First Us Top 100: November 12th 1955 / Various

On November 12th 1955 Billboard magazine in the USA published their first chart which was called the Top 100. Up until that point they had published charts called Best Sellers in Stores, Most Played By Jockeys and Most Played in Juke Boxes. This new chart was based on a combined tabulation of Dealer, Disk Jockey and Juke Box Operator replies to The Billboard's weekly popular record Best Seller and Most Played surveys. This 102-track 4-CD set includes all of the records in the chart, including both sides of two records which were listed as double A sides. It's an interesting and unusual chart, with multiple versions of several high profile songs, and multiple entries for several artists, some of whom charted both sides of releases separately. Alongside the big names, it includes a significant number of collectible obscurities, especially towards the bottom end of the chart, and for collectors it will be a must-have snapshot of a significant date in US chart history.