Post on 04-Apr-2021
Lionel Hampton
MARTIN BLOCK-WNEW POLL, 1939
1. Benny Goodman
2. Artie Shaw
3. Tommy Dorsey
4. Glenn Miller
5. Sammy Kaye
6. Gene Krupa
7. Jimmy Dorsey
8. Harry James
9. Charlie Barnet
10. Count Basie
Goodman and band at the Paramount Theater, New York City, 1939
MARTIN BLOCK-WNEW POLL, 1940
1. Glenn Miller
2. Benny Goodman
3. Tommy Dorsey
4. Sammy Kaye
5. Artie Shaw
6. Jimmy Dorsey
7. Kay Kyser
8. Larry Clinton
9. Charlie Barnet
10. Orrin Tucker
Miller [ l. ] with Martin Block
and band members trumpeter Clyde Hurley, drummer Moe Purtill,
bassist Rolly Bundock, and clarinetist / saxophonist Willie Schwartz
MARTIN BLOCK-WNEW POLL, 1945
1. Harry James
2. Glenn Miller
3. Tommy Dorsey
4. Woody Herman
5. Vaughn Monroe
6. Benny Goodman
7. Artie Shaw
8. Charlie Spivak
9. Charlie Barnet
10. Jimmy Dorsey
MARTIN BLOCK’S “MAKE BELIEVE BALLROOM” WNEW
21ST SEMI-ANNUAL POLL, 1947
1. Glenn Miller Orchestra directed by Tex Beneke
a 1972 two-record set, “Make-Believe Ballroom Time,” RCA Camden CXS-9013e
included selections by Guy Lombardo, Fats Waller, Jal Kemp, and others
1949
BILLBOARD FIRST ANNUAL DISC JOCKEY POLL, 1946-1947
BEST-LIKED BANDS (JUNE ‘46 TO JUNE ‘47): SWEET
1. Eddy Howard
2. Tex Beneke
3. Claude Thornhill
4. Freddy Martin
5. Tommy Dorsey
6. Elliot Lawrence
7. Sammy Kaye
8. Frankie Carle
9. Les Brown
10. Guy Lombardo
BEST-LIKED BANDS (JUNE ‘46 TO JUNE ‘47): SWING
1. Stan Kenton
2. Benny Goodman
3. Duke Ellington
4. Harry James
5. Tommy Dorsey
6. Woody Herman
7. Les Brown
8. Ray McKinley
9. Boyd Raeburn
10. Count Basie
MOST PROMISING NEWER NAMES (JUNE ‘46 TO JUNE ‘47)
1. Elliot Lawrence
2. Sam Donahue
3. Eddy Howard
4. Boyd Raeburn
5. Ray McKinley
BILLBOARD SECOND ANNUAL DISC JOCKEY POLL, 1948
THE ALL-AROUND FAVORITE BAND
1. Stan Kenton
2. Tex Beneke
3. Tommy Dorsey
4. Vaughn Monroe
5. Harry James
6. Les Brown
7. Sammy Kaye
8. tie: Benny Goodman / Claude Thornhill
9. Ray McKinley
10. tie: Paul Weston / Woody Herman
11. Freddy Martin
12. Gene Krupa
13. Elliot Lawrence
14. Eddy Howard
15. Sam Donahue
SWEET
1. Sammy Kaye
2. Tex Beneke
3. Claude Thornhill
4. Tie: Freddy Martin / Vaughn Monroe
5. Tommy Dorsey
SWING
1. Stan Kenton
2. Benny Goodman
3. Woody Herman
4. Gene Krupa
5. Tex Beneke
Tommy Dorsey shares a laugh with Jack Ellsworth [ r. ] of WHIM, Providence, RI, 1948
BILLBOARD SECOND ANNUAL DISC JOCKEY POLL, 1948
(CONT’D)
LATIN-AMERICAN
1. Xavier Cugat
2. Desi Arnaz
3. Noro Morales
4. Enric Madriguera
5. Jose Melis
CORN
1. Spike Jones
2. Red Ingle
3. Korn Kobblers
4. Al Trace
5. Tiny Hill
MOST PROMISING BAND
1. Elliot Lawrence
2. Sam Donahue
3. tie: Ray Anthony / Art Mooney
4. Ray McKinley
5. Barclay Allen
6. Ziggy Elman
7. Skitch Henderson
8. Buddy Moreno
9. Larry Green
10. Jack Fina
BILLBOARD THIRD ANNUAL DISC JOCKEY POLL, 1949
ALL-ROUND FAVORITE
1. Les Brown
2. Tommy Dorsey
3. Woody Herman
4. Vaughn Monroe
5. Sammy Kaye
6. Tex Beneke
7. Paul Weston
8. San Kenton
9. Benny Goodman
10. Claude Thornhill
11. Russ Morgan
12. Gene Krupa
13. Ray Anthony
14. Gordon Jenkins
15. Freddy Martin
SWEET
1. Sammy Kaye
2. Claude Thornhill
3. Guy Lombardo
4. Paul Weston
5. Vaughn Monroe
SWING
1. Les Brown
2. Tommy Dorsey
3. Woody Herman
4. Benny Goodman
5. Gene Krupa
1949
BILLBOARD THIRD ANNUAL DISC JOCKEY POLL, 1949 (CONT’D)
LATIN-AMERICAN
1. Xavier Cugat
2. Desi Arnaz
3. Noro Morales
4. Machito
5. Enric Madriguera
CORN
1. Spike Jones
2. Red Ingle
3. The Korn Kobblers
4. Guy Lombardo
5. Al Trace
MOST PROMISING
1. Ray Anthony
2. Elliot Lawrence
3. Benny Strong
4. Larry Green
5. Larry Fotine
6. Buddy Johnson
7. Buddy Moren
8. Gene Williams
9. Art Mooney
10. Ray McKinley
BILLBOARD FOURTH ANNUAL DISC JOCKEY POLL, 1950
1. Ralph Flanagan
2. Ray Anthony
3. Tommy Dorsey
4. Sammy Kaye
5. Les Brown
6. Gordon Jenkins
7. Jerry Gray
8. Paul Weston
9. Hugo Winterhalter
10. Harry James
11. Stan Kenton
12. Woody Herman
13. Vaughn Monroe
14. Guy Lombardo
15. Freddy Martin
16. Tex Beneke
17. Jimmy Dorsey
18. Percy Faith
19. Eddy Howard
20. Gene Krupa
21. Johnny Long
22. Frank De Vol
23. tie: Russ Morgan and Spade Cooley
25. Duke Ellington
26. Charlie Spivak
27. Blue Barron
28. Benny Goodman
29. Glenn Miller
30. Benny Strong
BILLBOARD FOURTH ANNUAL DISC JOCKEY POLL, 1950 (CONT’D)
TOP “SWEET” BANDS OF THE YEAR
1. Sammy Kaye
2. Ralph Flanagan
3. Guy Lombardo
4. Ray Anthony
5. Hugo Winterhalter
6. Paul Weston
7. Gordon Jenkins
8. Tommy Dorsey
9. Freddy Martin
10. Vaughn Monroe
TOP “SWING” BANDS OF THE YEAR
1. Ralph Flanagan
2. Tommy Dorsey
3. Ray Anthony
4. Les Brown
5. Harry James
6. Woody Herman
7. Stan Kenton
8. Gene Krupa
9. Jerry Gray
10. Benny Goodman
MOST PROMISING “NEWER” BANDS
1. Ralph Flanagan
2. Ray Anthony
3. Jerry Gray
4. Hugo Winterhalter
5. Frank De Vol
6. Buddy Williams
1950
WPEN, PHILADELPHIA POLL, 1939
1. Artie Shaw - 28,435
2. Larry Clinton - 23,220
3. Benny Goodman - 15, 645
4. Tommy Dorsey - 11,550
5. Kay Kyser - 8,432
Ted Lewis and Harry Fender of KMOX, St. Louis, MO, 1958
SOURCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
“The Billboard Third Annual Disc Jockey Poll,” Billboard, Oct. 23, 1949, p.28.
“The Billboard Fourth Annual Disc Jockey Poll,” Billboard Special Disc Jockey Supplement,
Oct. 7, 1950, p.19+.
Popa Family Collection
IMAGE ATTRIBUTION
Glenn Miller Archives, American Music Research Center, University of Colorado-Boulder,
on behalf of The Glenn Miller Estate
Popa Family Collection
WPEN, Philadelphia, PA