Big Band Library: Billboard Polls

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BILLBOARD POLLS

listing compiled by Music Librarian Christopher Popa

Starting in 1938, Billboard began a "College Music Poll," asking students across U.S. campuses who their favorite big bands and vocalists were.

COLLEGE POLL WINNERS "FAVORITE BANDS"

1938

1. Benny Goodman

2. Tommy Dorsey

3. Hal Kemp

4. Guy Lombardo

5. Kay Kyser

6. Glen Gray

7. Horace Heidt

8. Sammy Kaye

9. Jimmie Lunceford

10. Wayne King

1939

1. Artie Shaw

2. Kay Kyser

3. Tommy Dorsey

4. Benny Goodman

5. Larry Clinton

6. Hal Kemp

7. Guy Lombardo

8. Horace Heidt

9. Glen Gray

10. Jimmy Dorsey

1940

1. Glenn Miller

2. Kay Kyser

3. Tommy Dorsey

4. Benny Goodman

5. Orrin Tucker

6. Jan Savitt

7. Guy Lombardo

8. Sammy Kaye

9. Jimmy Dorsey

10. Artie Shaw

1941

1. Glenn Miller

2. Tommy Dorsey

3. Kay Kyser

4. Artie Shaw

5. Benny Goodman

6. Jimmy Dorsey

7. Glen Gray

8. Jimmie Lunceford

9. Guy Lombardo

10. Will Bradley

1942

1. Glenn Miller

2. Tommy Dorsey

3. Harry James

4. Benny Goodman

5. Jimmy Dorsey

6. Vaughn Monroe

7. Sammy Kaye

8. Kay Kyser

9. Charlie Spivak

10. Woody Herman

1943

1. Harry James

2. Tommy Dorsey

3. Glenn Miller

4. Benny Goodman

5. Jimmy Dorsey

6. Kay Kyser

7. Charlie Spivak

8. Fred Waring

9. Sammy Kaye

10. Vaughn Monroe

1944

no poll

1945

1. tie: Tommy Dorsey

Harry James

3. Glenn Milller

4. Benny Goodman

1946

1. Tommy Dorsey

2. Woody Herman

3. Stan Kenton

1947

1. Stan Kenton

2. Tex Beneke and The Glenn Miller Orchestra

3. Tommy Dorsey

1948

1. Stan Kenton

2. Vaughn Monroe

3. Tex Beneke

4. Tommy Dorsey

5. Harry James

6. Guy Lombardo

7. Elliot Lawrence

8. Claude Thornhill

9. Eddy Howard

10. Les Brown

COLLEGE POLL WINNERS "MOST PROMISING NEW BANDS"

1941

1. Vaughn Monroe

2. tie: Will Bradley

Charlie Spivak

3. Bobby Byrne

1942

1. tie: Hal McIntyre

Claude Thornhill

3. Vaughn Monroe

4. Charlie Spivak

1943

1. Hal McIntyre

2. Stan Kenton

3. Vaughn Monroe

1944

no poll

1945

1. Stan Kenton

2. Hal McIntyre

3. Les Brown

1946

1. Stan Kenton

2. Tex Beneke and The Glenn Miller Orchestra

3. Elliot Lawrence

1947

1. Elliot Lawrence

2. Eddy Howard

3. Ray McKinley

1948

1. Elliot Lawrence

2. Art Mooney

3. Randy Brooks

4. Eddy Howard

5. Skitch Henderson

6. Ray McKinley

7. Claude Thornhill

8. Ray Anthony

COLLEGE POLL WINNERS "FAVORITE FEMALE SINGERS"

1939

1. Bea Wain

2. Ella Fitzgerald

3. Ginny Simms

4. Maxine Sullivan

5. Martha Tilton

6. Mildred Bailey

7. Edythe Wright

8. Judy Starr

9. Dolly Dawn

10. Helen Forrest

1940

1. Bonnie Baker

2. Ginny Simms

3. Ella Fitzgerald

4. Helen O'Connell

5. Mildred Bailey

6. Bea Wain

7. Marion Hutton

8. Helen Forrest

9. Nan Wynn

10. Martha Tilton

1941

1. Ginny Simms

2. Helen O'Connell

3. Helen Forrest

4. Marion Hutton

5. Martha Tilton

6. Ella Fitzgerald

7. Bonnie Baker

8. Connie Haines

9. Dorothy Claire

10. Paula Kelly

1942

1. Helen O'Connell

2. Marion Hutton

3. Ginny Simms

4. Helen Forrest

5. Peggy Lee

6. Anita O'Day

7. Ella Fitzgerald

8. Yvonne King

9. Jo Stafford

10. Connie Haines

1943

1. Helen Forrest

2. Helen O'Connell

3. Peggy Lee

4. Marion Hutton

5. Anita O'Day

6. Donna Dae

7. Peggy Mann

8. Gracie Berrie

9. Betty Bradley

10. Harriet Hilliard

1944

no poll

1945

1. Dinah Shore

2. Jo Stafford

3. Ginny Simms

1946

1. Jo Stafford

2. Dinah Shore

3. Peggy Lee

1947

1. Jo Stafford

2. Dinah Shore

3. Peggy Lee

1948

1. Peggy Lee

2. Jo Stafford

3. Dinah Shore

COLLEGE POLL WINNERS "FAVORITE MALE SINGERS"

1939

1. Jack Leonard

2. Kenny Sargent

3. Skinnay Ennis

4. Harry Babbitt

5. Perry Como

6. Tommy Ryan

7. Bob Allen

8. Sully Mason

9. Bob Crosby

10. Pee Wee Hunt

1940

1. Ray Eberle

2. Jack Leonard

3. Bob Eberly

4. Harry Babbitt

5. Bon Bon

6. Eddy Howard

7. Kenny Sargent

8. Sully Mason

9. Perry Como

10. Tommy Ryan

1941

1. Frank Sinatra

2. Ray Eberle

3. Bob Eberly

4. Harry Babbitt

5. Kenny Sargent

6. Bon Bon

7. Tommy Ryan

8. Bob Allen

9. Larry Cotton

10. Sully Mason

1942

1. Ray Eberle

2. Frank Sinatra

3. Bob Eberly

4. Harry Babbitt

5. Vaughn Monroe

6. Tommy Ryan

7. Tex Beneke

8. Woody Herman

9. Dick Haymes

10. Art Lund

1943

1. Frank Sinatra

2. Bob Eberly

3. Ray Eberle

4. Harry Babbitt

5. Vaughn Monroe

6. Tommy Ryan

7. Dick Haymes

8. Skip Nelson

9. Johnny McAfee

10. Gary Stevens

1944

no poll

1945

1. Bing Crosby

2. Frank Sinatra

3. Dick Haymes

1946

1. Bing Crosby

2. Frank Sinatra

3. Perry Como

1947

1. Frank Sinatra

2. Bing Crosby

3. Perry Como

1948

1. Bing Crosby

2. Perry Como

3. Frankie Laine

Starting in late 1942, during the first recording ban initiated by the President of the American Federation of Musicians, James C. Petrillo, when Union musicians were prohibited from making new records, certain old records were reissued. Sometimes they retained the original label and catalog number, while others were given a new number. The ban lasted until late 1944, when recording was allowed to resume.

In late 1947, just before a second recording ban was to take effect, Billboard surveyed 2,179 disc jockeys, 1,789 juke box operators, and 3,458 retailers to discover what records they would like to see reissued.

The performers who received the highest number of points were Glenn Miller (1,611 points), Tommy Dorsey (739), Artie Shaw (686), Jimmy Dorsey (389), and Benny Goodman (364).

THE RETAILERS, THE OPERATORS, THE JOCKEYS

WOULD LIKE THESE RECORDS REISSUED

1. A String of Pearls - Glenn Miller

2. Serenade in Blue - Glenn Miller

3. Boogie Woogie - Tommy Dorsey

4. Begin the Beguine - Artie Shaw

5. Green Eyes - Jimmy Dorsey

6. Moonlight Cocktail - Glenn Miller

7. Gloomy Sunday - Artie Shaw

8. I'll Never Smile Again - Tommy Dorsey

9. Elmer's Tune - Glenn Miller

10. Adios - Glenn Miller

11. In the Mood - Glenn Miller

12. Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers

13. Sunrise Serenade - Glenn Miller

14. Body and Soul - Coleman Hawkins

15. White Christmas - Bing Crosby

16. Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller

17. I Can't Get Started - Bunny Berigan

18. Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) - Benny Goodman

19. Wire Brush Stomp - Gene Krupa

20. Nightmare - Artie Shaw

21. Night and Day - Frank Sinatra

22. Marie - Tommy Dorsey

23. In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town - Johnny Long

24. Tonight We Love - Freddy Martin

25. Tuxedo Junction - Glenn Miller

26. A String of Pearls - Benny Goodman

27. Jersey Brounce - Benny Goodman

28. Anvil Chorus - Glenn Miller

29. Stardust - Artie Shaw

30. Dark Eyes - Gene Krupa

31. Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller

32. Sentimental Journey - Les Brown

33. Take the "A" Train - Duke Ellington

34. Juke Box Saturday Night - Glenn Miller

35. Trumpet Blues - Harry James

36. Golden Wedding - Woody Herman

37. Pompton Turnpike - Charlie Barnet

38. Deep Purple - Larry Clinton

39. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place - Benny Goodman

40. Summit Ridge Drive - Artie Shaw

41. Cherokee - Charlie Barnet

42. This Love of Mine - Tommy Dorsey

43. Maria Elena - Jimmy Dorsey

44. I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire - Tommy Tucker

45. Daddy - Sammy Kaye

46. Dipsy Doodle - Tommy Dorsey

47. Beer Barrel Polka - Glahe Musette

48. Contrasts - Jimmy Dosey

49. Sunrise Serenade - Frankie Carle

50. Sugar Blues - Clyde McCoy

51. Flamingo - Duke Ellington

52. Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe - Woody Herman

53. John Silver - Jimmy Dorsey

54. My Reverie - Larry Clinton

55. Got a Date with An Angel - Hal Kemp

56. March of the Bob Cats - Bob Crosby

57. Oh! What It Seemed to Be - Frankie Carle

58. Till the End of Time - Perry Como

59. Till Then - The Ink Spots

60. Blue Flame - Woody Herman

61. Bubbles in the Wine - Lawrence Welk

62. Frenesi - Artie Shaw

63. St. Louis Blues - Louis Armstrong

64. St. James Infirmary - Artie Shaw

65. Wabash Blues - Russ Morgan

66. Josephine - Wayne King

67. You Call It Madness - Russ Columbo

68. Adios, Mariquita Linda - Artie Shaw

69. East of the Sun - Tommy Dorsey

70. Everything Happens to Me - Tommy Dorsey

71. A-Tisket, A-Tasket - Chick Webb

72. Amapola - Jimmy Dorsey

73. Bijou - Woody Herman

74. Indian Love Call - Artie Shaw

75. Song of India - Tommy Dorsey

76. Taboo - Sammy Kaye

77. Take the "A" Train - Glenn Miller

78. Temptation - Perry Como

79. Nola - Vincent Lopez

80. Why Don't You Do Right? - Benny Goodman

81. Stardust - Tommy Dorsey

82. Tangerine - Jimmy Dorsey

83. You Made Me Love You - Harry James

84. I'll Be Seeing You - Bing Crosby

85. Rhapsody in Blue - Glenn Miller

86. The Story of a Starry Night - Glenn Miller

87. The Gypsy - The Ink Spots

88. Rum and Coca-Cola - The Andrews Sisters

89. To Each His Own - Eddy Howard

90. Ol' Man River - Frank Sinatra

91. Blue Skies - Tommy Dorsey

92. Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen - The Andrews Sisters

93. Jumpin' At the Woodside - Count Basie

94. Redskin Rhumba - Charlie Barnet

95. Smoke Rings - Glen Gray

96. Stardust - Jack Jenney

97. Tippin' In - Erskine Hawkins

98. The Lamplighter's Serenade - Glenn Miller

99. Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day - Bing Crosby

100. Woodchoppers' Ball - Woody Herman

101. Lili Marlene - Marlene Dietrich

102. Laura - Dick Haymes

103. Let Me Off Uptown - Gene Krupa

104. Muskrat Ramble - Duke Ellington

105. Nighty Night - Alvino Rey

106. Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh! - Orrin Tucker

107. Ol' Man River - Paul Robeson

108. One o'Clock Jump - Harry James

109. Opus No. 1 - Tommy Dorsey

110. Two o'Clock Jump - Harry James

111. Artistry Jumps - Stan Kenton

112. Alexander's Ragtime Band - Benny Goodman

113. Always in My Heart - Glenn Miller

114. Ave Maria - Bing Crosby

115. Beer Barrel Polka - The Andrews Sisters

116. Begin the Beguine - Sammy Kaye

117. Boogie Blues - Gene Krupa

118. The Bells of St. Mary's - Bing Crosby

119. Cherry - Harry James

120. Canadian Capers - Lawrence Welk

121. Clarinet a la King - Benny Goodman

122. Frenesi - Glenn Miller

123. I'll See You in My Dreams - Vaughn Monroe

124. Stairway to the Stars - Glenn Miller

125. Street of Dreams - Tommy Dorsey

126. Somebody Else Is Taking My Place - Russ Morgan

127. Serenade in Blue - Bing Crosby

128. The Old Lamplighter - Sammy Kaye

129. There Are Such Things - Tommy Dorsey

130. The One I Love - Tommy Dorsey

131. Tuxedo Junction - Ersekine Hawkins

132. The Waltz You Saved for Me - Wayne King

133. Who? - Tommy Dorsey

134. White Heat - Jimmie Lunceford

135. Linda - Buddy Clark with Ray Noble

136. (I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo - Glenn Miller

137. Let's Dance - Benny Goodman

138. Let's Do It - Tony Pastor

139. Manhattan Serenade - Dinah Shore

140. Stardust - Glenn Miller

141. Sun Valley Jump - Glenn Miller

142. Rumors Are Flying - Frankie Carle

143. Heartaches - Ted Weems

144. Deep Purple - Artie Shaw

145. Choo Choo Ch'Boogie - Louis Jordan

146. At Last - Glenn Miller

Billboard noted that many unlisted discs (those which received under 30 points) included Bunny Berigan, Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, and others.

Perhaps in response to the above survey, the labels of some of RCA Victor's 78-rpm reissues in 1948 carried the designation "RE-ISSUED by Request."

In 1954, RCA Victor released a series of ten 10" LPs titled "Honor Roll of Hits," named after a weekly listing which had started in 1945 in Billboard. Each disc covered two years (ex: 1940-1941) and included big bands among the performers.

The following year, Billboard asked some of the nation's disc jockeys what their favorite records were.

DISC JOCKEY "ALL-TIME POP RECORD STANDARDS"

1955

1. Stardust - Artie Shaw

2. Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller

3. Stardust - Glenn Miller

4. Tenderly - Rosemary Clooney

5. In the Mood - Glenn Miller

6. Sentimental Journey - Les Brown

7. String of Pearls - Glenn Miller

8. Begin the Beguine - Artie Shaw

9. I Can't Get Started - Bunny Berigan

10. On the Sunny Side of the Street - Tommy Dorsey

11. Opus No. 1 - Tommy Dorsey

12. Summit Ridge Drive - Artie Shaw

13. Let's Dance - Benny Goodman

14. Marie - Tommy Dorsey

15. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Les Brown

16. Stardust - Paul Weston

17. Moonlight in Vermont - Margaret Whiting

18. Dancing in the Dark - Artie Shaw

19. Don't Be That Way - Benny Goodman

20. Frenesi - Artie Shaw

21. Nancy - Frank Sinatra

22. September Song - Stan Kenton

23. Boogie Woogie - Tommy Dorsey

24. White Christmas - Bing Crosby

25. Stardust - Bing Crosby

Meanwhile, Billboard asked disc jockeys about their favorite performers, including the big bands.

DISC JOCKEY "FAVORITE BANDS"

1953

1. Ralph Flanagan

2. Ray Anthony

3. Billy May

4. Sauter-Finegan

5. Les Brown

6. tie: Ralph Marterie

Hugo Winterhalter

8. Stan Kenton

9. Woody Herman

10. Buddy Morrow

11. Percy Faith

12. Benny Goodman

13. Guy Lombardo

14. Mantovani

15. tie: Duke Ellington

Mitch Miller

17. tie: Tommy Dorsey

Harry James

19. tie: Jerry Gray

Paul Weston

21. Sammy Kaye

22. Gordon Jenkins

23. Henri Rene

24. Neal Hefti

25. Leroy Anderson

26. Jan Garber

27. tie: Russ Morgan

David Rose

29. tie: Count Basie

Les Baxter

Lawrence Welk

1954

1. Ray Anthony

2. Les Brown

3. Ralph Marterie

4. Ralph Flanagan

5 Les Elgart

6. Glenn Miller

7. Billy May

8. Stan Kenton

12. Woody Herman

28. Benny Goodman

1955

1. Les Elgart

2. Les Brown

3. Ray Anthony

4. Ralph Flanagan

5. Ralph Marterie

6. Stan Kenton

7. Billy May

8. Glenn Miller

9. Woody Herman

10. Benny Goodman

1956

1. Les Brown

2. Les Elgart

3. Ray Anthony

4. Stan Kenton

5. Benny Goodman

6. Glenn Miller

7. Billy May

8. Ralph Flanagan

9. tie: Ralph Marterie

Richard Maltby

DISC JOCKEY "ALBUM ARTISTS"

1956

7. Paul Weston

8. Lawrence Welk

11. Les Elgart

14. Benny Goodman

18. Glenn Miller

sources:

"All Time Pop Record Standards," Billboard, 12 Nov 1955, p.74

"Billboard 1953 Disk Jockey Poll, The: Part 1: Popularity," Billboard, 28 Feb 1953, p32.

"Billboard Ninth Annual Disk Jockey Poll, The: Jockeys pick all-round favorites," Billboard,

10 Nov 1956, p45.

"Decade of Band and Singer Toppers with America's College Kids, A," Billboard, "Personal

Appearances Supplement," 24 Apr 1948, p6.

"Glenn Miller Tops Reissue Request List," Billboard, 20 Dec 1947, p19.

Harold Humphrey. "Miller Three-Time Champ: Wins With Even Bigger Margin In Ork's 3d

Consecutive Year," Billboard, 25 Apr 1942, p3+.

Joel Whitburn. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 (Menomonee Falls, WI:

Record Research Inc., 1986), pp640-641.

Paul Whiteman. Records for the Millions: A Guide to Record Collecting (New York City:

Hermitage Press, Inc., 1948), pp182-191.

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