Elvis Record for Most Top 10 Hit Singles Still Intact.

Fred Bronson miscalculated the intelligence of the Elvis fans by trivilizing a couple of huge double sided Elvis hit records by counting them as 1 Top 10 song even though each song appeared in other Top 10 song charts. Mr. Bronson correctly pointed out that the Hot 100 chart was not in existence prior to the year 1958 when Elvis had many of his hits. What Mr. Bronson failed to include in his explanation of how he came up with his tally of Top 10 songs was why he chose to count hit songs from the Best Seller chart, instead of the Top 100 chart which precended the Hot 100. By using the best seller chart, he excluded songs such as Hound Dog which was listed separately in the Top 10 in the Top 100 Chart and the Airplay chart in use at that time.
Many of Elvis' records remain intact,
while some of the records such as the number of Top 10 hits will eventually be broken. Elvis fans, music fans and music historians understand this however, they firmly believe that whoever breaks these records must earn them.

Below is a copy of the full rebuttal by Jason Edge, President of Elvis International Fan Club in response to Mr. Bronsons Chart Beat Column on Billboard's website:

First, I am very much aware of the 4 charts in use between 1955 and 1958: The Best Sellers, Airplay (Most played by Disc Jockey), Juke Box Chart (Most played in Jukebox, and Top 100. I am also aware that decisions have to be made when determining which chart to pull data from when determining statistics in this multi-chart era.

With that said, it is a fact that 1 record can only count for 1 sale, yet, 1 record can have 2 hits. In the case of the long forgotten EP, you could actually have more than 2 cuts charting off the EP single which is another area that Elvis' incredible chart feats have been all but forgotten. When determining the number of Top 10 Hits in this era you chose the Best Sellers Chart over the other Top 100 Chart or the Airplay Chart. Either of these would be more representative of number of hit songs and not number of best selling records. By using the Best Sellers chart you have basically done nothing more than count number of Top 10 selling records and not Top 10 Hit songs.

As an example lets look at Hound Dog and Don't Be Cruel. Both songs were listed together at #1 for 11 weeks on the Best Sellers and Most Played in Juke Boxes Chart. Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog were listed separately on the Top 100 chart and peaked at #1 and #2 respectively. Both songs were also listed seperately on the Airplay chart and peaked at #1 and #4 respectively. Anyway you slice or dice it, these were both big Top 10 Hits.

While I appreciate your response, and greatly admire Madonna and her very deserving and accomplished career and feel she will eventually be the one to match Elvis' 38 Top 10 Hits, Elvis fans are not stupid and to take the Best Seller Chart to say that a double sided hit such as Don't Be Cruel & Hound Dog equals 1 Top 10 Hit song is not only biased but stupid! Using that type of logic I could just as easily say that the Michael Jackson's Thriller or Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA had 1 Top 10 song! Just because the physical record can only be sold once does not mean both sides cannot be Top 10 Hit songs. Elvis fans, music fans and music historians will not sit by and let these facts be twisted and distorted to an individuals liking.

In retrospect, by making this big blunder in judgement, you will probably actually help increase the awareness of the accomplishments of these early artists that often get excluded, undercounted, or simply ignored because someone like yourself try to shortchange these artists for whatever reasons.

Finally, records are meant to be broken and most of Elvis' records will eventually be broken. That is a given. That does not mean, however, that the artists and bands that break the records should not have to earn them.

Jason Edge
President - Elvis International Fan Club