“The Hit Parade” ran on Saturday nights on radio from 1935 to 1950 when it moved to TV. Families sat around together wondering if a favorite song would make it and guessing which song would be first. Williams covers first, second, and third place songs in separate chapters, lists all of the songs alphabetically and then details the weekly listings by years.

For jazz standards researchers who would like to know how a song did on the radio and on the later television show, “Your Hit Parade,” Williams’ book has the information.

John R Williams, an electronics engineer, developed a passion for old radio programs and, after selling his business, concentrated on compiling the information on “The Hit Parade.” He and his family live in Camden, Maine.