Elvis Still King Of Brit Charts

Elvis Presley is the all-time singles king in Britain, nearly half a century after he first crashed into the pop chart here, according to a new list published Monday.

Presley has appeared on 1,193 of the weekly charts since 1952, when records began.

At No. 2 is crooner Cliff Richard with 1,152 weeks in the charts, followed by The Shadows at 771 weeks.

The singles chart in Britain has varied in length over the years.

When Presley hit the chart for the first time in 1956, with "Heartbreak Hotel," the British chart listed 30 records. In 1978, the year after Presley died, the chart stabilized at its present length of the top 75 singles.

Top 20 British hit singles (with first 10 accompanied by number of weeks spent on chart):

1. Elvis Presley (1193)
2. Cliff Richard (1152)
3. The Shadows (771)
4. Elton John (623)
5. Madonna (606)
6. Diana Ross (560)
7. Michael Jackson (509)
8. Rod Stewart (477)
9. Beatles (456)
10. David Bowie (452)
11. Frank Sinatra
12. Queen
13. Status Quo
14. Stevie Wonder
15. Paul McCartney
16. Tom Jones
17. Rolling Stones
18. Bee Gees
19. Oasis
20. Roy Orbison