Topsy (instrumental)

"Topsy" is an instrumental by Count Basie and His Orchestra, released on August 9, 1937, written by Edgar Battle and Eddie Durham.[1] It became a #14 pop hit for bandleader Benny Goodman in 1938.[2]

In 1958, drummer Cozy Cole recorded the song and issued it in two parts as a single. The A-side ("Topsy I") made it to #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the B-side ("Topsy II") reached #3 on the Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues chart, staying atop the latter for six weeks.[2] The two songs were simultaneous hits; they were closest together on the Hot 100 chart for the week ending November 2, 1958, when Topsy I was at #27 and Topsy II was at #4.[3][better source needed]

  1. ^ Max Harrison, Charles Fox, Eric Thacker (2000). Essential Jazz Records: Volume 1: Ragtime to Swing. London: A&C Black. p. 295.
  2. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 126.
  3. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100", Billboard, 1958-10-27, retrieved 2016-01-30