Ask “Mr. Music”
Jerry Osborne



FOR THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 9, 2017

DEAR JERRY: Brook Benton once said how very frustrating it was to have huge hits peak at No. 2, without reaching the top Pop spot.

Which of his hit records, including one titled "Hit Record," were mired at No. 2? And how many other R&B stars also sang the "No. 2 Blues"?
—Richard Stallworth, Parkland, Fla.

DEAR RICHARD: Clever mention of "Hit Record," not one of Benton's most successful discs, but it did make it to No. 35, in 1962 .

This is a fascinating topic, one I hadn't thought about until now. There really is a huge difference between having the No. 1 tune, rather than one stalled at No. 2; more than any other chart positions that are only one number apart.

Brook Benton is not the only R&B or blues star who never claimed the Top Pop position, but he is its poster child. Four times he endured the sting of second place; three times solo, and one duet with Dinah Washington. Only the Pointer Sisters had as many as two No. 2s.

From the 45 rpm vinyl era, I found 30 artists whose biggest hit peaked at No. 2, on one of the national charts.

I also added other R&B stars whose top-selling single reached somewhere between No. 3 and No. 75. Peak chart position is followed by artist, title, and year:

2: The Penguins "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" (1955)
2: Fats Domino "Blueberry Hill" (1956)
2: Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (1956)
2: Billy Williams "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (1957)
2: Bobby Day "Rock-in Robin" (1958)
2: Brook Benton "It's Just a Matter of Time" (1959); "The Boll Weevil Song" (1961); "Rainy Night in Georgia" (1970)
2: Jimmy Jones "Handy Man" (1959)
2: Joe Jones "You Talk Too Much" (1959)
2: Phil Phillips "Sea of Love" (1959)
2: Dinah Washington & Brook Benton "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" (1960)
2: Jackie Wilson "Night" (1960)
2: Dee Clark "Raindrops" (1961)
2: Kris Kenner "I Like It Like That (Part 1)" (1961)
2: Shep and the Limelites "Daddy's Home" (1961)
2: The Contours "Do You Love Me" (1962)
2: The Orlons "The Wah Watusi" (1962)
2: Martha and the Vandellas "Dancing in the Street" (1964)
2: Millie Small "My Boy Lollipop" (1964)
2: Fontella Bass "Rescue Me" (1965)
2: Jewel Akens "The Birds and the Bees" (1965)
2: Aaron Neville "Tell It Like It Is" (1966)
2: Arthur Conley "Sweet Soul Music" (1967)
2: Cliff Nobles & Co. "The Horse" (1968)
2: O.C. Smith "Little Green Apples" (1968)
2: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown "Fire" (1968)
2: Isley Brothers "It's Your Thing" (1969)
2: R.B. Greaves "Take a Letter Maria" (1969)
2: Joe Tex "I Gotcha" (1972)
2: Lou Rawls "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" (1976)
2: The Pointer Sisters "Fire" (1978); "Slow Hand" (1981)

3: LaVern Baker "Tweedlee Dee" (1955)
3: Sarah Vaughan "Whatever Lola Wants" (1955)
3: Ben E. King "Stand By Me" (1961)
3: Booker T. and the MGs "Green Onions" (1962)
3: Barbara Lewis "Hello Stranger" (1963)
3: Jerry Butler & Betty Everett "Let It Be Me" (1964)
3: Jr. Walker and the All Stars "Shotgun" (1965)
3: Friends of Distinction "Grazing in the Grass" (1969)
3: The Moments "Love on a Two-Way Street" (1970)
3: The Dramatics "In the Rain" (1972)
3: Natalie Cole "I've Got Love on My Mind" (1977)

4: Little Anthony and the Imperials "Tears on My Pillow" (1958); "Goin' Out of My Head" (1964)
4: Dinah Washington "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" (1959)
4: Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters "Cry Baby" (1963)
4: Lenny Welch "Since I Fell for You" (1963)
4: The Exciters "Tell Him" (1963)
4: The Impressions "It's All Right" (1963)
4: Major Lance "Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um" (1964)
4: Jerry Butler "Only the Strong Survive" (1969)
4: Betty Wright "Clean Up Woman" (1971)
4: Ike & Tina Turner "Proud Mary" (1971)
4: Curtis Mayfield "Freddie's Dead (Theme From 'Superfly')" (1972)
4: George Benson "Give Me the Night" (1980)
4: New Edition "Cool It Now" (1984)

5: Little Richard "Long Tall Sally" (1956)
5: Bobby Freeman "Do You Want to Dance" (1958); "C'mon and Swim" (1964)
5: Carla Thomas "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" (1961)
5: Little Esther (Esther Phillips) "Release Me" (1962)
5: The Intruders "Cowboys to Girls" (1968)

6: Clyde McPhatter "A Lover's Question" (1958)
6: Hank Ballard and the Midnighters "Finger Poppin' Time" (1960)
6: Wilson Pickett "634-5789 (Soulville, USA)" (1966); "Land of 1000 Dances" (1966); "Funky Broadway" (1967)
6: Joe Simon "Drowning in the Sea of Love" (1971)
6: Stephanie Mills "Never Knew Love Like This Before" (1980)

7: Ivory Joe Hunter "Since I Met You Baby" (1958)
7: Funkadelic "One Nation Under a Groove - Part 1" (1978)
7: Babyface "It's No Crime" (1989)

8: The Olympics "Western Movies" (1958)
8: Bobby Womack "Lookin' for a Love" (1974)
8: Tavares "It Only Takes a Minute" (1975)
8: Parliament "Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk)" (1976)

9: Johnny Otis Show "Willie and the Hand Jive" (1958)

10: The Flamingos "I Only Have Eyes for You" (1959)
10: Rufus Thomas "Walking the Dog" (1963)
10: The Dells "Stay in My Corner" (1968); "Oh, What a Night" (1969)

12: Chuck Jackson "Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)" (1962)

13: Ruth Brown "Lucky Lips" (1957)
13: B.B. King "The Thrill Is Gone (1969)
13: Rick James "You and I" (1978)

14: The Sweet Inspirations "Sweet Inspiration" (1968)
14: Ashford & Simpson "Found a Cure" (1979)

16: Bar-Kays "Soul Finger" (1967)
16: Brenda and the Tabulations "Right on the Tip of My Tongue" (1971)
16: Billy Ocean "Love Really Hurts Without You" (1976)
16: Teddy Pendergrass "Close the Door" (1978)

17: Solomon Burke "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)" (1961)
17: Millie Jackson "Ask Me What You Want" (1972)
17: Chaka Khan "I'm Every Woman" (1978)

18: Little Milton "We're Gonna Make It" (1965)

19: The Whispers "And the Beat Goes On" (1980)

20: The Clovers "Love, Love, Love" (1956)
20: Etta James "Something's Got a Hold on Me" (1962)

22: Luther Vandross "Never Too Much" (1981)

24: The Five Satins "In the Still of the Nite" (1956)

34: Big Joe Turner "Corrine Corrina" (1956)

37: Jimmy Reed "Baby What You Want Me to Do" (1960)

39: Peabo Bryson "Let the Feeling Flow" (1981)

43: Melba Moore "You Stepped Into My Life" (1978)

47: The Gap Band "Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" (1981)

61: Atlantic Starr "When Love Calls" (1981)

67: Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly "Feel That You're Feelin'" (1979)

75: Cameo "Freaky Dancin'" (1981)

IZ ZAT SO? James Brown had a No. 1 song on Record World's 100 Top Pops, "I Got You (I Feel Good)," so he is not among the aforementioned artists. But using the same parameters, he is the R&B star with the most songs to also make the Top 100 on the Pop and Rock charts. Brown's crossover total is 105, well ahead of runner-up Aretha Franklin, who has 72.


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