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