Books by Wayne Cottrell

What is the number 14 popular single of 1900-1904? "Navajo" by popular tenor Billy Murray. The song was part of a short-lived craze for Native-American themes. How about the number 14 popular single of 1905-1909? "Vesti la Giubba" by Enrico Caruso, who remains the only opera singer in history to hit the pop charts with arias. How about the number 14 popular single of 1915-1919? "Beautiful Ohio" by Henry Burr; it was later adopted as Ohio's Official State Song, with modified wording. The number 14 popular single of 1920-1924 is "The Sheik" by the Club Royal Orchestra, one of numerous 1920s instrumentals played at a fox-trot tempo. The number 14 popular single of 1935-1939 is "Deep Purple" by Larry Clinton & Bea Wain. The song went to number one again, in 1963, for the brother-sister duo of Nino Tempo & April Stevens. Tempo kept forgetting the words, so his sister recited them. The spoken recitations were retained on their recording. In contrast, the 1939 version is a solo vocal by Bea Wain, backed by Clinton's orchestra. For the entire 40-year period, 1900-1939, the number 14 Christmas single is "Ave Maria," the Bach-Gounod version, performed by John McCormack & Fritz Kreisler, from 1915. McCormack's Christmas music is still heard occasionally during the holidays. And, the number 14 Classical composition is "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius. It is said that this proud and moving piece did more than a hundred speeches in Finland's quest for independence from the Russian Empire. All of the singles and compositions listed in the book are scored based on a method developed by the author, using data from multiple resources, such as "Your Hit Parade." In addition to the rankings of recordings and compositions in the Christmas, Classical, and Popular genres, the book also features mini-biographies of notable artists and composers from the period of coverage. There are links to the top recordings, as well as a lengthy bibliography for extended studies.

What is the number nine popular single of 1950-54? "Cry," by Johnnie Ray & the 4 Lads. The Grammy Hall of Fame recording launched Ray's superb career. What is the number nine album of 1950-54? "The Great Caruso" by Mario Lanza, who starred in a series of operatic films during the 1950s. How about the number nine country single? "The Shot Gun Boogie" by "Tennessee" Ernie; the song was a rock & roll precursor. The number nine R&B single? "Have Mercy, Baby" by The Dominoes, with Clyde McPhatter singing the lead vocal. A little over one year later, McPhatter would leave the Dominoes to form the Drifters. The number nine summertime single is "Come On-a My House" by Rosemary Clooney, despite that she disliked the song. At number nine in Australia is Dennis Day's version of "Mona Lisa." In the UK, number nine is "Answer Me" by Frankie Laine -- the record was nearly banned because of religious connotations. The book features rankings of singles and albums in these genres, and in children's, Christmas, classical and gospel music, plus film soundtracks. All of the recordings are ranked according to scores computed from their weekly chart positions in "Billboard," "Cash Box," "New Musical Express," "Your Hit Parade," or other resources. The book is a chronicle of our musical past, with much of the music still sounding great in the present.

What is the number 17 popular single of 1940-44? "Maria Elena" by Jimmy Dorsey & Bob Eberly. The title refers to Mexico's First Lady during the late 1920s. By no means forgotten, there has been a new hit version of the song during nearly each decade since. The #17 pop single of 1945-49? "To Each His Own" by Eddy Howard. The song was written for the same-titled 1946 film, but was never used. No matter: the song became a number one hit, and the film -- without the song -- reaped an Academy Award for Best Actress for Olivia de Haviland. How about the #17 Country single of 1945-1949? "You Two-Timed Me One Time Too Often" by Tex Ritter, in classic Country lingo.. The #17 R&B single of 1940-1944? "Mr. Five-by-Five" by Freddie Slack & Ella Mae Morse. Ms Morse was, perhaps, the first white female singer with an R&B hit. The #17 album? "Lombardoland" (by Guy Lombardo, who was, by then, 20 years into his music career). The #17 Classical single is "The Whiffenpoof Song" by Robert Merrill & Russell Case. The traditional college song was introduced at Yale University in 1909. Yet, the Classical singles chart no longer exists. The #17 Classical composition is Leroy Anderson's "Sleigh Ride," which has since become one of the most recorded Christmas songs. The singles and albums at the higher & lower positions, for these genres and for Children's, Christmas, Classical (albums and compositions), and World music (Australia and the U.K.), are featured in the book. The compilations are based on scores calculated from the weekly music chart positions of the various recordings (or polls, in the case of Classical compositions). The charts include those found in "Billboard" and "Cash Box" magazines, "Your Hit Parade," and other resources.There are also short biographies on notable artists and composers, covering the decade of the 1940s. The book is a chronicle of our musical past.

What is the number twelve popular single of 1955-1959? "Sincerely" by The McGuire Sisters & Dick Jacobs. The single was one of several mid-1950s Pop hits by white acts which were originally successful on the R&B charts by black acts. The McGuires would go on to become the top female group of the second half of the'50s. The number 12 R&B single is "My Blue Heaven" by Fats Domino, one of 18(!) R&B hits that he had between 1955 and 1959. His recordings altered between new material and older songs, such as "My Blue Heaven." How about the number 12 country single? "I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash, who wrote it as a love song to his first wife. How about the number 12 pop album? The soundtrack to "The King & I," starring Yul Brynner, with Marni Nixon's voice dubbed in for costar Deborah Kerr. The number 12 summertime single is "The Three Bells" by the Browns, a family trio. Jimmy Brown, whose lifetime is lyricized in the somber song, is fictional -- no relation to to the Browns. The number 12 easy listening single is the double-sided "You Send Me/ Summertime" by Sam Cooke, the most successful recording of his all-too-short career. George Gershwin's "Summertime" has been recorded more times than any other song in history. The number 12 jazz album is "Ella & Louis," the first of two collaborations between, arguably, the two most legendary jazz artists of all-time. The book features compilations of the top singles and albums in the music genres of Pop, R&B and Country, along with Children's, Christmas, Classical, Easy Listening, Jazz, and Film Soundtracks. There are numerous short biographies on top artists and composers, indexes to artists and titles, and an extensive bibliography. Each recording is scored (and then ranked) according to the weekly or monthly music chart on which it performed the best (e.g., "Billboard," "Cash Box," "Your Hit Parade," etc.). The scoring method was developed by the author. It is a unique and useful approach to chronicling our musical past!