THE FIFTIES
1. CHUCK BERRY—"Maybellene," "Roll Over Beethoven " "School Day," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Johnny B. Goode," "Let It Rock," "Little Queenie," "Almost Grown," "Back in the U.S.A.," "You Never Can Tell." A basic rock library of brilliant lyrical narratives, blues-haunted melodies and driving guitar-based rhythms, all originally recorded by Berry, then reconceived by the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Beach Boys ("Surfin' U.S.A " "Fun Fun Fun"), and dozens of others.
2. JERRY LEIBER AND MIKE STOLLER—"Jailhouse Rock," "Kansas City," "Hound Dog," "Riot In Cell Block #9 " "Charlie Brown," "Yakety Yak," "On Broadway," "Love Potion Number Nine," "Searchin'," "Ruby Baby," "Poison Ivy," "Spanish Harlem," "Young Blood," "I (Who Have Nothing)," "I'm a Woman," numerous other hits for the Coasters, Elvis Presley, and others. Established rock's dramatic song form.
3. BUDDY HOLLY—"Peggy Sue," "Rave On," "That'll Be the Day," "Oh Boy," "Maybe Baby," "Not Fade Away," "True Love Ways," "Love's Made a Fool of You," "Well All Right," "Think It Over," "Fool's Paradise," "Every Day," "It's So Easy," "Words of Love," often with various collaborators. Holly's tunes have been indispensable to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Linda Ronstadt, as well as post-Dylan (Springsteen, Seger, Petty, Mellencamp) "heartland rock."
4. DOC POMUS AND MORT SHUMAN—"Save the Last Dance for Me," "This Magic Moment," "I Count the Tears," "A Teenager in Love," "Seven Day Weekend," "Spanish Lace," "Hushabye," "Viva Las Vegas," "Little Sister," "Suspicion." Pomus also wrote "Jelly Jelly Jelly," "Lonely Avenue," "Boogie-Woogie Country Girl," "Young Blood," "His Latest Flame," and "There Must Be A Better World Somewhere." Shuman became Jacques Brel's translator, as well as penning hits like "Little Children," "Get It While You Can," "Look at Granny Run, Run."
5. JESSIE STONE (ALSO KNOWN AS CHARLES CALHOUN)—"Money Honey," "Shake Rattle and Roll," "Flip Flop and Fly," "Smack Dab in the Middle," "Don't Let Go," "Down in the Alley," "Cole Slaw," "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash," 'It Should Have Been Me," "Bip Bam," "Losing Hand." A principa1 architect of 1950s R&B.
6. FELICE AND BOUDLEAUX BRYANT—Supplied the Everly Brothers with their biggest hits, from "Bye Bye Love" through "Wake Up Little Susie," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," and "Bird Dog." Gave Buddy Holly "Raining in My Heart," Roy Orbison "Love Hurts" Also wrote country hits like "Hey Joe!" and "Rocky Top"
7. BERRY GORDY-For Jackie Wilson, Gordy and Tyrone
Carlo (Billy Davis) wrote "Lonely Teardrops," "Reet Petite," "To Be Beloved," and "I'll Be Satisfied," his biggest and best hits. At Motown, Gordy wrote, or cowrote, "Do You Love Me" and "Shake Sherry for tne Contours, Barret Strong's "Money," the Miracles' "Wav Over There" and "Shop Around," Marvin Gaye's "Try It Baby," and Brenda Holloway's "You've Made Me So Very Happy."
8. DAVE BARTHOLOMEW—"Ain't That a Shame," "Blue Monday," "The Fat Man," "I Hear You Knockin'," "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday," "I'm in Love Again," "I'm Walkln'," "Let the Four Winds Blow," "One Night," "Walking to New Orleans," "Whole Lot of Loving," "Witchcraft." Usually with his artists.
9. OTIS BLACKWELL (JOHN DAVENPORT)—"Don't Be Cruel," "All Shook Up," "Fever," "Great Balls of Fire," "Return to Sender," "Daddy Rolling Stone," "One Broken Heart for Sale," "Hey Little Girl," "Breathless," "Handy Man."
1 ROY ORBISON—"Only the Lonely," "Crying," "Oh, Pretty Woman," "In Dreams," "Blue Bayou," "Blue Angel," "Ooby Dooby," "Running Scared," "Claudette," "Leah," "Dream Baby." All except "Claudette" were hits for Orbison; that one hit for the Everly Brothers. Later, they hit for Van Halen, Linda Ronstadt, k. d. lang, and others.
11. SAM COOKE—"Bring It On Home to Me," "Another Saturday Night," "Cupid," "Having a Party," "Only Sixteen," "Shake," "Twistin' the Night Away," "Soothe Me."
12. WILLIE DIXON—"Hoochie Coochie Man," "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "Little Red Rooster," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Wang Dang Doodle," "Seventh Son," "I'm Ready," "Mellow Down Easy," "Evil," "I Ain't Superstitious," "Pretty Thing," "I Can't Quit You Baby."
13. PERCY MAYFIELD—"Please Send Me Someone to love," "Hit the Road Jack," "The River's Invitation," "Hide Nor Hair," "At the Club," "But on the Other Hand," "I Don't Want to Be President" " "Life Is Suicide," "Strange Things Happening," "My Heart," "I Ain't Gonna Cry No More," "Diggin' the Moon-glow."
14. LITTLE RICHARD (PENNIMAN)—"Tutti Frutti,"Long Tall Sally" "Lucille'" "Slippin' and Slidin'," "Jenny Take a Ride," "Jenny Jenny," each a perfection of rhythmic and vocal control amidst an anarchic atmosphere. But these are solid songs, as Elvis, the Beatles, and and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels could testify.
15. HARVEY FUQUA—Fuqua worked with the Moonglows(a group he led)' Bo Diddley, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, though his best collaborator was Johnny Bristol at motown. "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You," "Sincerely Whole World Ended," "Someday We'll Be Together," "25 Miles," "What Does It Take to Win Your Love," "Most of All " "Diddley Daddy."
l6. JOHN MARASCALCO AND BUMPS BLACKWELL "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Ready Teddy," "Rip It Up," "Send Me Some Lovin' "—the other half of the Little Richard story
17. LOWMAN PAULING—All the Five Royales hits includ ing "Dedicated to the One I Love," "Think," and "Tell the Truth," which were later hits for the Shlrelles, the Mamas and Papas, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Eric Clapton.
18. RICHARD BARRETT—Credits are slim because Barrett worked with George Goldner, a brilliant entrepreneur who unfortunately also mastered the art of the "cut-in" (placing a label owner or producer's name on songs that he has not written). But he definitely wrote "The ABCs of Love" and "I Want You to Be My Girt" for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and "Maybe," "He's Gone," and "Look in My Eyes" for the Chantels, among the finest doo-wop records ever made.
19. FATS DOMINO—Usually with Dave Bartholomew. "Ain't That a Shame," "I Want to Walk You Home,' "I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday," "I'm in Love Again," "I'm Ready," "I'm Walkin'," "Poor Me," "Whole Lot of Loving," "Walking to New Orleans."
2O. BO DIDDLEY (ELIAS MCDANIEL)—"I'm a Man," "Bo Diddley," "Who Do You Love," "Mona," "Before You Accuse Me," "Say Man," "Love Is Strange" (as Ethel Smith), "Diddy Wah Diddy," "Crackin' Up," "Road Runner."
21. JESSE BELVIN—Belvin was notorious for selling songs outright to whatever Los Angeles record companies would have them. We know he wrote "Earth Angel" (he won a lawsuit over that one), "Goodnight My Love," "Hang Your Tears Out to Dry," "Beware," "Funny" and "Guess Who."
22. LLOYD PRICE—"Just Because," "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," "Personality," "I'm Gonna Get Married," and his version of "Stagger Lee," a classic blues changed so much that its new "author" earned acknowledgment.
23. HANK BALLARD—"The Twist," "Work with Me Annie" and its numerous sequels, "Finger Poppin' Time," "Lett'sGo Let's Go Let's Go." „
24. RUDY TOOMBS—"One Mint Julep," "5-10-15 Hours, "Teardrops from My Eyes," "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer," "In the Morning," "Nip Sip." Another whose credits maybe in some disarray. ,
25. RAY CHARLES—"I Got a Woman," "Greenbacks'" "Come Back Baby," Hallelujah I Love Her So'" "Talkin' 'bout You'" "What'd I Say," "I believe to My Soul'" "If You Were Mine," "Booty Butt."

(Source-New Book of Rock Lists)