Best Albums of the 1950s

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Listed below are the best albums of the 1950s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

1950s decade summary

Year	Albums The number of albums from each year featuring in the greatest album charts.	Score Total rank score for each year (made up of the total rank score from all albums in that year)	Top Ranked Album The top ranked album from each year and where it ranks in the overall chart.
1950	124	5,304	Voice Of The Xtabay (2,066th)by Yma Sumac
1951	141	4,237	Genius Of Modern Music (2,768th)by Thelonious Monk
1952	150	6,942	Bird & Diz (1,980th)by Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
1953	194	6,724	Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (1,824th)by Peggy Lee
1954	230	11,153	Chet Baker Sings (671st)by Chet Baker
1955	326	14,928	In The Wee Small Hours (382nd)by Frank Sinatra
1956	435	32,545	Elvis Presley (365th)by Elvis Presley
1957	567	45,617	Blue Train (303rd)by John Coltrane
1958	570	41,510	Lady In Satin (563rd)by Billie Holiday
1959	613	81,807	Kind Of Blue (37th)by Miles Davis
Total	3,350	250,766

The best artists of the 1950s were Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Frank Sinatra, Charles Mingus, Elvis Presley, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, The Dave Brubeck Quartet, Billie Holiday and John Coltrane.

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21.

Little Girl Blue

Nina Simone

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

217 charts

Rank Score:

2,097

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

853

Average Rating:

81 (202 votes)

Comments:

22.

Pithecanthropus Erectus

Charles Mingus

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

249 charts

Rank Score:

1,864

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

968

Average Rating:

80 (260 votes)

Comments:

23.

'Round About Midnight

Miles Davis

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

238 charts

Rank Score:

1,724

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,027

Average Rating:

82 (304 votes)

Comments:

24.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

200 charts

Rank Score:

1,619

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,085

Average Rating:

77 (193 votes)

Comments:

25.

Ella & Louis

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

214 charts

Rank Score:

1,599

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,101

Average Rating:

79 (222 votes)

Comments:

26.

Johnny Cash With His Hot And Blue Guitar

Johnny Cash

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

224 charts

Rank Score:

1,598

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,102

Average Rating:

77 (216 votes)

Comments:

27.

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

222 charts

Rank Score:

1,556

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,131

Average Rating:

77 (208 votes)

Comments:

28.

After School Session

Chuck Berry

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

189 charts

Rank Score:

1,509

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,178

Average Rating:

78 (153 votes)

Comments:

29.

Bo Diddley

Year of Release:

1958

Appears in:

192 charts

Rank Score:

1,506

Rank in 1958:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,182

Average Rating:

77 (141 votes)

Comments:

30.

Ellington At Newport
Live

Duke Ellington And His Orchestra

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

210 charts

Rank Score:

1,487

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,197

Average Rating:

79 (192 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 of 100

Best Albums of the 1950s composition

Year	Albums	%

1950	40	4%
1951	40	4%
1952	58	6%
1953	62	6%
1954	77	8%
1955	86	9%
1956	116	12%
1957	152	15%
1958	173	17%
1959	196	20%

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	19	2%
Billie Holiday	18	2%
Miles Davis	16	2%
Sonny Rollins	15	2%
Frank Sinatra	15	2%
Ella Fitzgerald	13	1%
Sarah Vaughan	11	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	780	78%
	40	4%
	32	3%
	26	3%
	20	2%
	12	1%
	11	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	942	94%
Yes	58	6%

Live?	Albums	%
No	963	96%
Yes	37	4%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	977	98%
Yes	23	2%

« View best albums of the 1940sView best albums of the 1960s »

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