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Paul Gambaccini blends digital tracks from the week's US charts of songs, albums, R&B, country and rock hits with LP and singles tracks from the last six decades.

Paul Gambaccini presents tracks from this week's US charts and hits from the last six decades.

Each week, songs are played connected to members of 'The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame'. Continuing our alphabetical look at the list, we hear 'Boogie Chillen' by John Lee Hooker and 'Smoke Stack Lightning' by Howlin' Wolf. In 'A Matter Of Life And Death', we celebrate the birthday on this date in 1945 of John McEuen of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band by playing the group's version of 'Mr. Bojangles'. Paul pays tribute to Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, who has recently died, by featuring the band's hit 'Interstate Love Song'. 'It's Not The Same Old Song' highlights 'Alone' by The Shepherd Sisters and a different song with the same title by Heart.

In the feature called 'Beyond The Sea', Paul plays a song from a UK artist's biggest-selling album in America. Tonight, we hear tracks from LPs by the Spencer Davis Group and Culture Club. 'The Other Number Ones' are records that reached the top of the American chart in 'Cash Box' magazine, but not in the Hot 100 of the other US chart publication 'Billboard'. This week's examples are by the Carpenters and Gordon Lightfoot.

Our R&B number ones are from 1969 and now by Diana Ross & The Supremes and Tyrese. We hear Country number ones from 1973 and this week by Merle Haggard and Barrett Baber. Our featured past and present Rock number ones are by Kings Of Leon and Elle King. The number one album, for a second week, is '25' by Adele, who also has the number one song for a sixth week with 'Hello'.

1 hour, 57 minutes

Music Played

  • Kenny Rogers & The First Edition

    Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

    • The Best Of Kenny Rogers And The First Edition.
    • Universal-Island Records Limited.
    • 9.
  • Stevie Wonder & Andra Day

    Someday at Christmas

    • Download Single.
    • MOTOWN RECORDS.
    • 1.
  • Selena Gomez

    Same Old Love

    • Revival.
    • INTERSCOPE.
    • 4.
  • John Lee Hooker

    Boogie Chillen

    • Say It Loud! A Celebration Of Black Music In America.
    • RHINO RECORDS.
    • 10.
  • Coldplay

    Everglow

    • A Head Full Of Dreams.
    • Parlophone.
  • Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

    Mr Bojangles

    • Twenty Years Of Dirt The Best Of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
    • RHINO.
    • 1.
  • Stone Temple Pilots

    Interstate Love Song

    • Thank You.
    • ATLANTIC RECORDS.
    • 10.
  • Sam Hunt

    Break Up In A Small Town

    • Montevallo.
    • MCA NASHVILLE.
    • 4.
  • Diana Ross & The Supremes

    Someday We'll Be Together

    • Diana Ross & The Supremes - 40 Motown.
    • Polygram Tv.
  • Tyrese

    Shame

    • Black Rose.
    • VOLTRON RECORDZ.
    • 5.
  • The Shepherd Sisters

    Alone

    • Radio Gold Volume Two.
    • ACE RECORDS.
    • 14.
  • Heart

    Alone

    • Missing You (Various Artists).
    • EMI.
  • Demi Lovato

    Confident

    • Confident.
    • HOLLYWOOD RECORDS.
    • 1.
  • The Spencer Davis Group

    Gimme Some Lovin' (US version)

    • Keep On Running.
    • ISLAND.
    • 2.
  • Justin Bieber

    Sorry

    • Purpose.
    • RBMG/DEF JAM.
    • 3.
  • Carpenters

    We've Only Just Begun

    • The Carpenters - Yesterday Once More.
    • A&M.
  • Gordon Lightfoot

    The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

    • Complete Greatest Hits.
    • WARNER BROS. RECORDS/RHINO.
    • 14.
  • Erykah Badu

    Caint Use My Phone (Suite)

    • But You Caint Use My Phone.
    • : MOTOWN/CONTROL FREAQ.
    • 1.
  • Howlin’ Wolf

    Smoke Stack Lightning

    • The Best Of Chess Records.
    • CHESS/GEFFEN/UNIVERSAL MUSIC ENTERPRISES.
    • 7.
  • Merle Haggard

    If We Make It Through December

    • Hag: The Best Of Merle Haggard.
    • CAPITOL RECORDS/EMI.
    • 15.
  • Barrett Baber

    I'd Just Love To Lay You Down (The Voice Performance)

    • Download Single.
    • UNIVERSAL REPUBLIC.
    • 1.
  • Kings of Leon

    Sex On Fire

    • (CD Single).
    • Columbia.
    • 1.
  • Elle King

    Ex's And Oh's

    • Love Stuff.
    • RCA.
    • 2.
  • Culture Club

    Church Of The Poison Mind

    • More Greatest Hits Of 80's (Various).
    • Disky.
  • Adele

    Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

    • 25.
    • XL Recordings.
  • Spike Jones and His City Slickers

    All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

    • Greatest Christmas Novelty Of All Tim.
    • Rhino.
  • Mariah Carey

    All I Want For Christmas Is You

    • Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas.
    • Columbia.
  • Adele

    Hello

    • 25.
    • XL Recordings.

Broadcast

  • Sat 19 Dec 2015 20:00