The Lost UK Number Ones - 1955 to 1960

Although the New Music Express had published Britain's first charts of Bestselling Records, other newspapers also got in on the act.

On 22 January 1955, Record Mirror became the second music paper after NME to publish a singles chart. The chart was a Top 10, from postal returns from 24 stores. On 8 October the chart expanded to Top 20, and by 1956 more than 60 stores were being sampled.

Melody Maker compiled a Top 20 for its first chart using figures from 19 shops on 7 April 1956. During the 1950s, sample sizes ranged from around 14–33 shops and on 30 July 1960 the phoning of record shops was supplemented with postal returns; the first chart to use this method sampled 38 stores from 110 returns.

On 1 February 1958, Disc compiled its first chart which was a Top 20 using figures from 20 shops. Throughout the 1950s Disc's sample sizes remained below 40 shops and in the early 1960s the sample size was increased to approximately 50 and compiled by Fred Zebadee; other rival charts had increased their samples to around 100 but this was too expensive for Disc.

The BBC first aired Pick of the Pops on its Light Programme radio station on 4 October 1955. Initially airing popular songs, it developed an aggregated chart from March 1958. Using the NME, Melody Maker, Disc and Record Mirror charts the BBC cumulated them by totalling points gained in the four charts (1 point for a number one, 2 for a number two, etc.) to give a form of chart average – however, this method was prone to tied positions.
[From Wikipedia]

The 45rpm #1s from 1955 to 1968 are covered at this page:
UK's Forgotten Number Ones

List of 9 Gramophones by mister_tmg

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	Click to View		Label		Cat#	Date	Format	Price Guide
1		Dean Martin A: Let Me Go, Lover B: The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane The first of these lost #1s arrived a little over two years after the 'official' chart had started. "The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane" only made #5 in the NME's chart, but was listed as a #1 in the Record Mirror Top 10 for the week of 12 February 1955.		Capitol UK	CL.14226	Feb 1955	10"
2		Al Hibbler A: Unchained Melody B: Daybreak An NME #2, but it made #1 on Record Mirror's Top 10 on 11 June 1955 and stayed there for 4 weeks.		Brunswick UK	05420	Apr 1955	10"
3		Frankie Laine A: Cool Water B: Bubbles An NME #2, this made #1 on Record Mirror's Top 10 for the week of 1st October 1955.		Philips UK	P.B.465	Jun 1955	10"	$22
4		Lou Busch A: Zambezi B: Rainbow's End An NME #2, but it made #1 on the Record Mirror's new Top 20 on 18 February 1956, staying for 2 weeks.		Capitol UK	C.L. 14504	Jan 1956	10"	$15
5		Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires A: Party B: Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do #2 in the NME, this made #1 on the Melody Maker Top 20 on 2 November 1957 for 2 weeks.		RCA UK	RCA-1020	Sep 1957	10"	$40
6		The Johnny Otis Show A: Ma (He's Makin' Eyes At Me) B: Romance In The Dark #2 in the NME chart, but #1 in Record Mirror's Top 20 from 4 January 1958 for 2 weeks. It was also #1 in Melody Maker's Top 20 from 11 January for 2 weeks. In its second week it was listed jointly at #1 with "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis.		Capitol UK	CL 14794	Oct 1957	10"
7		The Everly Brothers A: Bird Dog B: Devoted To You #2 in the NME chart, but it made #1 in the other three charts, circa November 1958. In Record Mirror, "Bird Dog" made #1 on 8 November 1958 in their Top 20, staying for 3 weeks. It made #1 on the Melody Maker Top 20 on 1 November 1958, again staying for 3 weeks. In Disc's Top 20, it made #1 on 1 November 1958. staying for 2 weeks. On the BBC's Pick Of The Pops chart, it made #1 on November 1, and stayed for 3 weeks.		London UK	HLA.8685	Aug 1958	10"	$17
8		Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires A: Stuck On You B: Fame And Fortune #1 on the Melody Maker Top 20 for the week of 16th April 1960. It also hit #1 on the Disc Top 20 for the week of 23rd April 1960. Following this: Connie Francis - Mama / Robot Man #2 in Record Retailer, but #1 in the Disc Top 20 for the week of 25 June 1960. It wasn't issued on 78rpm format.		RCA UK	RCA-1187	Apr 1960	10"	$755
9		Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires A: A Mess Of Blues B: The Girl Of My Best Friend Despite only making #2 on the Record Retailer chart, this double-'A' side went to #1 on the Melody Maker Top 20 on 24 September 1960 for 1 week. The 'lost' #1s after this were not issued on 78rpm format, so the list ends here.		RCA UK	RCA.1194	Jul 1960	10"	$1845