Instrumentals / top of the pops

[gerrybehan]

When did Top of the Pops first go on air?

Who was the first artist to have a numbeer one with an instrumental on top of the pops?

[mushroom25]

1st January 1964. The first instrumental after that date was Hugo Montenegro - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, November 1968, this preceded Fleetwood Mac - Albatross by 2 months. Whether Mr Montenegro appeared on Top of the Pops, history doesn't seem to relate. So Albatross might have been the 1st instrumental no 1 on TOTP.

[scubadiver]

FYI, the first UK chart instrumental No 1 was " Moulin Rouge" by Mantovani and his Orchestra which reached number 1 for one week on 15th Aug 1953 and was the 11th No 1 since the charts started.

Between this & Albatross, there were 5 more instumental No 1s.

[jenstar]

Can I point out, by the way, that Top Of The Pops actually used a weird chart for the first five and a bit years of its existence, which didn't necessarily match what we now know as the charts of that period. I can't think of any instrumental records that could have topped the chart between January 1964 and November 1968, but it's not impossible that there was one that's slipped my mind.

[Gef]

My first thought was Telstar by the Tornadoes. I could have sworn that I saw it on TOTPS. Funny how the mind plays tricks. Nice timeline at http://www.tiscali.co.uk/events/2002/goldenjubilee/timel ine/music_1960s.html