Billboard Hot 100 Charts of the 1950s

The Billboard Hot 100 launched on August 4, 1958, capturing the explosive arrival of rock ’n’ roll into the American mainstream. These late-1950s charts are dominated by early rock, doo-wop and pop crooners — the sound of a new teenage audience reshaping popular music, with Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson among the era’s biggest names.

Browse by year