When was Joel Whitburn born and where did he live?
Joel Carver Whitburn was born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on the 29th of November 1939. He lived in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin for most of his life.
Questions about Joel Whitburn
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What year did Joel Whitburn start collecting Billboard chart data manually?
The Hot 100 chart launched in 1958 when Joel Whitburn started recording every single entry by hand. He used index cards to track these numbers and names for decades.
Where is Record Research Inc located and what does it publish?
Record Research Inc operates out of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The company publishes over 200 reference books including Top Pop Singles that trace the history of Billboard charts from 1890 onward.
How many records were in Joel Whitburn's personal collection before he died?
Experts estimated Joel Whitburn's collection held over 200,000 individual singles by 2013. His archive contained copies of nearly every 78-rpm record that reached the Billboard charts along with 45-rpm singles and LP albums.
When did Joel Whitburn die and how old was he at death?
Joel Whitburn died at his home on the 14th of June 2022 at age 82. His wife Frances passed away five months after him following an interview with Larry LeBlanc from 2007 that documented much of his career insights.