WLS was a leading Top 40 AM radio outlet in the Chicago market - with a signal reaching much of North America at night - during the 1960s through the 1980s. This volume - the 4th dedicated to WLS - reproduces many of the station's pop music surveys from the 1980s. Also includes a tribute to Larry Lujack, a deejay employed by the station from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Like the other radio charts titles, my goal was to provide a convenient chronological compilation of weekly surveys with corrections of the considerable errors found in both the original sources and in translation to online sites. These radio charts - which exist in the public domain - can be found in a multitude of sources, including original published sheets distributed via retail outlets, mail inquiries, etc., notation of on-air broadcasts, back issues of area newspapers (where stations are located) and music trade periodicals, specialized reference books, and websites interested in historical documentation, most notably, Oldiesloon, musicradio77, and ARSA. I employed multiple sources in the compilation of each radio chart volume in order to provide the most accurate data possible.

Radio station WLS was a leading music tastemaker during the 1960s. During night-time hours, its AM signal could be received clearly from Canada to northern Mexico. In addition to a brief history of the station, this volume compiles the weekly Top 40 chart listing distributed free at record retailer outlets and via mail (upon request). Like the other radio charts titles, my goal was to provide a convenient chronological compilation of weekly surveys with corrections of the considerable errors found in both the original sources and in translation to online sites. These radio charts - which exist in the public domain - can be found in a multitude of sources, including original published sheets distributed via retail outlets, mail inquiries, etc., notation of on-air broadcasts, back issues of area newspapers (where stations are located) and music trade periodicals, specialized reference books, and websites interested in historical documentation, most notably, Oldiesloon, musicradio77, and ARSA. I employed multiple sources in the compilation of each radio chart volume in order to provide the most accurate data possible.

Music charts have been around as long as recorded music and radio programs from Your Hit Parade to American Top 40 have capitalized on the idea of counting down the day's top hits. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 documents those songs that dominated the Midwestern airwaves during that decade- considered by many to be top 40's "golden age." Many of the songs listed did not appear at all on the national charts. Others, including local acts, fared much better in Chicago than in the rest of the country. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 contains an alphabetical listing by title and by artist of every tune listed on the WLS Silver Dollar Surveys during those years. It also lists the top 40 songs of each year and for the entire decade, as well as a supplemental listing of songs on the station's Rhythm-and-Blues chart of 1964. For those who grew up listening to radio in the Windy City as well as for record collectors from anywhere, Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 will be a valued addition to any music reference library.

Radio station WLS was a leading music tastemaker during the 1960s and 1970s. During night-time hours, its AM signal could be received clearly from Canada to northern Mexico. In addition to a brief history of the station, this volume compiles the weekly Top 40 chart listing distributed free at record retailer outlets and via mail (upon request). Like the other radio charts titles, my goal was to provide a convenient chronological compilation of weekly surveys with corrections of the considerable errors found in both the original sources and in translation to online sites. These radio charts - which exist in the public domain - can be found in a multitude of sources, including original published sheets distributed via retail outlets, mail inquiries, etc., notation of on-air broadcasts, back issues of area newspapers (where stations are located) and music trade periodicals, specialized reference books, and websites interested in historical documentation, most notably, Oldiesloon, musicradio77, and ARSA. I employed multiple sources in the compilation of each radio chart volume in order to provide the most accurate data possible.

Chicago Top 40 Charts 1970-1979 examines the Windy City's top hits as documented by the weekly record store surveys issued by radio station WLS. As rock 'n' roll music entered its third decade, it was finding itself increasingly fragmented, which challenged the ratings dominance top 40 radio had exhibited throughout the 1960s. But while FM listening overtook AM in the rest of the country by the decade's end, Chicago was the exception. WLS managed to stave off its competition with their commitment to playing Chicago's favorite music- regardless of genre. That music is documented in this book. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1970-1979 lists every song to reach the WLS survey alphabetically by title and artist, with debut and peak dates, highest position reached and number of weeks on the charts. The top songs of each year and for the entire decade are ranked as well. As an added bonus, it features the "Big 89 Artists of the 1970s". For those who grew up listening to Chicago radio as well as for record collectors from anywhere, Chicago Top 40 Charts 1970-1979 will be a valued addition to their music reference libraries.

With the advent of “retro” music shows and eighties music formats, radio has clearly revived interest in that decade. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1980–1990 examines the Windy City’s top hits from that era by way of the weekly music surveys issued by radio stations WLS and WYTZ.Transition and change were the watchwords for radio and music in Chicago in the 1980s. Dance, heavy metal, alternative music and the advent of boy bands all changed the face of contemporary music, as it became the property of FM radio, leaving AM to talk. Meanwhile, the rise of cassettes and CDs as singles became less important and the loss of “mom and pop” record stores in favor of giant chains eventually resulted in the demise of the printed survey that previous generations had collected and cherished. This book documents that music and those charts one last time. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1980–1990 lists every song to reach the WLS and WYTZ surveys alphabetically by title and artist, with debut and peak dates, highest position reached and number of weeks on the charts. The top songs of each year and for the entire decade are ranked as well. For those who grew up listening to Chicago radio as well as for record collectors from anywhere, Chicago Top 40 Charts 1980-1990 will be a valued addition to their music reference libraries.

WCFL Chicago Top 40 Charts 1965-1976 lists, by title and artist, every tune that charted on the WCFL-AM weekly music surveys in the Windy City from the first chart in late 1965 through the final survey in February of 1976 (less than a month before the station itself stopped playing top 40 music altogether). WCFL's status as Chicago's second great top 40 radio station should in no way diminish the memory of what it accomplished and the enjoyment it brought to the city in a little over a decade-a decade that can truly be called the "golden age of Chicago top 40 radio." Combining high energy, attitude and musical daring, WCFL even managed at one point to dethrone perennial top 40 powerhouse WLS-AM. Re-live the days of "The Voice of Labor" with these rankings of the top songs of each year, the top artists and songs of the decade and a listing of every #1 hit. For those who grew up in the Windy City or are fans of Chicago radio, WCFL Chicago Top 40 Charts 1965-1976 is an essential reference.