My Forthcoming Chart Book

[Richard M White]

I am currently writing the definitive history of the UK chart countdown on British radio, going back to Radio Luxembourg in 1948. It's turned out to be a much bigger project than I anticipated so I reckon it will take at least another couple of years to complete. Not only will it include quotes and facts from the original broadcasts, there will also many interesting stories from the exclusive interviews I have secured with the DJs and producers and other significant figures from both BBC and commercial radio. It will also include the "proper" British chart history of the 1950s and 60s which has been largely forgotten and formed the basis of the BBC's Pick Of The Pops chart which took an average of the positions from all the various music papers. There will also be some stories that never been told before including biggest chart fixing scandal of all time (and no it's not the urban myth about the Sex Pistols, although that does get a mention).

However, while my archive of recordings, notes and other information makes writing the BBC part fairly straightforward, this is not the case for either the Luxembourg chart show or the the Network / Pepsi Charts.

Regarding the Luxy charts, there is a lot of conflicting dates when their various hosts presented. For example, one source tells me Barry Alldis first hosted in 1961 but another source says 1958, which his daughter Janet tells me is probably the correct one. So any information like that would be gratefully received and also when the station changed their chart sources, i.e. from sheet music to NME to airplay/guesswork etc.

And while I am fully aware the Network & Pepsi charts had only two regular hosts in their first 20 years, I am keen who the stand ins were during that period, I am pretty certain Timmy Mallett deputised in 1985 and Alan Freeman filled in a few times (as did Pat Sharp) and didn't Foxy's first appearance come in August 1991? As the Pepsi stand-ins,I am not quite sure. I have a recording of when My Sweet Lord was no 1 in Jan 2002 but Foxy was off that week and have no idea who it was.

Any information would be greatly received, and if anyone could point me into any authoratitive sources that would be gratefully received.

Look forward to hearing from any of you

Richard

[sonnybh]

I remember the Hits Singles books mention they tried to use the most comprehensive charts, even if this means Please Please Me didn't get to Number One on the one they used for 1963. Dad used reckon that Roger Miller's King Of The Road wasn't a Number One on any of the major charts when it was released.

[Richard M White]

Well RR was the only chart it did get to number one (the one that sampled the least shops) and was a joint number two on Pick Of The Pops.