Throwing back to the week of July 11, 1956, we find Gogi Grant’s ‘The Wayward Wind’ clinging to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth straight week.

At #2 was Pat Boone’s ‘I Almost Lost My Mind,’ which spent a month as the runner-up before its own two-week stint at #1. This was one of five #1’s and fifteen top ten hits for Boone in the five-year period from 1955-1959. He was the Drake of the Golden Age.

As with so many of Boone’s hits, this one was written and first recorded by a Black artist. Ivory Joe Hunter’s version of ‘I Almost Lost My Mind,’ which is much more soulful than this sleepy rendition, topped the R&B chart in 1950.

Note: I was writing so far ahead that I failed to catch that I’d already featured this song (the other post was still unpublished). I’ve swapped it out for a live version to comply with my no-repeats rule. My apologies!