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	122	5,227	Voice Of The Xtabay (2,069th)by Yma Sumac
1951	141	4,238	Genius Of Modern Music (2,770th)by Thelonious Monk
1952	150	6,936	Bird & Diz (1,990th)by Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
1953	194	6,690	Black Coffee With Peggy Lee (1,839th)by Peggy Lee
1954	230	11,096	Chet Baker Sings (681st)by Chet Baker
1955	325	14,936	In The Wee Small Hours (381st)by Frank Sinatra
1956	433	32,488	Elvis Presley (364th)by Elvis Presley
1957	565	45,548	Blue Train (303rd)by John Coltrane
1958	568	41,511	Lady In Satin (564th)by Billie Holiday
1959	610	82,085	Kind Of Blue (38th)by Miles Davis
Total	3,338	250,754

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:

2,101

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

850

Average Rating:

81 (202 votes)

Comments:

22.

Pithecanthropus Erectus

Charles Mingus

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

247 charts

Rank Score:

1,848

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

974

Average Rating:

80 (260 votes)

Comments:

23.

'Round About Midnight

Miles Davis

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

238 charts

Rank Score:

1,729

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,028

Average Rating:

82 (303 votes)

Comments:

24.

Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs

Marty Robbins

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

200 charts

Rank Score:

1,618

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,092

Average Rating:

76 (192 votes)

Comments:

25.

Ella & Louis

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

214 charts

Rank Score:

1,597

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,106

Average Rating:

79 (221 votes)

Comments:

26.

Johnny Cash With His Hot And Blue Guitar

Johnny Cash

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

222 charts

Rank Score:

1,586

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,113

Average Rating:

77 (215 votes)

Comments:

27.

The Genius Of Ray Charles

Ray Charles

Year of Release:

1959

Appears in:

220 charts

Rank Score:

1,548

Rank in 1959:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,147

Average Rating:

77 (208 votes)

Comments:

28.

Bo Diddley

Year of Release:

1958

Appears in:

192 charts

Rank Score:

1,504

Rank in 1958:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,180

Average Rating:

78 (141 votes)

Comments:

29.

After School Session

Chuck Berry

Year of Release:

1957

Appears in:

188 charts

Rank Score:

1,490

Rank in 1957:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,189

Average Rating:

78 (153 votes)

Comments:

30.

Ellington At Newport
Live

Duke Ellington And His Orchestra

Year of Release:

1956

Appears in:

209 charts

Rank Score:

1,487

Rank in 1956:

Rank in 1950s:

Overall Rank:

1,194

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	39	4%
1951	40	4%
1952	58	6%
1953	62	6%
1954	77	8%
1955	87	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	%

	781	78%
	39	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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