TOP 100 INSTRUMENTAL ARTISTS
OF THE '50S AND '60S
- Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass - The Lonely Bull, Taste of Honey, Zorba the Greek, Tijuana Taxi, What Now My Love, Spanish Flea, The Work Song, Casino Royale
- Duane Eddy - Rebel-'Rouser, Cannonball, The Lonely One,
Forty Miles of Bad Road, Because They're Young, Pepe - Billy Vaughn - Melody of Love, Sail Along Silvery Moon, La Paloma,
Look For a Star, A Swingin' Safari - Les Paul - Nola, Josephine, Whispering, Meet Mr. Callaghan
- Booker T. and the MG's - Green Onions, Soul-Limbo, Hang 'Em High, Time is Tight
- The Ventures - Walk - Don't Run, Perfidia, Walk - Don't Run '64,
Hawaii Five-O - Bill Black's Combo - Smokie - Part 2, White Silver Sands, Josephine,
Don't Be Cruel - Roger Williams - Autumn Leaves, Almost Paradise, Till, Near You
- Les Baxter - April in Portugal, Ruby, The High and the Mighty,
The Poor People of Paris - Lawrence Welk - Moritat, Last Date, Calcutta
- Hugo Winterhalter - Blue Tango, Vanessa, Canadian Sunset
- Floyd Cramer - Last Date, On the Rebound, San Antonio Rose
- Ferrante and Teicher - (Theme from) The Apartment, Exodus,
Midnight Cowboy - Bert Kaempfert - Wonderland by Night, Tenderly, Red Roses for
a Blue Lady - Johnny and the Hurricanes - Crossfire, Red River Rock, Beatnik Fly
- Sandy Nelson - Teen Beat, Let There Be Drums, Drums Are My Beat
- Bill Doggett - Honky Tonk, Slow Walk, Soft
- Perez Prado - Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, Patricia, Guaglione
- Percy Faith - Delicado, (Theme from) A Summer Place, Theme for Young Lovers
- Ramsey Lewis - The "In" Crowd, Hang On Sloopy, Wade in the Water
- The Champs - Tequila, El Rancho Rock, Too Much Tequila
- Henry Mancini - Mr. Lucky, The Pink Panther Theme, (Love Theme from) Romeo and Juliet
- King Curtis - Soul Twist, Memphis Soul Stew
- Ralph Marterie - Caravan, Skokiaan
- Nelson Riddle - Lisbon Antigua, Route 66 Theme
- Mantovani - Charmaine, The Moulin Rouge Theme
- Victor Young - The High and the Mighty, Around the World
- Dave "Baby" Cortez - The Happy Organ, Rinky Dink
- Al Hirt - Java, Cotton Candy
- Mitch Miller - Song for a Summer Night, March from the River Kwai
and Colonel Bogey - Jimmy Smith - Walk on the Wild Side, Back at the Chicken Shack
- Ray Anthony - Dragnet, Peter Gunn
- The Marketts - Surfer's Stomp, Out of Limits
- Santo and Johnny - Sleep Walk, Tear Drop
- David Rose - Calypso Melody, The Stripper
- Willie Mitchell - 20-75, Soul Serenade
- Leroy Anderson - The Syncopated Clock, Blue Tango
- Frank Chacksfield - (Terry's Theme from) Limelight, Ebb Tide
- Richard Hayman - Ruby, Moritat
- Guy Lombardo - The 3rd Man Theme, Blue Tango
- Cozy Cole - Topsy II, Turvy II
- Martin Denny - Quiet Village, The Enchanted Sea
- Eddie Heywood - Canadian Sunset, Soft Summer Breeze
- The Fireballs - Torquay, Bulldog
- Ernie Freeman - Jivin' Around, Raunchy
- Don Costa - (Theme from) The Unforgiven, Never on Sunday
- Mr. Acker Bilk - Stranger on the Shore, Above the Stars
- Little Walter - Juke, Sad Hours
- Joe "Fingers" Carr - Down Yonder, Portuguese Washerwomen
- Ernie Fields - In the Mood, The Charleston
- Mongo Santamaria - Watermelon Man, Cloud Nine
- Hugh Masekela - Grazing in the Grass, Riot
- Paul Mauriat - Love is Blue, Love in Every Room
- The Surfaris - Wipe Out, Point Panic
- Dick Hyman - Moritat (A Theme from the Three Penny Opera),
The Minotaur - Link Wray and his Ray Men - Rumble, Raw-Hide
- Ace Cannon - Tuff, Blues (Stay Away From Me)
- Jimmy McGriff - I've Got a Woman, All About My Girl
- James Brown - Try Me, The Popcorn
- The String-A-Longs - Wheels, Brass Buttons
- Young-Holt Unlimited - Wack Wack, Soulful Strut
- Lonnie Mack - Memphis, Wham!
- The Mar-Keys - Last Night, Morning After
- David Carroll - Melody of Love, Fascination
- "Cannonball" Adderley - African Waltz; Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
- Johnny Maddox - The Crazy Otto, Heart and Soul
- Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five, Unsquare Dance
- The Meters - Sophisticated Cissy, Cissy Strut
- Arthur Lyman Group - Yellow Bird, Love For Sale
- The Applejacks - Mexican Hat Rock, Rocka-Conga
- B. Bumble and the Stingers - Bumble Boogie, Nut Rocker
- Ralph Flanagan - Harbor Lights, Hot Toddy
- The Viscounts - Harlem Nocturne, Wabash Blues
- Bill Haley and his Comets - Rudy's Rock, Joey's Song
- Al Caiola - The Magnificent Seven, Bonanza
- Raymond Lefevre - The Day the Rains Came, Soul Coaxing
(Ame Caline) - The Brass Ring - The Phoenix Love Theme, The Dis-Advantages of You
- Anton Karas - "The Third Man" Theme
- Cliff Nobles and Company - The Horse
- The Village Stompers - Washington Square
- Kenny Ball - Midnight in Moscow
- Chet Atkins - Boo Boo Stick Beat
- The Tornadoes - Telstar
- Bill Justis - Raunchy
- Hugo Montenegro - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
- Sil Austin - Slow Walk
- Davie Allan and the Arrows - Blue's Theme
- Leroy Holmes - The High and the Mighty
- Mason Williams - Classical Gas
- Jorgen Ingmann - Apache
- Morris Stoloff - Moonglow and Theme from "Picnic"
- Earl Bostic - Flamingo
- The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger
- Bent Fabric - Alley Cat
- Eddie Harris - Exodus
- The Wailers - Tall Cool One
- Steve Allen - Autumn Leaves
- Earl Grant - Swingin' Gently
- The Baja Marimba Band - Comin' in the Back Door
- Herbie Mann - Memphis Underground
Instrumental artists in all areas of music (pop, rhythm and blues, country, jazz, folk, etc.) are included on this list. Rankings are based on the popularity of each artist during the period of 1950 through 1969, though vocal recordings (as opposed to instrumentals with sparingly-used words) are not factored into eligible artist's totals.