A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40.

There are lots of different criteria used in different charts used to reflect popularity, commonly: sales of records, cassettes and compact discs; the amount of radio airplay; and (recently) the number of downloads.

Some charts are specific to a particular musical genre and most to a particular geographical location (although download charts are not easily pinned down in this way). The most common period of time covered by a chart is one week with the chart being printed or broadcast at the end of this time. Summary charts for years and decades are then calculated from their component weekly charts. Component charts have become an increasingly important way to measure the commercial success of individual songs.

Chart hit[link]

A chart hit is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a chart that uses sales or other criteria to rank popular releases. Chart-topper and related terms (like No. 1 hit, top of the charts, chart hit, and so forth) are widely used in common conversation and in marketing, and are loosely defined. In North America, the weekly charts from Billboard magazine are most often referenced (quite often internationally, as well), particularly the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and Billboard 200 album chart, although there are many other charts and sources. Because of its value in promoting recording artists and releases, both directly to the consumer, and by encouraging exposure on radio, TV other media, chart positioning has long been a subject of scrutiny and controversy. Chart compilation methodology and data sources vary, ranging from buzz charts based on opinions of various experts and tastemakers, to charts that reflect empirical data such as retail sales. Therefore, a chart-topper may be anything from an "insiders' pick" to a runaway seller.

Other terminology[link]

There are several other commonly-used terms when referring to a music/entertainment chart or the performance of a release thereon.

The term new entry is commonly used to denote a title which is making its debut appearance in that chart. This is applied to all charts, for instance a track which is outside the Top 40 but which later climbs into that level of the chart is considered to be a 'new entry' to the Top Forty that week. In most official charts, tracks have to have been on sale for a period of time in order to enter the charts; however, in some retailers' charts, new releases are included in charts as 'new entries' without a sales history in order to make them more visible to purchasers. A real new entry is a title that makes its first debut on the chart no matter how many positions officially the chart actually is. In the UK the official published chart is a Top 100 although a new entry can take place between positions 101-200. The Top 40 is only used for radio to shorten the playlists.

The term re-entry is used if a track which has previously entered a chart falls out of that chart and then later re-appears in it. This may come about if a release is reissued or if there is a surge of interest in the track. Generally any repeat entry of a track into a chart is considered a re-entry, unless the later version of the track is a materially different recording or significantly repackaged (such as Michael Jackson's "Thriller 25"), where the release would normally be considered separate and thus a "new" entry.

The term climber is used to refer to a release which is going higher in the chart week-on-week. Because chart positions are generally relative to each other on a week-to-week basis, a release does not necessarily have to increase sales week-to-week to be a climber, as if releases ahead of it decline in sales sufficiently they may slip below it. By the same metric, not all week-to-week sales increases result in a climber, if other releases improve by a sufficient amount to keep it from climbing. The term highest climber is used to denote the release making the biggest leap upwards in the chart that week. There is generally not an equivalent phrase for tracks going down the chart; the term "faller" is occasionally used, but not as widely as 'climber'.

The terms top 10, top 20 and so forth are used to determine the relative success of a release. For instance, a track may be referred to as a 'top 10 hit' if it reaches a position between 1 and 10 on the singles chart, as a 'top 20 hit' if it reaches between positions 1 and 20, and so on. The most commonly known chart is the 'top 40' widely used by the media in various territories, though it is common for longer lists to be produced for or by the music industry. For example, in the UK, the Official Charts Company produces a top 200, although various media only publish shorter lists.

The term flop is a title that never reaches an official chart position. A relative flop is a term given to a title by an act that usually has big hits then only a minor hit in between.

The term one-hit wonder is for an act that appears on the chart just once, although the term true one-hit wonder was the term given by Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums and also the Billboard book Top Pop Singles) is an act that has one number one hit and nothing else on the chart ever. If an act appears in some other form, (for example) a solo act that appears with a band or with other acts then these are taken separately.

See also[link]

• List of record charts

External links[link]

• Top 20 Chart
• Global Reggae Charts
• All Music Hits
• Current and Chart Archives from around the world
• Charts all over the world
• Choice Hits Top 50
• Wall brawl hourly chart
• The Best Selling Albums Ever... Worldwide

John Sebastian
John Sebastian performing in 1974
Background information
Birth name	John Benson Sebastian
Born	(1944-03-17) March 17, 1944 (age 68) Greenwich Village, New York City, New York USA
Genres	Rock, pop, folk
Occupations	musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, autoharp
Years active	1965–present
Labels	Kama Sutra, Reprise
Associated acts	The Lovin' Spoonful, Even Dozen Jug Band, The Mugwumps
Website	www.johnbsebastian.com

John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944, in Greenwich Village, New York City) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and autoharpist. He is best known as a founder of The Lovin' Spoonful, a band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.^[1] His tie-dyed denim jacket is prominently displayed there.

Life and early career[link]

Sebastian's father, John Sebastian , was a noted classical harmonica player and his mother was a radio script writer. He is the godson of Vivian Vance (Ethel Mertz of I Love Lucy). He grew up surrounded by music and musicians, including Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie and hearing such players as Leadbelly and Mississippi John Hurt in his own neighborhood.^[2][3]

One of his first recording gigs was playing guitar and harmonica for Billy Faier's 1964 album The Beast of Billy Faier.^[4] He also recorded with Fred Neil on the Bleecker & MacDougal album and Tom Rush's self-titled album in 1965. He came up through the Even Dozen Jug Band and The Mugwumps, which split to form the Lovin' Spoonful and The Mamas & the Papas. Sebastian was joined by Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone and Joe Butler in the Spoonful, which was named after "The Coffee Blues," a Mississippi John Hurt song. Sebastian also played autoharp on occasion.

The Lovin' Spoonful became part of the American response to the British Invasion and was noted for such folk-flavored hits as "Jug Band Music," "Do You Believe in Magic," "Summer in the City," "Daydream," "Nashville Cats," "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind," "Six O'Clock," "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice," and "Younger Girl."^[1] The band, however, began to implode after a 1967 marijuana bust in San Francisco involving Yanovsky, a Canadian citizen. Facing deportation, he gave up the name of his dealer, which caused a fan backlash and internal strife. Neither John Sebastian nor Joe Butler was involved in the matter; neither was even in San Francisco at the time. Yanovsky subsequently left the band and was replaced by Jerry Yester.^[5]

Solo career[link]

Performing at the Woodstock Reunion 1979 at Parr Meadows in Ridge, NY.

Sebastian left the Lovin' Spoonful in 1968 although he and the original band reunited briefly to appear in the film One Trick Pony starring Paul Simon and Blair Brown.^[1] In December 1968, a musical he composed the music and lyrics for, Jimmy Shine, opened on Broadway with Dustin Hoffman in the title role.^[6]

He embarked on a moderately successful solo career after leaving the Lovin' Spoonful in 1968. Sebastian was popular among the rock festival circuits. He had a memorable, albeit unscheduled appearance at Woodstock, appearing after Country Joe McDonald's set, playing songs such as "I Had A Dream," "Rainbows All Over Your Blues," "Darling Be Home Soon" and "Younger Generation," which he dedicated to a newborn baby at the festival. Documentary remarks by festival organizers revealed that Sebastian was under the influence of marijuana^[7] at the time, hence his spontaneity and casual, unplanned set. "By the time I got to Woodstock I remained a pot smoker, but there was a natural high there," says Sebastian.^[7] "In an interview it is the easy thing to say 'yeah, I was really high,' but it was actually a very small part of the event. In fact, I had a small part of some pill that someone gave me before I went onstage, but it wasn't a real acid feeling."^[7] Sebastian also returned for Woodstock '94, playing harmonica for Crosby, Stills and Nash. Sebastian released his eponymous LP John B. Sebastian in 1970, which featured him accompanied by various L.A. musicians.

Sebastian played harmonica with The Doors on the song Roadhouse Blues under the pseudonym G. Pugliese to avoid problems with his contract, which was featured on Morrison Hotel album.^[8] He also played on "Little Red Rooster" on the live album Alive, She Cried and on seven songs on Live In Detroit.^[9][10] He is also credited with playing harmonica on Crosby Stills Nash & Young's "Déjà Vu" from the album of the same name.

In 1976, Sebastian had a number one single with "Welcome Back," the theme song to the Welcome Back, Kotter television show.^[2] His only top 40 solo hit, it found new life decades later when a sample from it became the hook for rapper Mase's 2004 hit "Welcome Back." More recently, he played with John Sebastian and the J-Band, a jug band including Fritz Richmond from the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Yank Rachell, an original jug-band leader, and Geoff Muldaur.

Several modern musicians cite him as a large influence, including renowned blues harmonica player, Mike Tetrault. As a songwriter, Sebastian's songs have been covered by Elvis Costello ("The Room Nobody Lives In"), Dolly Parton, Del McCoury, Helen Reddy, Brenda Lee, Johnny Cash, Bobby Darin, Slade and Joe Cocker; The Everly Brothers, Tom Petty and Jimmy Buffett have all covered "Stories We Could Tell".

Later career[link]

With David Grisman on the left, 2009

Starting in 1978, John wrote the music for the animated special The Devil and Daniel Mouse, and even provided the singing voice for the character of Daniel Mouse. In the 1980s, Sebastian continued to write and perform music for several productions from Nelvana Limited Productions, a reputable Canada-based animation studio whose more recent output included the TV series Braceface, which starred—and was jointly produced by--Alicia Silverstone, and the same studio which produced The Devil and Daniel Mouse. John wrote and sang the theme song/narration for Nelvana's TV pilot The Get Along Gang. (None of it was kept, however, when DIC Entertainment took over the project thereafter.) Sebastian also composed and performed "Care Bear Countdown," the theme song for Nelvana's Care Bears TV series, along with numerous tunes for the The Care Bears Movie trilogy which preceded it; this consisted of Care Bears Movie 2: A New Generation and The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland.

In later years, Sebastian hosted several television programs regarding '60s' music, including paid programs for compilations sets and a half-hour program called The Golden Age of Rock and Roll, which was usually composed of video footage of 1960s bands performing on variety shows. He also hosted a Spoonful retrospective broadcast over PBS in March 2007, talking about various Spoonful numbers in between vintage video clips of the band up to the time he left.

Sebastian performing at the Katharine Hepburn Theater in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, November 27, 2011.

In 1992 Sebastian made a cameo appearance on the sitcom Married...with Children, together with other famous rockstars. In 2005, he appeared on Eels' Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.^[11]

In 2007, Sebastian released a guitar instructional DVD for Homespun Video teaching solo guitar adaptations of eight of his Spoonful hits including "Daydream," "Nashville Cats," and his solo hit "Welcome Back." He has also released an instructional DVD teaching beginning level autoharp. (Sebastian played both harmonica and autoharp on Shanachie's 2002 compilation CD "Man of Constant Sorrow.")

Sebastian and the J Band appear in Chasin' Gus' Ghost, a documentary about the roots and influence of jug band music,^[12][13] which screened in August 2007 at the San Francisco Jug Band Festival and made its film festival debut in October 2007 at the Woodstock Film Festival. In the film, Sebastian humorously explains, with musical accompaniment, how his hit song "Younger Girl" was inspired by Gus Cannon's "Prison Wall Blues." He also performed at the festival with other musicians featured in the film, including Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, Jim Kweskin and David Grisman.

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008.^[2]

Stories We Could Tell, the title of a novel by British writer Tony Parsons, comes from the Sebastian song.^{[citation needed]}

Solo discography[link]

Original U.S. singles[link]

Original U.S. vinyl albums[link]

Miscellaneous albums[link]

• 1978 The Devil and Daniel Mouse: A Nelvana Story Album
• 1982 John Sebastian Teaches Blues Harmonica Homespun Tapes
• 1993 Tar Beach Shanachie
• 1995 John Sebastian Line
• 1996 I Want My Roots John Sebastian and the J-Band; Music Masters
• 1996 King Biscuit Flower Hour [live] King Biscuit Flower
• 1996 John Sebastian Teaches Beginning Blues Harmonica Homespun Tapes
• 1997 Do What Know? With Jimmy Vivino & The Rekooperators Music Masters
• 1999 Chasin' Gus' Ghost Hollywood
• 2001 One Guy, One Guitar [live] Hux; concert performances from 1981 and 1984, originally broadcast on the BBC
• 2001 Faithful Virtue: The Reprise Recordings Rhino Handmade
• 2002 Man of Constant Sorrow: Instrumental Impressions of the American Heartland Shanachie, as licensed to the St. Clair Entertainment Group.^[15]
• 2007 Satisfied John Sebastian And David Grisman Acoustic Disc

Samples[link]

	"Welcome Back" noicon by John Sebastian, Welcome Back, Reprise Records 1976. Sample from The Best of John Sebastian, Rhino Entertainment/WEA Corp., 1989, 1990 format=Ogg
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Illustrated Even Dozen Jug Band discography
• Peter Reilly's review of The Four of Us^{[dead link]}
• Chasin' Gus' Chost jug band documentary
• John Sebastian interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969).