Black Night, the mournful minor-key blues masterpiece of West Coast blues balladeer Charles Brown, stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues charts for 14 weeks in 1951. No record since then has stayed atop the charts longer. Written by Jessie Mae Robinson, Black Night was recorded in Los Angeles on December 21, 1950, for Aladdin Records. The song has since been recorded by Bobby Bland, Dr. John, Willie Nelson, and Muddy Waters, among many others. This is the second Charles Brown recording to be honored by the Blues Hall of Fame. Drifting Blues was selected in 1989. Charles Brown, who died on January 21, 1999, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
