The Gardner of musical 🎶 careers . Here is a nearly complete chronology of Billboard Hot 100 Number one singles.
This is an extraordinary 35-year run of chart-topping singles across Columbia, Epic, Philadelphia International, Arista, LaFace, Bad Boy, Jive/Arista, and J Records. What a smashing record. Rock in Peace.
They were released on labels directly controlled by or associated with Clive Davis during his tenure at Columbia Records, Epic Records, Arista Records, and later J Records. Davis headed Columbia/CBS Records from 1967–1973, founded Arista in 1974, and founded J Records in 2000.
- The list begins with Columbia/Epic-era No. 1s from the mid-1960s, including The Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, and Everyday People.
- It continues through the early Arista years with Mandy, I Write the Songs, and numerous hits by Whitney Houston.
- It captures the extraordinary Arista/LaFace/Bad Boy period of the 1990s with No. 1s by TLC, Toni Braxton, The Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Monica, and Santana.
- It concludes with Alicia Keys and her No. 1 hit Fallin' on J Records in 2001.
- Lady (Liberty/United Artists, produced through Davis-associated operations during the Arista era)
- Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do) (Arista)
- At This Moment (Rhino/Arista distribution)
- Hold On (SBK, not a Davis label, therefore usually excluded)
Some titles belong to separate lists. "Clive Davis hit parade"—artist personally signed by Davis, label owned by Davis, label distributed by Davis, or all labels under his corporate umbrella.
Counting the entries listed, there are 60 separate No. 1 records spanning:
- January 1966: The Sound of Silence to August 2001: Fallin'
That is an extraordinary 35-year run of chart-topping singles across Columbia, Epic, Philadelphia International, Arista, LaFace, Bad Boy, Jive/Arista, and J Records.
Given Clive Davis's passing this week at age 94, this compilation serves as a striking illustration of how many different eras of popular music he influenced, from Simon & Garfunkel and Janis Joplin to Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys. Look like he made it, and then some. He will never be forgotten as long as there’s music 🎶 in this world.