On July 20, 1940, Billboard magazine published its first 'Music Popularity Chart', with the track I'll Never Smile Again by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra placed at Number One. Interestingly, the band featured a young Frank Sinatra on vocals.
Billboard went on to publish its list of top sellers every week. Who could have predicted that musicians would one day vie for their place under the sun with a coveted top spot?
By the turn of the millennium, every country under the sun had its own charts for home-grown musicians. We, in India, have played our part in the madness as well, with a truckload of charts -- and award shows to boot -- showcasing everything under the sun.
Photograph: American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee at the 2006 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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