R&B number-one hits of 1981 (USA)
Encyclopedia
These are the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart number one hits of 1981:
See also: 1981 in music
, List of number-one R&B hits (United States)
See also: 1981 in music
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
, List of number-one R&B hits (United States)
| Issue Date | Song | Artist |
| January 3 | Celebration Celebration (song) "Celebration" is a song released in 1980 by Kool & the Gang from their album Celebrate!. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 7, 1981 and held that position until February 20, 1981. Late in 1980, the song had also reached number one on both the Billboard Dance and R&B... |
Kool and the Gang |
| January 10 | Celebration | Kool and the Gang |
| January 17 | Celebration | Kool and the Gang |
| January 24 | Celebration | Kool and the Gang |
| January 31 | Fantastic Voyage Fantastic Voyage (Lakeside song) "Fantastic Voyage" is a 1980 funk single by Dayton, Ohio-based group, Lakeside. The song hit number one on the R&B chart and was the group's only entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number fifty-five.... |
Lakeside Lakeside (band) Lakeside is a funk band, best known for their 1980 number one R&B hit, "Fantastic Voyage."-Formation and early years:In early 1969, The Nomads, a singing quartet consisting of lead singer Mark Wood; Tiemeyer McCain; Tony White; and Brian Marbury, met the Montereys, a band that featured Stephen... |
| February 7 | Fantastic Voyage | Lakeside |
| February 14 | Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) "Burn Rubber on Me " is a song originally performed by The Gap Band and written by member Charlie Wilson and producer Lonnie Simmons. In 1981, it peaked at number eighty-four on the Hot 100 but it was a number one hit on the R&B charts... |
Gap Band Gap Band The Gap Band was an American funk band, who rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. Comprising brothers Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson, the band first formed as the Greenwood, Archer and Pine Street Band in 1967 in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The group shortened its name to The Gap Band... |
| February 21 | Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me) | Gap Band |
| February 28 | Don't Stop the Music Don't Stop the Music (Yarbrough and Peoples song) "Don't Stop the Music" is a song by Yarbrough and Peoples, from the duo's 1980 debut album, The Two of Us. It was released as a single on Mercury Records in 1981.... |
Yarbrough & Peoples |
| March 7 | Don't Stop the Music | Yarbrough & Peoples |
| March 14 | Don't Stop the Music | Yarbrough & Peoples |
| March 21 | Don't Stop the Music | Yarbrough & Peoples |
| March 28 | Don't Stop the Music | Yarbrough & Peoples |
| April 4 | Being with You | Smokey Robinson Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy... |
| April 11 | Being with You | Smokey Robinson |
| April 18 | Being with You | Smokey Robinson |
| April 25 | Being with You | Smokey Robinson |
| May 2 | Being with You | Smokey Robinson |
| May 9 | Sukiyaki Sukiyaki (song) The cover version by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and Soul chart).... |
A Taste of Honey A Taste of Honey (band) A Taste of Honey was the name of an American recording act, formed in 1971 by associates Perry Kibble and Donald Ray Johnson. In 1978 they had one of the best known chart-toppers of the disco era, "Boogie Oogie Oogie"... |
| May 16 | A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do) A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do) "A Woman Needs Love " is a song recorded by R&B vocalist and songwriter Ray Parker Jr., along with his group, Raydio. It led their 1981 album, A Woman Needs Love, the last Parker recorded with Raydio. The song was a hit on both the Billboard pop and soul charts in early 1981... |
Ray Parker Jr. Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker, Jr. , is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer and recording artist. Parker is known for writing and performing the theme song to the motion picture Ghostbusters, for his solo hits, and performing with his band Raydio as well as the late Barry White.-Early life and... & Raydio |
| May 23 | A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do) | Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio |
| May 30 | What Cha' Gonna Do for Me What Cha' Gonna Do for Me (song) "What Cha' Gonna Do For Me" is the title track of Chaka Khan's third solo-album from 1981. The single was written by Ned Doheny and Hamish Stuart and was the second of four number-one singles on the R&B chart for Khan and was at the top spot for two weeks. The single was also her second entry on... |
Chaka Khan Chaka Khan Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career... |
| June 6 | What Cha' Gonna Do for Me | Chaka Khan |
| June 13 | Give It to Me Baby Give It to Me Baby "Give It to Me Baby" is the title of a 1981 song by American R&B / funk singer Rick James. Taken from his album Street Songs, the song charted on the Billboard Hot 100, spending two weeks at #40 in July of 1981. However, the song proved to be more successful with R&B and dance club audiences... |
Rick James Rick James James Ambrose Johnson, Jr. , better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. James was a popular performer in the late 1970s and 1980s, scoring four number-one hits on the U.S. R&B charts performing in the genres of funk and R&B... |
| June 20 | Give It to Me Baby | Rick James |
| June 27 | Give It to Me Baby | Rick James |
| July 4 | Give It to Me Baby | Rick James |
| July 11 | Give It to Me Baby | Rick James |
| July 18 | Double Dutch Bus | Frankie Smith Frankie Smith For the football player of the same name see Frankie Smith .Franklyn Leon "Frankie" Smith is an American funk musician and R&B/soul songwriter.-History:... |
| July 25 | Double Dutch Bus | Frankie Smith |
| August 1 | Double Dutch Bus | Frankie Smith |
| August 8 | Double Dutch Bus | Frankie Smith |
| August 15 | I'm in Love I'm in Love (Evelyn King song) "I'm in Love" is a 1981 single by singer Evelyn King. The single was a hit on three different music charts in the United States, hitting number one on both the R&B and dance charts and number forty on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. It was the first of two chart entries by King to reach... |
Evelyn King Evelyn King (singer) Evelyn "Champagne" King is an American R&B, disco and post-disco singer. Some of her best-known songs are "Shame", "Love Come Down," and "I'm in Love."-Biography:... |
| August 22 | Endless Love Endless Love (song) "Endless Love" is a song written by Lionel Richie and originally recorded as a duet between Richie and fellow soul singer Diana Ross. In this ballad, the singers declare their "endless love" for one another. It was covered by soul singer Luther Vandross with R&B singer Mariah Carey and also by... |
Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway... & Lionel Richie Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records... |
| August 29 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie |
| September 5 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie |
| September 12 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie |
| September 19 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie |
| September 26 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie |
| October 3 | Endless Love | Diana Ross & Lionel Richie |
| October 10 | When She Was My Girl | The Four Tops |
| October 17 | When She Was My Girl | The Four Tops |
| October 24 | Never Too Much Never Too Much "Never Too Much" is a song by the late R&B singer/songwriter Luther Vandross. The song was released in 1981, as the title track of the album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the soul singles chart and peaked at number thirty-three on the Hot 100... |
Luther Vandross Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times... |
| October 31 | Never Too Much | Luther Vandross |
| November 7 | I Heard It Through the Grapevine I Heard It through the Grapevine "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles... (Part 1) |
Roger |
| November 14 | I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Part 1) | Roger |
| November 21 | Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It) Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It) "Take My Heart " is a 1981 single by Kool & the Gang from their album, Something Special. The single was the group sixth number-one R&B single, reaching the top of the U.S. R&B chart for a single week... |
Kool and the Gang |
| November 28 | Let's Groove Let's Groove "Let's Groove" is a 1981 song from the album Raise! by the R&B act Earth, Wind & Fire. The song peaked at #3 in the U.S. and in the UK. It also spent eight weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in late-1981/early-1982 and was the second R&B song of 1982 on the year end charts... |
Earth, Wind and Fire |
| December 5 | Let's Groove | Earth, Wind and Fire |
| December 12 | Let's Groove | Earth, Wind and Fire |
| December 19 | Let's Groove | Earth, Wind and Fire |
| December 26 | Let's Groove | Earth, Wind and Fire |
Chart comparisons
- Two songs reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart: "Celebration" and "Endless Love."