How Three Artists Scored No. 2 Hot 100 Hits Without Doing Anything on the Songs
Billboard examines three artists who were credited with No. 2 hits on the Hot 100 despite not performing musically on the recordings. The cases show how promotional decisions, incorrect paperwork and unpredictable music-industry practices can distort chart credits and shape an artist’s public legacy.
One example is Bill Parsons, whose name was used on Bobby Bare’s recording of “The All American Boy” after Fraternity Records bought and released it alongside a Parsons track. Parsons promoted the record by miming to it while Bare began military service, and it reached No. 2 on 2 February 1959 behind The Platters’ “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”; Parsons never had another Hot 100 hit, while Bare later became a major country performer.
- Three No. 2 hits credited artists who did not perform on them.
- Bill Parsons promoted Bobby Bare’s recording as his own hit.
- The cases expose unreliable chart-crediting practices.