The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing songs in the United States. The chart was first issued in the magazine issue of August 4, 1958. Prior to that, Billboard published four popular song charts; the Top 100, the first Billboard chart to feature a combined tabulation of sales, airplay and jukebox play; Best Sellers in Stores, ranking the best-selling singles in retail stores; Most Played by Jockeys, ranking the most played songs on US radio stations; and the leading song chart, Honor Roll of Hits, which ranks the most popular songs (not singles) in the country. With the foundation of the Hot 100, Top 100 and Most Played by Jockeys were discontinued. Best Sellers in Stores continued until October 13, 1958, while Honor Roll of Hits continued until 1963. In 1958, twenty-five different songs were able to top one of the four charts. A majority of the songs which topped the Best Sellers in Stores, which Billboard considered the predecessor of the Hot 100, were able to also top the two other singles-tracking charts. The first song to top all three charts was Danny & the Juniors' "At the Hop". On the Hot 100, eight acts hit the top, which were also their first. Those acts include Ricky Nelson, Domenico Modugno, The Elegants, Tommy Edwards, Conway Twitty, The Kingston Trio, The Teddy Bears, and The Chipmunks (even though David Seville went to number one earlier this year with “Witch Doctor“, which hit prior to the creation of the Hot 100).

Pre-Hot 100

NOTE: The Hot 100 Era officially began on Monday, August 4, 1958, which would be the week ending August 10 (issue date August 4). The Best Sellers in Stores list issued through October 13.

Hot 100

Number-one artists