The Song of the Year 1961

Ben E. King - Stand by Me

Billboard Top 40 of 1961

1. At Last - Etta James
2. Crazy - Patsy Cline
3. Let's Twist Again - Chubby Checker
4. Bristol Stomp - Dovells
5. Please Mr. Postman - Marveletts
6. Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles
7. Stand By Me - Ben E. King
8. Runaround Sue - Dion
9. The Lion Sleeps Tonight - the Tokens
10. Tossin and Turnin - Bobby Lewis
11. Pretty Little Angel Eyes - Curtis Lee
12. Shop Around - the Miracles
13. Some Kind Of Wonderful - the Drifters
14. Blue Moon - Marcels
15. Daddy's Home - Shep & the Limelites
16. There's A Moon Out Tonight - Capris
17. Runaway - Del Shannon
18. A Little Bit Of Soap - Jarmels
19. Cupid - Sam Cooke
20. Quarter To Three - Gary U.S. Bonds
21. Barbara-Ann - the Regents
22. Travelin' Man - Ricky Nelson
23. Dedicated To The One I Love - Shirelles
24. Hello Mary Lou - Ricky Nelson
25. Where The Boys Are - Connie Francis
26. Take Good Care of My Baby - Bobby Vee
27. Please Love Me Forever - Cathy Jean & the Roommates
28. Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King
29. Mother In Law - Ernie K. Doe
30. Crying - Roy Orbison
31. Raindrops - Dee Clark
32. I Fall to Pieces - Patsy Cline
33. Let There Be Drums - Sandy Nelson
34. Who Put The Bomp  - Barry Mann
35. Running Scared - Roy Orbison
36. Ya Ya - Lee Dorsey
37. Pony Time - Chubby Checker
38. I Love How You Love Me - Paris Sisters
39. Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean
40. Riders In The Sky - the Ramrods

Top Albums of 1961

1. Camelot - Original Cast

2. Great Motion Picture Themes - Various Artists

3. Never on Sunday - Soundtrack

4. The Sound of Music - Original Cast

5. Exodus - Soundtrack

1961 Grammy's

Record of the Year - Moon River, Henry Mancini

Album of the Year - Judy at Carnegie Hall, Judy Garland

Song of the Year  - Moon River, Henry Mancini

Best New Artist - Peter Nero

Best Performance By a Pop Single Artist -  Lollipops and Roses, Jack Jones

Best Vocal Performance Single Record Female -  Judy at Carnegie Hall, Judy Garland

Best Rhythm and Blues Recording - Hit the Road Jack, Ray Charles  

Best Rock and Roll Recording - Let's Twist Again, Chubby Checker

Best Country and Western Recording - Big Bad John, Jimmy Dean

Best Original Jazz Composition - African Waltz,” Galt MacDermott, composer

Best Album Cover - Latin ala Lee

1961 Tony's (Musicals)

Musical Play - Bye, Bye Birdie

Actor - Richard Burton, Camelot

Actor Supporting - Dick Van Dyke, Bye, Bye Birdie

Actress - Elizabeth Seal, Irma la Douce

Actress Supporting - Tammy Grimes, The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Director - Gower Champion, Bye, Bye Birdie

Rock 'n' roll appears for the first time in a musical, Bye Bye Birdie which played for 607 performances.
Original Cast:
Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera,
Paul Lynde, and Susan WatsonMemorable Songs:

Put On A Happy Face
One Last Kiss
Kids

Camelot

Richard Burton and Julie Andrews bring the legend of King Arthur to Broadway with 874 performances.

Original Cast:
Richard Burton, Julie Andrews, Robert Goulet and Roddy McDowall.

Memorable Songs:

If Ever I Would Leave You
Camelot
C'est Moi
Follow Me
What Do The Simple Folk Do?
Take Me to the Fair

Music News 1961

FM stereo broadcasting is authorized by the FCC to begin on June 1st 1961. WEFM Chicago and WGFM Schenectady began broadcasting in FM Stereo. Classical venue.

From Madison, Wisconsin, Bob Dylan hitchhikes to New York City to visit his idol Woody Guthrie who is on his death bed. In the evenings he goes to Greenwich Village and plays protest folk music. The rest is history.

Judy Garland does her legendary comeback concert at Carnegie Hall.

The Country Music Association (CMA) creates the Country Music Hall of Fame inducting the dead Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams.

Motown Records signs The Supremes and The Miracles whose  Shop Around becomes Motown's first million-selling single.

Frank Sinatra forms Reprise Records soon signing The Beach Boys and Ella Fitzgerald. The Rat Pack does a benefit at Carnegie Hall for Martin Luther King.

In 1960 Willie Nelson appears selling the song Family Bible to Claude Grey for $50. Later in the year he pens Hello Wall for Faron Young and Night Life for Ray Price which becomes the most covered country song of all time. In 1961 Nelson hits the top 40 with Billy Walker singing Funny How Time Slips Away and Patsy Cline's Crazy. His career slides into alcoholism, guns and wife troubles until he got back on track to join the Grand Ole Oprey in 1965.

The Beatles musical career begins at the  Cavern Club in Liverpool, England

Bob Seger's musical career begins
 

The Temptations' musical career begins

The Beach Boys' musical career begins

Rock & Roll 1961

Quarter To Three - Gary U.S. Bonds

1961 was the second year that passed rock & roll over assuming it was a short lived fad. Except for Gary U.S. Bonds.

Rhythm & Blues 1961

Ray Charles and the new upstart Motown records filled the hole that the absence of Rock & Roll had dug. He won two best R&B album awards for Hit the Road Jack and best performance in R&B for Let the Good Times Roll.

Jazz 1961

In New Orleans French Quarter,

Preservation Hall was founded as a historical venue for jazz

Country 1961

Showcase With the Jordanaires

The most popular of the three Patsy Cline albums which included I Fall to Pieces, Crazy and  Walkin' After Midnight.

Folk 1961

Harry Belafonte creates emotional drama in his renditions of chain gang and prison songs in Swing That Hammer.