List of Hot Soul Singles number ones of 1978

Billboard published a weekly chart in 1978 ranking the top-performing singles in the United States in soul music and related African American-oriented genres; the chart has undergone various name changes over the decades to reflect the evolution of black music and since 2005 has been published as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.^[1] In 1978, it was published under the title Hot Soul Singles,^[2] and 22 different singles reached number one.

Three acts which formed part of George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic collective, known for its eclectic mix of funk and hard rock and its use of surreal futuristic imagery, topped the chart in 1978.^[3] In the issue of Billboard dated March 4, Parliament reached number one for the first time with "Flash Light".^[4] After three weeks in the top spot, the single was displaced by "Bootzilla" by Bootsy's Rubber Band, led by bass guitarist Bootsy Collins, one of the collective's principal members.^[5][6] Finally, in September, Funkadelic gained its first chart-topper with "One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)".^[7] Both Parliament and Funkadelic featured largely the same musicians, with the different names reflecting differing styles of music.^[8] "One Nation Under a Groove (Part 1)" was the year's longest-running chart-topper, spending six weeks at number one. The track is regarded as a classic of the funk genre and was included on a list of 500 songs that shaped rock and roll compiled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[9]

Several other acts gained the first soul number ones of their respective careers in 1978, beginning in the issue of Billboard dated January 7 when Con Funk Shun topped the chart with "Ffun".^[10] In February, both Stargard and Enchantment reached number one for the first time with "Theme Song from 'Which Way Is Up'" and "It's You That I Need", respectively.^[11] Both Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams topped the chart for the first time when they collaborated on "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" in April, and Quincy Jones, a successful producer, composer and band leader since the 1950s, gained his first chart-topping soul single in his own right with "Stuff Like That".^[12] Later in the year, Teddy Pendergrass achieved his first solo number one after having been previously successful as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and Rick James, A Taste of Honey and Foxy all reached the top of the chart for the first time.^[13] The year's final chart-topper "Le Freak" was another debut number one, as Chic reached the top spot for the first time in the issue of Billboard dated December 2 and stayed there for the remainder of the year.^[14] The song is regarded as a classic of the disco genre and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[15]

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1978

• Whitburn, Joel (1988). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942–1988. Record Research Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89820-069-0.
• Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top R & B Singles, 1942–1995. Record Research Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89820-115-4.
• Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-89820-160-4.