Year released or hit charts
|
Name of song
|
Writer
|
First recorded performer
|
Top place on charts
|
| Traditional |
Oh Happy Day |
Traditional |
|
|
| Traditional |
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around (ensemble) |
Traditional |
|
|
| 1919 |
A Good Man is Hard to Find (Eddie Green) Roberta |
Eddie Green |
Bessie Smith |
#9 |
| 1922 |
My Man |
Charles / Pollack / Willemetz / Yvain |
Fanny Brice (Billie Holiday in 1938) |
#9 |
| 1922 |
‘Tain’t Nobody’s Business (sung by Billie Holiday) |
Robbins / Grainger |
Bessie Smith |
#40 |
| 1931 |
That’s Why Darkies Were Born (Kate Smith) record |
Lew Brown / Ray Henderson |
Kate Smith |
#12 |
| 1933 |
Stormy Weather (Lena Horne) Aimonw |
Ted Koehler / Harold Arlen |
Ethel Waters (later Lena Horne) |
#1 |
| 1939 |
Strange Fruit |
Lewis Allen |
Billie Holiday |
N/A |
| 1941 |
God Bless the Child |
Billie Holiday, Arthur Herzog, Jr. |
Billie Holiday |
N/A |
| 1956 |
Precious Lord |
Dorsey / Allen |
Mahalia Jackson |
N/A |
| 1964 |
Images |
William Warey Cuny & Nina Simone |
Nina Simone |
N/A |
| 1964 |
Shoop Shoop Song |
Rudy Clark |
Betty Wright |
#6 |
| 1965 |
Baby I’m Yours |
Van McCoy |
Barbara Lewis |
#11 |
| 1965 |
Stop! In the Name of Love |
Dozier / Holland / Holland |
The Supremes |
#1 |
| 1966 |
Keep Me Hangin’ On – Ensemble |
Holland / Lamont / Dozier / Holland |
The Supremes |
#1 |
| 1966 |
Sweet Talkin’ Guy (Chiffons) Roberta, others |
Doug Morris / Eliot Greensberg / Barbara J. Baer |
The Chiffons |
#10 |
| 1966 |
Nowhere to Run |
Dozier / Holland / Dozier |
Martha & the Vandellas |
#8 |
| 1967 |
Say a Little Prayer |
Bacharach / David |
Dionne Warwick |
#4 |
| 1967 |
R.E.S.P.E.C.T. |
Otis Redding |
Aretha Franklin |
#1 |
| 1968 |
Society’s Child (Janis Ian) Heather |
Janis Ian |
Janis Ian |
#14 |
| 1969 |
I’m Gonna Make You Love Me |
Gamble / Huff / Ross |
The Supremes |
#2 |
| 1979 |
I Will Survive |
Fekaris / Perren |
Gloria Gaynor |
#1 |
| 1979 |
Hot Stuff Tamika |
Pete Bellotte, Keith Forsey, & Harold Faltermeier |
Donna Summer |
#1 |
| 1979 |
We Are Family |
Bernard Edwards / Nile Rodgers |
Sister Sledge |
#2 |
| 1987 |
Let’s Wait a While |
Andrews / Harris / Jackson /Lewis |
Janet Jackson |
#2 |
| 1988 |
Control |
Harris / Lewis / Jackson |
Janet Jackson |
#5 |
| 1993 |
I Have Nothing |
Foster / Thompson Jenner |
Whitney Houston |
#4 |
| 1995 |
You Gotta Be |
Des’ree Weekes / Ashley Ingram |
Des’ree |
#5 |
| 1997 |
Tyrone |
Hurt / Wright |
Eryka Badu |
N/A |
| 2001 |
A Woman’s Worth |
Alicia J. Augello-Cook / Erika Rose |
Alicia Keyes |
#3 |
| 2002 |
Beautiful |
Linda Perry |
Christina Aguilera |
#3 |
| 2003 |
Milkshake |
The Neptunes |
Kellis |
#3 |
| 2004 |
Golden |
Bell / Robinson, Robinson / Scott |
Jill Scott |
#1 (album) |
| 2006 |
I Am Not My Hair |
Simpson / Sanders / Ramsey |
india.arie (Simpson) |
#97 |
| 2007 |
Just Fine (Mary J. Blige) – ensemble |
Alexander /Blige / Nash / Stewart |
Mary J. Blige |
#22 |
| 2008 |
Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) |
Beyonce Knowles / Christopher Stewart / Terius Nash / Thaddis Herrell |
Beyoncé |
#1 |
