Book excerpt: This book features by-decade rankings of music singles and albums, in six different genres, covering the first half of the 20th century. The decade of the 1890s is also included. The rankings pertain to U.S. music charts, wherein a typical week's chart would be based on sales, radio airplays, jukebox plays, and-or a combination of one or more of these. The genres include children's, classical, country, instrumental, popular, and rhythm & blues music. Short biographies on a selection of artists are located throughout the book. The artists index includes some vital statistics.