I have passed it on to our 60th anniversary team and they consider your proposal and if it is of interest they will be in touch directly with you.
Kind regards
Marco Frigatti
Guinness World Records
London NW1 3HP
From: John Kendall [mailto:j19_kendall@blueyonder.co.uk]
Sent: 19 August 2014 17:14
To: Enquiries
Subject: Ruby Murray
Hello, My name is John Kendall and a member of the Ruby Murray website. www.rubymurray.org
In March 2015 it will be 60 years since Ruby set a record of having five songs in the top 20 in the same week, and that has never been beaten. I had this confirmed a few years back by someone from the Guinness book of records but it had never been registered in the records. I was hoping that it would be possible to have this added in 2015 to mark the anniversary, I can’t see this record ever being beaten now with the way the system works.
Will you please get back to me and see what you can do to have this sorted.
Many thanks
Regards
John
Top 20 Hits of Early March 1955
1 Tennessee Ernie Ford Give Me Your Word
2 Ruby Murray Softly Softly
3 Rosemary Clooney Mambo Italiano
4 Nat 'King' Cole A Blossom Fell
5 Dickie Valentine Finger Of Suspicion
6 Dean Martin Let Me Go Lover
7 Ray Burns Mobile
8 Ruby Murray Let Me Go Lover
9 Dean Martin Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane
10 Ruby Murray Heartbeat
11 Ruby Murray Happy Days And Lonely Nights
12 David Whitfield With Mantovani & His Orchestra Beyond The Stars
13 Teresa Brewer Let Me Go Lover
14 Dickie Valentine A Blossom Fell
15 Johnny Brandon & The Phantoms Tomorrow
16 Bill Haley & His Comets Shake Rattle And Roll
17 Ronnie Hilton A Blossom Fell
18 Petula Clark Majorca
19 Eddie Fisher Wedding Bells
20 Ruby Murray With Anne Warren If Anyone Finds This I Love You
I have just received this reply looks like it going to be official at last.
Dear Mr Kendall,
My name is Matthew White and I'm the music consultant for Guinness World Records.
I've been given a copy of your letter to Marco Frigatti (dated 19 August 2014) re Ruby Murray setting the record for the 'most simultaneous UK Top 20 singles (female)' in 1955 and I'm happy to report that, after some extensive research, Ruby does indeed (still) hold this record - a feat unmatched by any other female singer in the 62-year-history of the UK singles chart. (For the record, Lady Gaga is her closest challenger with four Top 20 hits in 2011.)
Although Michael Jackson (in 2009), Bill Haley and Elvis Presley (both in 1956) have all matched Ruby's achievement of five simultaneous Top 20 hits in the UK, I'm pleased to recognize this as a female-only record and I'll be submitting the details to Guinness World Records for approval once I've received clarification on the following, if you'd be so kind:
With your letter to Marco, you supplied a list of the "Top 20 Hits of Early March 1955", as shown below. In red lettering, I've added what I believe to be the actual chart positions of the five records in question, from the chart that was then dated 19 March 1955 (but which we now label as the chart for the week ending 18 March 1955). Could you please confirm that you are happy with these chart positions (which are taken from "40 Years of NME Charts" by Dafydd Rees, Barry Lazell & Roger Osborne).
Top 20 Hits of Early March 1955
1 Tennessee Ernie Ford Give Me Your Word
2 Ruby Murray Softly Softly (No.2)
3 Rosemary Clooney Mambo Italiano
4 Nat 'King' Cole A Blossom Fell
5 Dickie Valentine Finger Of Suspicion
6 Dean Martin Let Me Go Lover
7 Ray Burns Mobile
8 Ruby Murray Let Me Go Lover (No.5)
9 Dean Martin Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane
10 Ruby Murray Heartbeat (No.15)
11 Ruby Murray Happy Days And Lonely Nights (No.14)
12 David Whitfield With Mantovani & His Orchestra Beyond The Stars
13 Teresa Brewer Let Me Go Lover
14 Dickie Valentine A Blossom Fell
15 Johnny Brandon & The Phantoms Tomorrow
16 Bill Haley & His Comets Shake Rattle And Roll
17 Ronnie Hilton A Blossom Fell
18 Petula Clark Majorca
19 Eddie Fisher Wedding Bells
20 Ruby Murray With Anne Warren If Anyone Finds This I Love You (No.17 - new entry)
I look forward to hearing from you so that we can finally and officially recognize Ruby Murray as the holder of this record.
Kind regards,
Matthew White
Music Consultant, Guinness World Records
Last edited by Jk on Fri Oct 03, 2014 6:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
I replied to the above post I made earlier, and had another reply from Mathew. This is what he had to say.
Hello John,
Thank you very much for confirming the chart positions so quickly.
The information I received about Elvis and Bill Haley came from my music consultant predecessor as he's an expert on 1950s music and has all the chart books and magazines from that decade to be able to research it. It might be an oversight on his part, but I'll ask him to double-check the UK charts from 1956 and get back to you as soon as I can.
You make a valid point about Michael Jackson, but the fact remains that he too achieved five Top 20 hits and I don't think we'll be able to slice the category into two parts, one for new/original hits and one for re-entries/re-issues. I'll certainly make a note of this in my submission, though.
It would also be interesting to expand on the text at the bottom of Ruby's website home page about her having 52 consecutive chart weeks with at least one Top 20 hit (3 December 1954 to 25 November 1955). I know we have a similar record for Top 75 hits, but I'm thinking Ruby would be a strong contender for the longest unbroken run of Top 20 hits. I might give this some more thought after I've dealt with the record in hand.
I'll be in touch as soon as I've heard from my colleague about Elvis and Bill Haley's hits in 1956.
Best wishes,
Matthew
Last edited by Jk on Sat Oct 04, 2014 2:53 am, edited 3 times in total.
Thanks again from Matthew he has just sent me another email, we seem to have another fan.
Hi John,
I've just spotted my e-mail on the website. Hopefully it generates a lot of interest amongst your fellow members.
For the first time, I listened to all of Ruby's UK singles back-to-back on Spotify while I was researching this record. I was born in 1975, so I didn't live through her chart success and, to be honest, I tend to listen to more modern music rather than the classics from back in the day. However, I was taken by her voice and the songs she performed. How times have changed! Having read about her life too, it's tragic that she died at a relatively young age from liver cancer.
Thank you for enlightening me about Ruby's life and career. I think we can safely file her under "national treasure".
Best wishes,
Matthew
Last edited by Jk on Fri Oct 03, 2014 6:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
I've now had clarification from Guinness World Records' previous music consultant and he tells me the following:
"Elvis’ five [simultaneous Top 20 hits] were in 1957, not 1956. He did it on Oct 18th with ‘Party’ (5th), 'Teddy Bear' (13th), 'All Shook Up' (15th), 'Paralysed' (17) & 'Got A Lot Of Livin’ To Do' (19th), and on Oct 25th he had ‘Party’ (2nd), 'Teddy Bear' (9th), 'All Shook Up' (16), 'Paralysed' & 'Got A Lot Of Livin’ To Do' (tied 20th).
Bill Haley’s five were on Sep 28th 1956 – they were 'Rockin’ Thru The Rye' (4), 'The Saints Rock And Roll' (11), 'Rock Around The Clock' (13), 'Razzle Dazzle' (17) and 'See You Later Alligator' (19)."
The source for these facts is "40 Years of NME Charts" by Dafydd Rees, Barry Lazell & Roger Osborne.
All of the songs referred to above were new hits, although one or two of them might well have dipped out of the Top 20 before returning to the chart (as I believe "Softly, Softly" did for Ruby Murray).
All this means that Ruby keeps her female record, and shares the overall record with Bill Haley, Elvis and Michael Jackson. Even if this was not exactly the outcome you were hoping for, it's not bad company in which to be found!
I'll keep you updated with the progress of the record application.
Best wishes,
Matthew
I have since checked this new information out and what Matthew has said is correct I have the list to prove it.
UPDATE Hi John,
I forgot to give you full details of the second record submitted. Please see below. You never know when this information might come in handy. Much of it, of course, mirrors the first submission.
Thanks,
Matthew
Most simultaneous UK Top 20 singles
Four acts have achieved five simultaneous Top 20 hits on the UK singles chart. They are: Ruby Murray (UK, 1935-96), with "Softly, Softly" at No.2, "Let Me Go Lover" at No.5, "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" at No.14, "Heartbeat" at No.15 and "If Anyone Finds This, I Love You" (a duet with Anne Warren) at No.17 on 18 March 1955; Bill Haley and his Comets (USA, Haley: 1925-81), with "Rockin' Thru the Rye" at No.4, "The Saints Rock 'n Roll" at No.11, "Rock Around the Clock" at No.13, "Razzle Dazzle" at No.17 and "See You Later, Alligator" at No.19 on 28 September 1956; Elvis Presley (USA, 1935-77), with "Party" at No.5, "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" at No.13, "All Shook Up" at No.15, "Paralyzed" at No.17 and "Got a Lot o' Livin’ to Do" at No.19 on 18 October 1957; and Michael Jackson (USA, 1958-2009), with "Man in the Mirror" at No.2, "Billie Jean" at No.10, "Thriller" at No.12, "Smooth Criminal" at No.13 and "Beat It" at No.19 on 11 July 2009.
Further info:
Elvis Presley repeated the feat of five simultaneous UK Top 20 hits, with the same five songs in the same order, the following week, 25 October 1957. The chart positions, respectively, were 2, 9, 16, 20 (tied) and 20 (tied).
Michael Jackson put five songs in the UK Top 20 simultaneously following his death on 25 June 2009, and all were re-entries of old hits. Murray, Haley and Presley achieved the feat with hits on their first chart run, although several of the songs temporarily dropped off the chart (which was officially a Top 20 in the 1950s) before returning to form part of each act's record-breaking week.
In UK chart history (since November 1952), Ruby Murray remains the only female to achieve five simultaneous Top 20 hits. The only other female to have managed as many as four simultaneous Top 20 entries was Lady Gaga (USA, b. Stefani Germanotta), who did it on the chart dated 28 May 2011 with "The Edge of Glory" at No.6, "Judas" at No.8, "Hair" at No.13 and "Born this Way" at No.16.
In theory, with chart placings now determined almost entirely by digital sales and, since mid-2014, by streaming, acts have a much better chance of securing multiple hit singles due to the fact that record companies no longer have to produce physical singles and schedule release dates - hits can be instant and unlimited.
Last edited by Jk on Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hi, I now can confirm that Ruby Murray now has two records approved by the Guinness Book Of Records, and we have not finished yet we are going for a third which I will confirm at a later date when I get more news.
I would like to thank Matthew from the Guinness Book Of Records for all the hours he has put in to get these records approved and all the research he has done over many hours. I have been in Constant touch with Matthew and he has kept me updated over many emails.
Mathew Latest email.
Hi John,
The second record, most simultaneous UK Top 20 singles, has now been approved so Ruby Murray has two current Guinness World Records. It's a shame we didn't recognize her chart achievements a long time ago, but at least we've put the record straight now.
More on Ruby's 52 consecutive Top 20 weeks to follow ...
Well it seems that you and Matthew have been very busy and have achieved some notable successes! Well Done, it is a fine tribute to Ruby in preparation for her 60th Anniversary of her world records next year.
The Guinness World Records website is at http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/, but I've just tried searching for "Ruby Murray" and nothing has come up. I don't know if it takes some time for records to migrate to the website, or whether the site only shows selected records. I'll find out and let you know.
I've asked Guinness about the possibility of getting official certificates in recognition of both records, and again I'll let you know the outcome. It would certainly be nice to have them for your 60th anniversary celebrations.
I'll do my best to get the record(s) into the 2016 edition. It's a shame that we didn't have the records on the database last year as they would have been a good fit for the 60th anniversary edition that was published last month. Only a small proportion of records make it from the database to the book, but I'll see what I can do.
I'm more than happy to be mithered, John! Don't worry about that.
Best wishes,
Matthew
If you have any more questions, please let me know.
You were the person who took the step of contacting Guinness about the record, so it's you who should take all the credit. I merely did some research to confirm it!
Even though it now seems that Ruby has to share the world record it would still be okay to say -"No-one has ever BROKEN her world record" which is obviously true, I think I am right in saying that in other world records if someone equals the record the WORLD RECORD still remains with the person who created it ????? I may be wrong but I hope not.
Once again John, you deserve a great deal of praise for your achievements - Would you like to be my publicity agent?
Whatever circumstances prevail I will agree with and at the same time I'd like to assure you that your efforts, especially bearing in mind the circumstances in which you have to operate, are very much appreciated by me and I'm quite sure the same applies to Gerald although he will no doubt speak for himself. - WELL DONE JOHN!
