List of number-one R&B singles of 1981 (U.S.)

These are the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart number one hits of 1981:

See also: 1981 in music, List of number-one R&B hits (United States)

Chart history[]

Key

Indicates best-charting R&B single of 1981[1]

Issue Date	Song	Artist
January 3	"Celebration"	Kool and the Gang
January 10
January 17
January 24
January 31	"Fantastic Voyage"	Lakeside
February 7
February 14	"Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)"	Gap Band
February 21
February 28	"Don't Stop the Music"	Yarbrough & Peoples
March 7
March 14
March 21
March 28
April 4	"Being with You"	Smokey Robinson
April 11
April 18
April 25
May 2
May 9	"Sukiyaki"	A Taste of Honey
May 16	"A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)"	Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio
May 23
May 30	"What Cha' Gonna Do for Me"	Chaka Khan
June 6
June 13	"Give It to Me Baby"	Rick James
June 20
June 27
July 4
July 11
July 18	"Double Dutch Bus"	Frankie Smith
July 25
August 1
August 8
August 15	"I'm in Love"	Evelyn King
August 22	"Endless Love"	Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
August 29
September 5
September 12
September 19
September 26
October 3
October 10	"When She Was My Girl"	The Four Tops
October 17
October 24	"Never Too Much"	Luther Vandross
October 31
November 7	"I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Part 1)"	Roger Troutman
November 14
November 21	"Take My Heart (You Can Have It If You Want It)"	Kool and the Gang
November 28	"Let's Groove"	Earth, Wind and Fire
December 5
December 12
December 19
December 26

See also[]

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1981 (U.S.)

References[]