TOP 100 CHESS-CHECKER HITS
1950-1969

1. Sweet Little Sixteen - Chuck Berry - 1958
2. Maybellene - Chuck Berry - 1955
3. I Don't Know - Willie Mabon - 1953
4. Sally, Go 'Round the Roses - The Jaynetts - 1963
5. School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell) - Chuck Berry - 1957
6. My Babe - Little Walter - 1955
7. Let Me In - The Sensations - 1962
8. (I Don't Know Why) But I Do - Clarence "Frogman"
   Henry - 1961
9. Rescue Me - Fontella Bass - 1965
10. Over the Mountain Across the Sea - Johnnie and Joe - 1957
11. Book of Love - The Monotones - 1958
12. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - The Tune Weavers - 1957
13. Rocket "88" - Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats - 1951
14. The "In" Crowd - The Ramsey Lewis Trio - 1965
15. Juke - Little Walter - 1952
16. Sincerely - The Moonglows - 1955
17. Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley - 1955
18. I'm Mad - Willie Mabon - 1953
19. Rock and Roll Music - Chuck Berry - 1957
20. The Walk - Jimmy McCracklin - 1958
21. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry - 1958
22. Stay in My Corner - The Dells - 1968
23. Booted - Roscoe Gordon - 1952
24. Rinky Dink - Baby Cortez - 1962
25. No Particular Place to Go - Chuck Berry - 1964
26. Oh, What a Night - The Dells - 1969
27. Summertime - Billy Stewart - 1966
28. Pictures of Matchstick Men - The Status Quo - 1968
29. Smoky Places - The Corsairs - 1962
30. Hi-Heel Sneakers - Tommy Tucker - 1964
31. Selfish One - Jackie Ross - 1964
32. Mama Didn't Lie - Jan Bradley - 1963
33. You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry - 1964
34. Reconsider Baby - Lowell Fulson - 1954
35. Ain't Got No Home - Clarence "Frogman" Henry - 1957
36. Wade in the Water - The Ramsey Lewis Trio - 1966
37. Teardrops - Lee Andrews and the Hearts - 1958
38. Say Man - Bo Diddley - 1959
39. Just Make Love To Me - Muddy Waters - 1954
40. You're So Fine - Little Walter - 1954
41. Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong - 1960
42. Hang On Sloopy - The Ramsey Lewis Trio - 1965
43. You Always Hurt the One You Love - Clarence
    "Frogman" Henry - 1961
44. This Should Go on Forever - Rod Bernard - 1959
45. Ten Commandments of Love - Harvey and the
    Moonglows - 1958
46. Susie-Q - Dale Hawkins - 1957
47. Sad Hours - Little Walter - 1952
48. Carol - Chuck Berry - 1958
49. There Is - The Dells - 1968
50. Tell Mama - Etta James - 1967
51. We're Gonna Make It - Little Milton - 1965
52. Been So Long - The Pastels - 1958
53. Key to the Highway - Little Walter - 1958
54. I'm Ready - Muddy Waters - 1954
55. All I Could Do Was Cry - Etta James - 1960
56. Always Together - The Dells - 1968
57. See Saw - The Moonglows - 1956
58. I Do Love You - Billy Stewart - 1965
59. I Can Sing a Rainbow/Love is Blue - The Dells - 1969
60. Nadine (Is It You?) - Chuck Berry - 1964
61. At Last - Etta James - 1961
62. Searching For My Love - Bobby Moore and the
    Rhythm Aces - 1966
63. Blues With a Feeling - Little Walter - 1953
64. Don't Start Me Talkin' - "Sonny Boy" Williamson - 1955
65. I'm Your Hoochie Cooche Man - Muddy Waters - 1954
66. Sitting in the Park - Billy Stewart - 1965
67. Pushover - Etta James - 1963
68. Almost Grown - Chuck Berry - 1959
69. Here Comes the Judge - Pigmeat Markham - 1968
70. The Watusi - The Vibrations - 1961
71. La-Do-Dada - Dale Hawkins - 1958
72. My Dearest Darling - Etta James - 1960
73. How Many More Years - Howlin' Wolf - 1951
74. Thirty Days (To Come Back Home) - Chuck Berry - 1955
75. Trust in Me - Etta James - 1961
76. The Entertainer - Tony Clarke - 1965
77. Don't Mess Up a Good Thing - Fontella Bass and
    Bobby McClure - 1965
78. Something's Got a Hold on Me - Etta James - 1962
79. Close to You - Muddy Waters - 1958
80. Secret Love - Billy Stewart - 1966
81. Roll Over Beethoven - Chuck Berry - 1956
82. Stop the Wedding - Etta James - 1962
83. Third Degree - Eddie Boyd - 1953
84. Poison Ivy - Willie Mabon - 1954
85. Too Much Monkey Business - Chuck Berry - 1956
86. I'll Be Home - The Flamingos - 1956
87. Security - Etta James - 1968
88. Recovery - Fontella Bass - 1966
89. Back in the U.S.A. - Chuck Berry - 1959
90. A Hard Day's Night - The Ramsey Lewis Trio - 1966
91. I Had a Talk With My Man - Mitty Collier - 1964
92. Who's Cheating Who? - Little Milton - 1965
93. Manish Boy - Muddy Waters - 1955
94. If I Can't Have You - Etta and Harvey - 1960
95. Wang Dang Doodle - Ko Ko Taylor - 1966
96. My Foolish Heart - Gene Ammons - 1950
97. Most of All - The Moonglows - 1955
98. Mean Old World - Little Walter - 1953
99. 24 Hours - Eddie Boyd - 1953
100. Stone Crazy - Buddy Guy - 1962

This list is comprised of songs released on Chicago's Chess Records and its subsidiary labels Checker, Argo, Cadet and Cadet Concept, as well as the Anna, Tuff and Julia labels distributed by Chess. Rankings are based on the popularity of each song during the period of 1950 through 1969.

Chuck Berry tops all artists with 14 songs on the list, followed by Etta James with ten (including one with Harvey Fuqua). Little Walter is next with seven, while The Dells and Muddy Waters have five apiece. The Moonglows have four (including one as Harvey and the Moonglows); Harvey's duet with Etta brings his total to five. The Ramsey Lewis Trio and Billy Stewart each have four. Two artists may seem out of place on the list due to distribution deals made with Chess: British band The Status Quo (#28) and Motown singer-songwriter Barrett Strong (#41). The decade of the 1950s (with 51 entries on the list) holds a slight edge over the 1960s (with 49); there are nine songs from the year 1965, though 1955 appears to have been the company's hottest year with eight entries including four in the top 20.

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