more gossip and focused on less professional topics than had prior surveys. For example, the magazine polled readers on a lawsuit that singer Kesha filed against her producer, alleging sexual abuse. Gervino was fired in May 2016. A note from Min to

847-544: A dance band singer and swing drummer. He sang "If I had a Dozen Hearts" in a duet with Betty Hutton and a solo on "Love Me". He also displayed his percussionist skills on a drum solo of " China Boy ". In 1946, he appeared in the film Breakfast In Hollywood , where he sang "If I Had a Wishing Ring" in English and bilingual renditions of " Magic Is the Moonlight" / "Te quiero dijiste (Muñequita linda) " and " Amor ". In

968-565: A dedicated section called Amusement Machines in March 1932. Billboard began covering the motion-picture industry in 1907 but, facing strong competition from Variety , centered its focus on music. It created a radio-broadcasting station in the 1920s. The jukebox industry continued to grow through the Great Depression and was advertised heavily in Billboard , which led to even more editorial focus on music. The proliferation of

1089-605: A drummer, he left high school the summer before his senior year to try and join his band. Gus Arnheim and his orchestra had been playing the Cocoanut Grove and the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles since the late 1920s and had employed such singers as Bing Crosby , Russ Columbo , and Woody Herman . Russell auditioned for Arnheim and got the job not only as a drummer but vocalist, too. However, since he

1210-540: A high-tech firm for tracking music airtime. Private investors from Boston Ventures and BPI executives repurchased a two-thirds interest in Billboard Publications for $ 100 million, and more acquisitions followed. In 1993, it created a division known as Billboard Music Group for music-related publications. In 1994, Billboard Publications was sold to Dutch media conglomerate Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen (VNU) for $ 220 million. VNU acquired

1331-413: A hurry so I can join the band? ... Drums would be the easiest thing." So I got a bunch of the old records and started to learn to play drums. Down in the cellar, I'd learn to play drums and keep good time. This was when I was in junior high and I was learning to play drums. Later on, I got a teacher to teach me how to read, and before you knew it, I took drums seriously and I became one of the top drummers on

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1452-525: A husky chorus in Spanish ;– after going through the English version – has all the slick chicks swooning like crazy." Russell hoped to perform in Mexico, although he had never been there, despite being of Mexican heritage. Russell was then invited to Hollywood by Buddy DeSylva , co-founder of Capitol Records, to screen-test for motion pictures. He was contracted to appear in

1573-471: A mild manner, wide-eyes, and a toothy smile. About his performance, co-star, Gloria Jean said, "[He] was very bland, wishy-washy, but he had a lovely voice." On March 13, 1947, he was a performer in the 19th Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, as he sang " You Keep Coming Back Like a Song " from the musical film Blue Skies , one of the songs nominated for

1694-535: A pioneer in the record industry for his attention to foreign markets, and co-founder of Capitol Records , made sure that Russell's records were distributed throughout Latin America, which meant huge sales for Capitol and ever-growing popularity for Russell south of the border. The success of Russell, along with the stable of Capitol recording artists, permitted Capitol to construct the famous thirteen-story "Stack o' Records" Building in 1954. The following year, Capitol

1815-965: A radio format in the 1990s brought a number of new country crossovers onto the AC airwaves, including Martina McBride , Wynonna Judd , LeAnn Rimes , Shania Twain, Billy Joel , Lonestar , Mary Chapin Carpenter , and Garth Brooks . More recently, a new wave of country performers has been crossing over to AC, including Tim McGraw , the Dixie Chicks (who topped the AC chart with their cover of Fleetwood Mac 's " Landslide "), Rascal Flatts , Keith Urban , Carrie Underwood , Taylor Swift , Sugarland , Lady Antebellum , Jason Aldean (whose AC success came by way of his duet with Kelly Clarkson, " Don't You Wanna Stay "), The Band Perry , Sam Hunt , and Dan + Shay . Contemporary Christian music has also been relatively successful in crossing over to mainstream radio. In

1936-404: A series of name changes, being called Easy Listening (1961–1962; 1965–1979) , Middle-Road Singles (1962–1964) , Pop-Standard Singles (1964–1965) , Hot Adult Contemporary (1984–1996) and Adult Contemporary (1979–1984, 1996–present) . The current number-one song on the chart is " Lose Control " by Teddy Swims . The Billboard Easy listening chart, as it was first known,

2057-509: A set of self-study cassette tapes and four television franchises. It also acquired Photo Weekly that year. Over time, subjects that Billboard covered outside of the music world formed the basis of separate publications: Funspot magazine was created in 1957 to cover amusement parks and Amusement Business was created in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment. In January 1961, Billboard was renamed Billboard Music Week to emphasize its newly exclusive interest in music. Two years later, it

2178-409: A singer, a famous singer, a fella that took Bing Crosby 's place years ago. His name was Russell Columbo , one of the famous singers of that era. I'm gonna call you Russell – Andy Russell. Russell compromised on the name change because during that era many performers adopted stage names in order to enter the entertainment industry. He did not want to be discriminated against and stereotyped as only

2299-481: A trade publication for the Broadway theatre industry called Backstage . In 1987, Billboard was sold again to Affiliated Publications for $ 100 million. Billboard Publications Inc. became a subsidiary of Affiliated Publications called BPI Communications. As BPI Communications, it acquired The Hollywood Reporter , Adweek , Marketing Week and Mediaweek , and also purchased Broadcast Data Systems ,

2420-435: A very long death. Or, to optimists, to get a second life." One theory states that many adult contemporary stations play less newer music because they also give ample airtime to hits of the past, so the de-emphasis on new songs slows the progression of the AC chart. Also, certain program directors have asserted that AC is a song-based format, as opposed to other radio formats that are infused with singer-based programming, so there

2541-511: A year, Easy Listening was again chosen as the chart name in 1965 when the change in compilation occurred. In April 1979, the Easy Listening chart officially became known as Adult Contemporary , and those two words have remained consistent in the name of the chart ever since. In 1996, Billboard created a new chart called Adult Top 40 , which reflects radio station programming that exists somewhere between "adult contemporary" music and "pop" music. Although they are sometimes mistaken for each other,

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2662-506: Is considered one of the most reputable sources of music industry news. The website includes the Billboard Charts, news separated by music genre, videos and a separate website. It also compiles lists, hosts a fashion website called Pret-a-Reporter and publishes eight different newsletters. The print magazine's regular sections include: Billboard is known for publishing several annual listicles on its website, in recognition of

2783-507: Is no guarantee that a new single by a certain artist will appeal to the listeners. The record for most time atop the Adult Contemporary chart is 55 non-consecutive weeks, achieved by Miley Cyrus with her 2023 release, " Flowers ". A number of other songs have logged more than 20 weeks apiece at the summit; The 2003, Uncle Kracker 's collaboration with Dobie Gray on Gray's own 1973 hit, Drift Away spent 28 weeks at No. 1. Ed Sheeran's " Shape of You " from 2017 has logged 24 weeks at No. 1 on

2904-427: Is re-released (for example, featured on a current movie soundtrack and given a renewed promotional push from a record label) or a song can take an extended amount of time to climb to position fifteen. Billboard chart managers ultimately make the decision about which songs can remain on the current chart in such cases. These are the songs with 20 or more weeks at number one as of the chart dated August 3, 2024. As of

3025-458: Is the current top group, and fifth overall, with 62 weeks. Elton John also has the most chart-toppers on this survey with 18, while the Carpenters hold the record for the most chart toppers among groups with 15, and Celine Dion has the most #1's among female artists with 11. In 2011, Billboard announced the top 100 performing songs on the AC chart and the top 50 performing artists to celebrate

3146-530: The Billboard 200 , which tracks the top-selling albums, has become more popular as an indicator of commercial success. Billboard has also published books in collaboration with Watson-Guptill and a radio and television series called American Top 40, based on Billboard charts. A daily Billboard Bulletin was introduced in February 1997 and Billboard hosts about 20 industry events each year. Billboard

3267-559: The Billboard Hot 100 chart in the early 1990s, many of the secondary charts began to experience differences as well. Certain songs achieved higher debut positions on the Hot 100 due to the new formulas used to calculate chart positions, and lengthy stays at number one became more common. This trend began to surface on the AC chart in 1993 after Billboard began using data received from Broadcast Data Systems as its measure for calculating

3388-711: The Clio Awards in advertising and the National Research Group in 1997, as well as Editor & Publisher in 1999. In July 2000, it paid $ 650 million to the publisher Miller Freeman . BPI was combined with other entities in VNU in 2000 to form Bill Communications Inc. By the time CEO Gerald Hobbs retired in 2003, VNU had grown substantially larger, but had a great deal of debt from the acquisitions. An attempted $ 7 billion acquisition of IMS Health in 2005 prompted protests from shareholders that halted

3509-452: The Global 200 , tracking the most popular albums and songs in various music genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm and operates several television shows. Billboard was founded in 1894 by William Donaldson and James Hennegan as a trade publication for bill posters. Donaldson later acquired Hennegan's interest in 1900 for $ 500. In the early years of the 20th century, it covered

3630-598: The bolero " Bésame Mucho " (English title: "Kiss Me Much"), with original music and Spanish lyric by Mexican composer Consuelo Velázquez , English lyric by American composer Sunny Skylar , and backing by the Al Sack Orchestra. He sang "Bésame Mucho" bilingually, the first vocalist to offer Spanish and English treatments to popular songs, often with a chorus in English followed by a chorus in Spanish, and, in doing so, displaying his Latin background. "Bésame Mucho" became Russell's first charted hit. It entered

3751-478: The country charts has also been common on the AC chart since the chart began. Among the country stars who had a number of singles cross over to the AC chart (and the pop chart as well) from the 1960s through the 1980s included Brenda Lee , Ray Price , Patsy Cline , Johnny Cash , Anne Murray , Ronnie Milsap , Barbara Mandrell , Dolly Parton , Kenny Rogers , Eddie Rabbitt , Crystal Gayle , Willie Nelson , and Juice Newton . The huge growth of country music as

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3872-413: The music of Mexico , nor did he fully comprehend the Spanish language. He felt so frustrated that he would ask his parents to speak to him in English. Moreover, he was able to learn only a little Spanish because his parents died when he was just 11 years old. His older brothers helped to raise the family. Despite these growing pains, he was determined to follow in the footsteps of his idols. In 1934, as

3993-780: The "Russell Sprouts", of which there were 300 fan clubs throughout the United States. As he became more popular, Russell began making personal appearances in different venues in the country. His first personal appearance was on June 28, 1945, at the RKO Boston Theater in Newark, New Jersey , (Frank Sinatra's home town). Later, he made an appearance at the Paramount theater in New York, where he signed on to perform for two weeks, and wound up staying for five weeks. A review of Russell's performance stated: "His way of sliding into

4114-532: The "bible" of the recording industry. Billboard struggled after its founder William Donaldson died in 1925, and within three years, was once again heading towards bankruptcy . Donaldson's son-in-law Roger Littleford took command in 1928 and "nursed the publication back to health." His sons Bill and Roger became co-publishers in 1946 and inherited the magazine in the late 1970s after Littleford's death. They sold it to private investors in 1985 for an estimated $ 40 million. The investors cut costs and acquired

4235-511: The 1940s were in 1947: " Anniversary Song " which reached #4, and " I'll Close My Eyes " which reached #15. Russell had twelve records break into the charts between April 1944 and September 1948, eight of them in the top ten. He was not only an established star of the Big Band era , but recognized as a unique contributor with his bilingual singing style that opened up the international market for Capitol. Music-store owner, Glenn E. Wallichs,

4356-425: The 1960s include Elvis Presley , Roy Orbison , Connie Francis , Dean Martin , Andy Williams , the 5th Dimension , and Glen Campbell . " Love Is Blue " by Paul Mauriat held the top of the Easy Listening chart for 11 weeks in 1968, which remained the longest stay at No. 1 until 1993. The Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts became more similar again toward the end of the 1960s and into the early and mid-1970s, when

4477-625: The 1980s, with nine songs accomplishing that feat. Two were by Lionel Richie, " You Are " in 1983 and " Hello " in 1984, which also reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. Other songs reaching the summit on both the AC and pop charts were " Time After Time " by Cyndi Lauper , " I Just Called to Say I Love You " by Stevie Wonder , " Live to Tell " by Madonna , " I Just Can't Stop Loving You " by Michael Jackson (his only No. 1 on both charts), " Seasons Change " by Exposé , " Look Away " by Chicago , " Tell Her About It " by Billy Joel , and " Right Here Waiting " by Richard Marx . With changes in methodology made to

4598-511: The 1990s include Mariah Carey , Michael Bolton , Whitney Houston, and Shania Twain . Newer female singer-songwriters such as Sarah McLachlan , Natalie Merchant , Jewel , Melissa Etheridge , and Sheryl Crow also broke through on the AC chart during this time. A notable pattern that developed during the 2000s has been for certain pop songs to have lengthy runs on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, even after

4719-459: The 2000s decade, such as Beyoncé 's " Irreplaceable ", Fergie 's ballad " Big Girls Don't Cry ", Gnarls Barkley 's " Crazy ", Rihanna 's " Take a Bow ", and Timbaland 's remix of OneRepublic 's " Apologize ". R&B artists who have achieved major success on the AC chart in the past include Dionne Warwick , Aaron Neville , Diana Ross (with her solo career), James Ingram , Lionel Richie , Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey . Crossover from

4840-402: The 50th anniversary on the chart. The top song on the list was " Truly Madly Deeply " by Savage Garden , which hit number one for 11 weeks in 1998, spent a total of 58 weeks in the top 10, and spent 123 weeks on the chart. That chart longevity would only be passed by another one of their songs, " I Knew I Loved You " (which ranked at #21 on that list), from their album Affirmation . Elton John

4961-452: The AC chart. In addition, Celine Dion's " A New Day Has Come " from 2002 and Kelly Clarkson 's 2004 song " Breakaway ". Both songs spent 21 weeks at No. 1 on the AC chart. Through 2022, Celine Dion has logged 87 weeks atop the AC chart, which is the most for any artist; Adele has moved into second place with 83 weeks, Ed Sheeran holds third place and the most for a solo male artist with 67 weeks, followed by Elton John with 63 weeks. Maroon 5

Adult Contemporary (chart) - Misplaced Pages Continue

5082-460: The Adult Contemporary chart and the Adult Top 40 chart are separate charts, and songs reaching one chart might not reach the other. In addition, the term " hot AC " refers to another subgenre of radio programming that is distinct from the Adult Contemporary chart, despite the apparent similarity in name. In the early years of the Easy Listening chart, the top song on the chart was generally always

5203-431: The Adult Contemporary chart began ranking only airplay. Some of the artists who achieved success on the adult contemporary chart in the 1980s were already established names, such as Elton John , Chicago , Barbra Streisand , Dan Fogelberg , Sheena Easton , Kenny Rogers , and Dionne Warwick , while newer acts such as Whitney Houston , Madonna , Air Supply , Lionel Richie , and Gloria Estefan also made an impact on

5324-700: The Christian and secular worlds with little disapproval from their fan bases. Many notable classic rock artists have also crossed over to the adult contemporary chart as well by way of releasing power ballads. Artists such as Journey , Foreigner , Pat Benatar , and John Mellencamp among many other artists have had AC chart hits in addition to charting on the Mainstream Rock chart. In addition, newer recordings by established classic rock artists have also gotten some airplay on adult contemporary stations. Heart , Bob Seger , and Elton John are just some of

5445-407: The Easy Listening chart would begin to be compiled by a method similar to the one used for other Billboard singles charts: reported playlists from radio stations airing the format as well as sales data submitted by record stores. By the early 1990s, automatic song detection and barcode sales information had begun to be the norm for most of the Billboard charts, although by this time the AC chart

5566-682: The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, a unit of the holding company Eldridge Industries . Timothy White was appointed editor-in-chief in 1991, a position that he held until his unexpected death in 2002. White wrote a weekly column promoting music with "artistic merit" while criticizing music with violent or misogynistic themes, and also reworked the publication's music charts. Rather than relying on data from music retailers, new charts used data from store checkout scanners obtained by Nielsen SoundScan . White also wrote in-depth profiles on musicians, but

5687-435: The Hot 100 chart and the Easy Listening chart became more pronounced. Better reflecting what middle of the road stations were actually playing, the composition of the chart changed dramatically. As rock music continued to harden, there was much less crossover between the Hot 100 and Easy Listening chart than there had been in the early half of the 1960s. Several No. 1 Easy Listening hits of the late 1960s only "Bubbled Under" on

5808-496: The Mexican states of Durango and Chihuahua , where each had been born, respectively. His father was employed as an extra by Hollywood studios, while his mother was a housewife. As a child, he loved listening to American popular music and Big Band , such as Benny Goodman , Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey . He idolized crooners Dick Powell , Bing Crosby and Jack Leonard . He went wild over popular music , knew all

5929-508: The Paramount Theater in New York, hoping to convince him to sing her music in English, since she considered him to be the top crooner of the period, above even Bing Crosby and Perry Como. Their successful collaboration and Russell's dynamic interpretations led to her works finally achieving the personal, commercial and international recognition that had eluded her, to some extent, in the United States and in her native Mexico. 1944

6050-584: The Spanish Mexican influences were obvious, with Russell's Spanish contributing to a soft and effective crooning job. That same year he also had another huge hit, which became another signature tune: " Amor ", music by Mexican composer Gabriel Ruiz , Spanish lyric by Mexican lyricist Ricardo López Méndez , English lyric by Sunny Skylar , and backed by the Al Sack Orchestra. It entered the charts on June 1, 1944, peaked at #5, and stayed on

6171-481: The acts that came of age as pop artists targeting younger audiences in the 1960s and early 1970s started moving toward easy listening as they matured ( Neil Sedaka , Paul Anka and the Osmonds being prime examples). Easy Listening radio also began including songs by artists who had begun in other genres, such as rock and roll, R&B , or even country (it was during this time frame that a number of songs charted on

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6292-432: The adult contemporary radio stations in the United States chart that have reached recurrent criteria. Descending songs are moved to recurrent status based upon the following three-tiered system: if they rank below the top five after 52 weeks, if they rank below the top 10 after 26 weeks, or if they rank below the top 15 after 20 weeks. Exceptions are sometimes made, usually on a case-by-case basis. Occasionally an older song

6413-413: The articles are written by staff writers, while some are written by industry experts. It covers news, gossip, opinion, and music reviews, but its "most enduring and influential creation" is the Billboard charts . The charts track music sales, radio airtime and other data about the most popular songs and albums. The Billboard Hot 100 chart of the top-selling songs was introduced in 1958. Since then,

6534-467: The artists to have some of their 21st-century songs played on adult contemporary. In addition, some classic rock artists whose songs did not chart on the adult contemporary chart during their initial heyday have been played on AC stations in recent years: Whitesnake with Here I Go Again , Joan Jett with I Love Rock and Roll , and Def Leppard with Pour Some Sugar on Me among other artists. The Adult Contemporary Recurrent charts ranks airplay from

6655-570: The band, Russell noticed that when he played solo on the drums or sang bilingually, the couples in the audience would stop dancing and approach the bandstand to get a better look at the handsome vocalist who was singing in a different language. It was at a show at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee , that Arnheim saw that he was getting known. But Arnheim realized that it would be necessary for Russell to change his name. Russell recalled

6776-425: The band. Russell recalled how he dealt with this curious dilemma: They said to me one night and broke my heart, they says, "Andy, we can't afford to have you as just a singer. You've got to play some instrument." I said, "But, gee, I'm a singer." And they said, "Yeah, we're paying you two dollars, two-fifty a night and it's too much. You know, the guys wanna split the rest of the money." So I said, "What can I learn in

6897-614: The best and most sincere phrasing. Russell's 4 top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1944 sold millions of records, and opened the door later in the decade for touring around the country and appearances on radio programs, motion pictures, and television. By late 1944, he was declared by the Mutual Broadcasting System to be the "idol of the crew-cut and bobby-sox set, and one of the nation's top-ranking romantic balladeers". In 1946, his next big hit

7018-626: The chart for a single week. Among songs which topped both the Easy Listening (renamed Adult Contemporary in 1979) and pop charts in the 1970s were " (They Long to Be) Close to You " and " Please Mr. Postman " by the Carpenters , " Song Sung Blue " by Neil Diamond , " Annie's Song " by John Denver, " You Are the Sunshine of My Life " by Stevie Wonder , " I Honestly Love You " and " Have You Never Been Mellow " by Olivia Newton-John, " Love Will Keep Us Together " by Captain & Tennille , and " You Light Up My Life " by Debby Boone . On August 21, 1982,

7139-492: The chart. The amount of crossover between the AC chart and the Hot 100 has varied based on how much the passing pop music trends of the times appealed to adult listeners. Not many disco or new wave songs were particularly successful on the AC chart during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and much of the hip-hop and harder rock music featured on CHR formats later in the decade would have been unacceptable on AC radio. No song spent more than six weeks at No. 1 on this chart during

7260-476: The charts for 10 weeks. The song was featured in the motion picture Broadway Rhythm . Russell had two more hits that same year: " What a Diff'rence a Day Made ", original title "Cuando vuelva a tu lado" (When I Return to You), music and Spanish lyric by Mexican composer María Grever with English lyric by American lyricist Stanley Adams and backed by the Paul Weston Orchestra. It entered

7381-443: The charts on April 15, 1944, and peaked at #10 on the Billboard's Hot 100 Chart in the United States, staying on the charts for 5 weeks. It sold over one million copies. Composer Velázquez heaped huge praise on Russell by stating that the worldwide success of "Bésame Mucho", which would become the most recorded Mexican song in history, effectively began with his rendition and recording of the song. A review of this song stated that

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7502-437: The charts on October 21, 1944, peaked at #14, and stayed on the charts for 8 weeks. His other hit was " I Dream of You ," composed by Edna Osser with lyrics by Marjorie Goetschius , and accompanied by the Paul Weston Orchestra. It entered the charts on December 30, 1944, peaked at #5, and stayed on the charts for 5 weeks. It was b/w "Magic Is the Moonlight," another composition by Maria Grever [whose original Spanish title

7623-407: The conversation with Arnheim after the show: Andy, I've got to tell you something. The name Rábago has got to go. [laughs] Rábago's gotta go." I says, "What do you mean?" He says, "I've gotta change your name. Rábago hasn't got that ring to it, you know?" I says, "But that's my name." He says, "Look, we'll keep Andy, all right?" I says, "Okay. So what would you call me then?" He says, "I used to have

7744-442: The country and easy listening charts, often not on the Hot 100). The longest stay at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart in the 1970s was " Time Passages " by Al Stewart , which remained atop the chart for ten weeks. More common, however, was a high turnover rate at the summit of the Easy Listening survey during this decade. Over a three-year period from 1973 through 1975, there were 100 No. 1 songs on this chart, and most remained atop

7865-465: The crooners in this era, Russell drew his style from those who had come before, especially Haymes. Russell was viewed as the typical crooner, in the Sinatra style, who extended and drew out the words, while adding delightful shades and nuances to the phrases in his songs. He was not considered a bolero singer in the classic sense (of Latin America singers), but his execution of romantic songs had some of

7986-511: The date of July 31 where no union musician could record for any record company. This caused record producers to scramble to get vocalists and musicians into recording studios to get the recordings done before the deadline. Russell was able to make a test record with the George Siravo orchestra under the deadline. Mercer paid him $ 150-$ 175 for both sides of his first record. Russell narrowed his choices down to three songs and then chose

8107-476: The deal; it eventually agreed to an $ 11 billion takeover bid from investors in 2006. VNU changed its name to Nielsen in 2007, the namesake of a company that it had acquired for $ 2.5 billion in 1999. New CEO Robert Krakoff divested some of the previously owned publications, restructured the organization and planned some acquisitions before dying suddenly in 2007. He was subsequently replaced by Greg Farrar. Nielsen owned Billboard until 2009, when it

8228-648: The east side of L.A. – swing drummers. And I was playing drums with all these bands and then I'd sing. Russell took drum lessons for 50 cents a lesson at the Phillips Music Company on Brooklyn Avenue (now Avenida César Chávez) in Boyle Heights. This neighborhood music store was owned by William Phillips, a Jewish-American Navy veteran, drummer, and musician. By practicing in the basement of his house and during breaks at his part-time job, he quickly became an excellent drummer. Stella Cruz,

8349-534: The editorial staff indicated that senior vice president of digital content Mike Bruno would head the editorial department. On June 15, 2016, BillboardPH , the first Billboard chart company in Southeast Asia, mainly in the Philippines, was announced. On September 12, 2016, Billboard expanded into China by launching Billboard China in partnership with Vision Music Ltd. On September 23, 2020, it

8470-472: The entertainment industry, such as circuses, fairs and burlesque shows, and also created a mail service for travelling entertainers. Billboard began focusing more on the music industry as the jukebox , phonograph and radio became commonplace. Many topics that it covered became the subjects of new magazines, including Amusement Business in 1961 to cover outdoor entertainment, so that Billboard could focus on music. After Donaldson died in 1925, Billboard

8591-507: The film The Stork Club (1945). His movie career had an inauspicious start at Paramount Studios . The Mexican-American crooner was told by a security guard that it was a closed set and that he would have to leave. He waited outside the stage door, sitting in the sun until Hal Walker , the director, came looking for him and told him to get to work. Russell asked nervously, "Are you sure it's all right now?" In his motion picture debut, he played himself in everything but name, as he [was] cast as

8712-516: The first female and youngest-ever executive editor at Billboard and led its first major redesign since the 1960s, designed by Daniel Stark and Stark Design. During Conniff's tenure, Billboard 's newsstand sales jumped 10%, ad pages climbed 22% and conference registrations rose 76%. In 2005, Billboard expanded its editorial outside the music industry into other areas of digital and mobile entertainment. In 2006, after leading Billboard's radio publication, former ABC News and CNN journalist Scott McKenzie

8833-464: The hit tunes, and was the neighborhood authority on every name band leader in the country. While attending school, he also worked as a newspaper vendor at a corner in downtown L.A . He grew up in a bilingual home, hearing and speaking Spanish with his parents, while speaking English with his siblings, and people outside of the home. His parents enjoyed listening to Mexican music, in particular, mariachi . At this young age, Russell did not appreciate

8954-450: The issue of Billboard dated August 3, 2024 Billboard (magazine) Billboard (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation . The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to the music industry . Its music charts include the Hot 100 , the 200 , and

9075-399: The magazine on outdoor entertainment such as fairs, carnivals, circuses, vaudeville , and burlesque shows. A section devoted to circuses was introduced in 1900, followed by more prominent coverage of outdoor events in 1901. Billboard also covered topics including regulation, professionalism, economics and new shows. It had a "stage gossip" column covering the private lives of entertainers,

9196-482: The mid-1980s, the most successful CCM artist at the time, Amy Grant , crossed over into secular music with the 1985 single " Find a Way ", which became a Top Ten AC hit and a No. 1 Christian single simultaneously. In the 1990s and into the 2000s, other artists such as Lifehouse , MercyMe , Natalie Grant , Kathy Troccoli , Sixpence None the Richer , Steven Curtis Chapman , and Michael W. Smith have crossed in between

9317-568: The most influential executives, artists and companies in the music industry, such as the following: Since 1990 Billboard established the Billboard Music Awards , an awards ceremony honors top album, artist and single in a number of different music genres which achieved the highest results during the year form sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring, and social engagement. The data are taken from Billboard and its data partners, including MRC Data and Next Big Sound . Through

9438-795: The number of airplay songs on adult contemporary stations. Two consecutive singles (" The River of Dreams " by Billy Joel and " Said I Loved You...But I Lied " by Michael Bolton ) logged twelve weeks apiece atop the AC chart, surpassing "Love Is Blue"'s previous mark of eleven weeks at number one. As the decade progressed, other songs had even longer stays at number one, including " Change the World " by Eric Clapton (13 weeks, 1996), " Un-Break My Heart " by Toni Braxton (14 weeks, 1997), " Because You Loved Me " by Celine Dion (19 weeks, 1996) and " You'll Be In My Heart " by Phil Collins (19 weeks, 1999). In addition to Collins, who has had significant success on this chart, other artists with multiple number ones in

9559-635: The numbered chart appeared in July. The first No. 1 song on the Billboard Easy Listening chart was " The Boll Weevil Song " by Brook Benton . From 1961 to 1965, this chart was compiled from the Billboard Hot 100 chart by removing songs that were deemed rock and roll by the magazine and re-ranking the remaining songs. ( Record World 's equivalent "non-rock" chart followed the same criteria from 1967 through 1971.) Beginning in 1965,

9680-836: The old Follies Theater on Main Street, the Orpheum Theater on Broadway, the Santa Monica Pier , and Joe Zucca's Show Case in Hermosa Beach . While he was singing with the Alvino Rey Orchestra, Russell's bilingual vocals had caught the attention of lyricist and composer Johnny Mercer , who asked him to cut a record for his fledgling Capitol Records . However, the 1942–44 musicians' strike threatened to derail Russell's career before it had even begun. Union President James Petrillo had set

9801-420: The original Latino crossover artist who introduced American audiences to popular songs sung in English and Spanish, thus opening the doors for later Hispanic bilingual artists to do the same. Through a fusion of musical styles, rhythms and languages, he created music that transcended borders and appealed to diverse audiences, becoming one of the first cross-cultural, multinational musical artists. Russell

9922-868: The phonograph and radio also contributed to its growing music emphasis. Billboard published the first music hit parade on January 4, 1936 and introduced a Record Buying Guide in January 1939. In 1940, it introduced Chart Line, which tracked the best-selling records, and was followed by a chart for jukebox records in 1944 called Music Box Machine. By the 1940s, Billboard was more of a music-industry specialist publication. The number of charts that it published grew after World War II , as new music interests and genres became popular. It had eight charts by 1987, covering different genres and formats, and 28 charts by 1994. By 1943, Billboard had about 100 employees. The magazine's offices moved to Brighton, Ohio in 1946, then to New York City in 1948. A five-column tabloid format

10043-615: The point that acclaimed band leader Tommy Dorsey made him a lucrative offer to play only the drums, as he already had a singer, a young Frank Sinatra . Russell declined because "he decided he could make more of a name if he concentrated on his singing," so he chose to join Alvino Rey. Some of the venues in the Los Angeles area where he played were the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard ,

10164-456: The pop chart (for example, Andy Russell 's 1967 version of "It's Such a Pretty World Today" that peaked at #119), or (as was the case with John Gary 's 1967 hit "Cold") failed even to "Bubble Under." In 1967, only one single reached No. 1 on both charts – " Somethin' Stupid " by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra . This trend began to reverse by the end of the decade. Notable artists with multiple No. 1 songs on this chart during

10285-465: The pop music radio program Your Hit Parade . This popular program aired on Saturdays, 9:00–9:30 pm on NBC radio and was broadcast out of New York City. He replaced Lawrence Tibbett , an opera singer, who had previously replaced Frank Sinatra . After five months in New York, he was so popular that Lucky Strike cigarettes, the sponsor of the show, agreed to pay for the show to be broadcast out of its Los Angeles studios in order to appease Russell who

10406-656: The same year, he sang "Without You" (based on Cuban composer Osvaldo Farrés ' song "Tres Palabras") on the soundtrack of the Walt Disney animated feature Make Mine Music , the pop music version of Fantasia . The "A Ballad in Blue" section illustrated the end of a relationship using raindrops, flower petals, and a love letter. In 1947, at the peak of his popularity, he appeared in the film Copacabana with Groucho Marx and Carmen Miranda . In this film, Russell good-naturedly plays his dumb-bell nightclub singer role with

10527-420: The service was discontinued, Billboard was still processing 1,500 letters per week. In 1920, Donaldson controversially hired black journalist James Albert Jackson to write a weekly column devoted to black performers. According to The Business of Culture: Strategic Perspectives on Entertainment and Media , the column identified discrimination against black performers and helped validate their careers. Jackson

10648-597: The show, the Billboard 1944 Music Year Book stated that "the talented, handsome ... young singer's commercial appeal [was] tremendous. Starting with one song, audience response demanded his current three singing spots." Later, from September 3, 1945, to May 27, 1946, Russell appeared on the CBS radio comedy show, The Joan Davis Show , which originated out of New York City. This program aired on Monday nights from 8:30 – 8:55 p.m. "Popular crooner Andy Russell served as both

10769-465: The sister of bandleader don Ramón Cruz, recalled in a YouTube video that Russell, as a child, had contracted polio and had some paralysis in his left arm and leg. When this came to the attention of don Ramón Cruz, he taught Russell to play the bass drum in order to strengthen those muscles. This may have been Russell's initial exposure to the instrument. Russell attended Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, where he continued his musical education. He

10890-478: The songs have fallen off the Hot 100. Songs such as " Love Story " and " You Belong with Me " by Taylor Swift , " Waiting on the World to Change " by John Mayer , " Love Song " by Sara Bareilles and " You're Beautiful " by James Blunt have remained on the AC chart for many weeks, in some cases over a year after the song was originally released. An article on MTV 's website by Corey Moss describes this trend: "In other words, AC stations are where pop songs go to die

11011-407: The star's behalf and publish a notice in its Letter-Box column that it had mail for him or her. This service was first introduced in 1904 and became one of Billboard ' s largest sources of profit and celebrity connections. By 1914, 42,000 people were using the service. It was also used as the official address of traveling entertainers for draft letters during World War I . In the 1960s, when

11132-690: The television variety program El Show de Andy Russell in Argentina from 1956 to 1965. Upon returning to the United States, Russell continued to record. His 1967 single " It's Such a Pretty World Today " reached #1 on Billboard Magazine 's Easy Listening Chart . In the ensuing years, Russell continued to perform in the United States and around the world, occasionally recording new records and making television appearances. Although well received, he did not achieve his previous level of success. During his 50-year career, Russell received many international accolades and awards, most notably being recognized as

11253-483: The texture of much of the music played on Top 40 radio once more began to soften. Contemporary artists who recorded adult-appeal music, such as the Carpenters , Barbra Streisand , Barry Manilow , Anne Murray , John Denver , and Helen Reddy began to be played more often on Top 40 radio. Much of the music recorded by singer-songwriters such as James Taylor , Carole King , and Janis Ian got as much, if not more, airplay on this format than on Top 40 stations. A few of

11374-500: The time, billboards, posters, and paper advertisements placed in public spaces were the primary means of advertising. Donaldson handled editorial and advertising, while Hennegan, who owned Hennegan Printing Co., managed magazine production. The first issues were just eight pages long. The paper had columns such as The Bill Room Gossip and The Indefatigable and Tireless Industry of the Bill Poster. A department for agricultural fairs

11495-458: The variety anchor for The Joan Davis Show as well as Joanie's love interest in the situation comedy series ... [He] delivered as expected to the swoons and cheers of his millions of female fans of the era." In addition to singing, Russell also acted and played straight man to comedian Joan Davis . Paul Weston and his Orchestra provided the music. Finally, and most notably, starting on April 26, 1946, Russell began to appear as featured vocalist on

11616-445: The years, Billboard has established several other awards to honor different music genres, live performances, and artists. Since that Billboard established severals awards ceremonies and honors: Andy Russell (singer) In 1954, he relocated to Mexico where he became a star of radio, television, motion pictures, records and nightclubs . He toured extensively throughout Latin America, Spain, Portugal and Cuba , and hosted

11737-464: Was " I Can't Begin to Tell You " which reached #7, and was from the film The Dolly Sisters . The next big hit came later in 1946: a two-sided hit with " Laughing on the Outside " which reached #4, and " They Say It's Wonderful " which reached #10, (from the Broadway show Annie Get Your Gun ). His next hit, "Pretending" which reached #10 was backed with "Who Do You Love?" His final chart-toppers of

11858-524: Was "Te Quiero, Dijiste (Muñequita Linda)"], with English lyric by Charles Pasquale, backed by the Paul Weston Orchestra, and featured in the MGM musical film Bathing Beauty . Previously, Grever had felt the appeal of her compositions were limited due to their musical complexity with lyrics written in Spanish. She thus sought out Russell, a popular vocalist, during his personal appearances at

11979-416: Was a banner year for Russell. Such success was unprecedented for a "kid from East Los Angeles", albeit a very talented, hard-working, and cocky kid. He was a part of the era when popular singers, or crooners , were beginning to take the spotlight away from the bands. Crooners such as himself, Bing Crosby , Frank Sinatra , Dick Haymes and Perry Como each had his own unique style. As the youngest of all

12100-477: Was a member of the ROTC marching band, the jazz band, and the high school symphony orchestra. He performed at high school football games, parades and dances. And under the instruction of Mr. Harry Gruppengetter, the music teacher, he learned to read music. He also enjoyed playing handball and boxing. He recalled that his high school experience was positive, and that he did not feel discrimination: "In those days, I

12221-509: Was adopted in November 1950 and coated paper was first used in Billboard ' s print issues in January 1963, allowing for photojournalism. Billboard Publications Inc. acquired a monthly trade magazine for candy and cigarette machine vendors called Vend , and in the 1950s it acquired an advertising trade publication called Tide . By 1969, Billboard Publications Inc. owned 11 trade and consumer publications, Watson-Guptill Publications,

12342-550: Was also a featured vocalist on the Old Gold Show , which was the name of the cigarette company that sponsored the program. Next up was an invitation to appear as a vocalist on The Jackie Gleason – Les Tremayne Show on NBC radio. Unlike his eponymous show which was broadcast from Los Angeles, California, it was necessary for Russell to take the train out to the East Coast, as this show originated from New York. It

12463-574: Was announced that Penske Media Corporation would assume operations of the MRC Media & Info publications under a joint venture with MRC known as PMRC. The joint venture includes the management of Billboard . On January 13, 2024, Billboard shared the intent to further expand in Asia by announcing the launch of Billboard Korea . Billboard publishes a news website and weekly trade magazine that covers music, video and home entertainment. Most of

12584-429: Was based entirely on radio airplay and no longer incorporated retail sales reports. Currently the Adult Contemporary chart is compiled in much the same way as for other radio formats. The chart was known as the Easy Listening chart until 1962, when it was renamed Middle-Road Singles . In 1964, the name changed again, this time to Pop-Standard Singles . After alternating the name of this chart twice more in less than

12705-532: Was born September 16, 1919 ( Mexican Independence Day ), as Andrés Rábago Pérez in Boyle Heights , which, at the time, was an ethnically integrated, middle-class neighborhood in Eastside Los Angeles . He was the second youngest of ten children (eight boys, two girls) born to Mexican immigrant parents, Rafael Rábago and Vicenta (née Pérez), who had emigrated to United States in 1902 from

12826-465: Was born of a desire by some radio stations in the late 1950s and early 1960s to continue playing current hit songs but distinguish themselves from being branded as " rock and roll " stations. Billboard had written articles about this trend during the time, and the magazine's editors decided to publish a separate chart for these songs beginning in 1961. The magazine offered an "Easy Listening" programming guide beginning January 9, 1961, which continued until

12947-696: Was dark-complexioned, like contemporary Chicano musician and singer Lalo Guerrero , who "wanted the success of an Andy Russell, whose appearance and name change were definite advantages." Loza notes: "in that particular era (and even today), name changing was common among performers, so that whether names have been changed for ethnic reasons cannot always be determined." Russell performed as bilingual vocalist and swing drummer with Arnheim for 4 years. During this period, he received offers from Paul Whiteman , Jimmy Dorsey , Glenn Miller , Charlie Spivak , and such bands as Johnny Richards , Sonny Dunham , Alvino Rey and Vido Musso . Russell's popularity grew to

13068-536: Was established in 1896. The Billboard Advertising publication was renamed The Billboard in 1897. After a brief departure over editorial differences, Donaldson purchased Hennegan's interest in the business in 1900 for $ 500 (equal to $ 15,100 today) to save it from bankruptcy. On May 5, Donaldson changed the publication from a monthly to a weekly paper with a greater emphasis on breaking news. He improved editorial quality and opened new offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, London, and Paris, and also refocused

13189-540: Was homesick. The shows from Hollywood began on September 21, 1946. He stayed on the program for 2 seasons, which led to huge popularity for the singer. It was during this time that Russell had the incredible fortune of having two records in the Top Ten, while performing as a vocalist on Your Hit Parade . As the original vocalist, he would actually be able to sing his own songs on the program, an event which very rarely happened. His screaming, teenaged fans called themselves

13310-475: Was inherited by his and Hennegan's children, who retained ownership until selling it to private investors in 1985. The magazine has since been owned by various parties. The first issue of Billboard was published in Cincinnati , Ohio by William Donaldson and James Hennegan on November 1, 1894. Initially it covered the advertising and bill-posting industry and was known as Billboard Advertising . At

13431-467: Was just one of the guys. We had Russian people, we had Jewish kids, we had Mexican kids, we had the blacks , we never noticed things like that ... I'm a very cocky little Mexican kid from the East Side, and I never had those feelings. I always feel that it's up to the person." In 1935, at the age of 16, when Russell discovered that Gus Arnheim , a popular and influential band leader, was looking for

13552-624: Was named editorial director across all Billboard properties. Conniff launched the Billboard Women in Music event in 2007. Bill Werde was named editorial director in 2008, and was followed by Janice Min in January 2014, also responsible for editorial content at The Hollywood Reporter . The magazine became more of a general-interest music-news source rather than solely an industry trade, covering more celebrity and fashion news. Min hired Tony Gervino as editor although he did not have

13673-410: Was nominated the top performing AC artist through that time, and also holds the record for the most No. 1 AC singles, top 10 singles, and singles on the chart. His song " The One " was ranked on No. 53 on the top 100 performing songs on the AC chart. Relatively few urban contemporary and hip-hop artists manage to successfully cross over to AC, although there were a few exceptions in the later part of

13794-556: Was one of eight publications sold to e5 Global Media Holdings. e5 was formed by investment firms Pluribus Capital Management and Guggenheim Partners for the purpose of the acquisition. The following year, the new parent company was renamed Prometheus Global Media . Three years later, Guggenheim Partners acquired Pluribus' share of Prometheus and became the sole owner of Billboard . In December 2015, Guggenheim Digital Media spun out several media brands, including Billboard , to its own executive Todd Boehly . The assets operate under

13915-419: Was renamed to simply Billboard . According to The New Business Journalism , by 1984, Billboard Publications was a "prosperous" conglomerate of trade magazines, and Billboard had become the "undisputed leader" in music-industry news. In the early 1990s, Billboard introduced Billboard Airplay Monitors , a publication for disc jockeys and music programmers. By the end of the 1990s, Billboard dubbed itself

14036-469: Was replaced by Keith Girard, who was subsequently fired in May 2004. Girard and a female employee filed a $ 29 million lawsuit alleging that Billboard fired them unfairly with an intent to damage their reputations and that they experienced sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and a financially motivated lack of editorial integrity. Email evidence suggested that human resources were given special instructions to watch minority employees. The case

14157-413: Was reported that during the trip, he got sick because he had never been on a train before. Also, in addition to duties as a vocalist, Russell played straight man to Jackie Gleason , the legendary comic and performer who would later be the star of the classic television program The Honeymooners . He would do this later in a motion picture with Groucho Marx , too. With regard to his participation on

14278-411: Was settled out of court in 2006 for an undisclosed sum. In the 2000s, economic decline in the music industry dramatically reduced readership and advertising from Billboard ' s traditional audience. Circulation declined from 40,000 in circulation in the 1990s to less than 17,000 by 2014. The publication's staff and ownership were also undergoing frequent changes. In 2004, Tamara Conniff became

14399-480: Was sold for $ 8.5 million. By 1944, he had become a well enough regarded pop vocalist to be invited to perform on radio programs. On November 9, he debuted on his own radio show on the "Blue" network, or NBC , called The Andy Russell Show , which broadcast out of Hollywood , California. He was the host and featured vocalist. In addition, he would invite guests to appear on his program, such as Dinah Shore and Johnny Mercer. On Sunday nights over CBS radio, Russell

14520-498: Was the first black critic at a national magazine with a predominantly white audience. According to his grandson, Donaldson also established a policy against identifying performers by their race. Donaldson died in 1925. Billboard ' s editorial content changed focus as technology in recording and playback developed, covering "marvels of modern technology" such as the phonograph and wireless radios. The magazine began covering coin-operated entertainment machines in 1899 and created

14641-476: Was underage and could not tour out of state, Arnheim adopted him and became his legal guardian . In addition, since he thought it was a good gimmick that made good business sense, Arnheim suggested that Russell sing bilingually in English and Spanish. Russell was hesitant, stating "No, Gus, my Spanish is very bad; I'm embarrassed." Arnheim finally convinced the youngster by saying "Do something different and people will notice." Russell agreed. Now on tour with

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