1961 in country music

See also: 1960 in country music, 1961 in music, other events of 1961, 1962 in country music, 1960s in music and the List of years in Country Music

Events

• The Country Music Association (CMA) develops and finalizes plans for the new Country Music Hall of Fame, to honor performers and others who were influential in the history of the genre. The first three inductees are all posthumous:
  • Jimmie Rodgers, a songwriter who - despite poor health - merged hillbilly and blues music into a revolutionary new sound.
  • Fred Rose, a pioneering song publisher who formed the Acuff-Rose music publishing company in the 1940s. Also a talented songwriter, and record producer/executive.
  • Hank Williams, legendary singer-songwriter whose songs are still sought after today.

With just a $1,500 budget, bronze plaques honoring each of the singers would be cast, a tradition that continues today.

• Patsy Cline is hospitalized from a car accident on June 14. While in the hosptial, the song "I Fall to Pieces" becomes a huge Country/Pop crossover hit.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

(As certified by Billboard magazine)

• January 9 - "North to Alaska" - Johnny Horton
• February 27 - "Don't Worry" - Marty Robbins
• May 8 - "Hello Walls" - Faron Young
• July 10 - "Heartbreak U.S.A." - Kitty Wells
• August 7 - "I Fall to Pieces" - Patsy Cline
• August 21 - "Tender Years" - George Jones
• September 25 - "Walk On By" - Leroy Van Dyke
• November 20 - "Big Bad John" - Jimmy Dean

Other major hits

• "Crazy" - Patsy Cline
• "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" - Elvis Presley
• "Backtrack" - Faron Young
• "Be Quiet Mind" - Del Reeves
• "Beggar to a King" - Hank Snow
• "The Blizzard" - Jim Reeves
• "Foolin' Around" - Buck Owens
• "Funny How Time Slips Away" – Billy Walker
• "Go Home" - Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys
• "Heart Over Mind" - Ray Price
• "How Do You Talk to a Baby" - Webb Pierce
• "I Dreamed Of A Hill-Billy Heaven" - Tex Ritter
• "I'll Have One More Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)" – Claude Gray
• "Last Date" - Floyd Cramer
• "Let Forgiveness In" - Webb Pierce–
• "Loose Talk" - Buck Owens and Rose Maddox
• "Louisiana Man" - Rusty and Doug
• "Mental Cruelty" - Buck Owens and Rose Maddox
• "My Ears Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About)" – Claude Gray
• "My Last Date (With You)" - Skeeter Davis

"It's Your World"-Marty Robbins–

• "Oklahoma Hills" - Hank Thompson and His Brazos Valley Boys
• "Optimistic" - Skeeter Davis
• "Po' Folks" - Bill Anderson
• "Right or Wrong" - Wanda Jackson
• "San Antonio Rose" - Floyd Cramer
• "Sea of Heartbreak" - Don Gibson
• "Sleepy-Eyed John" - Johnny Horton
• "Soft Rain" - Ray Price
• "Stand at Your Window" - Jim Reeves
• "Sweet Dreams" - Don Gibson
• "Sweet Lips" - Webb Pierce
• "Three Hearts In A Tangle" - Roy Drusky
• "Three Steps to the Phone (Millions of Miles)" - George Hamilton IV
• "Under the Influence of Love" - Buck Owens
• "Walk Out Backwards" - Bill Anderson
• "Walking the Streets" - Webb Pierce
• "What Would You Do" - Jim Reeves
• "When Two Worlds Collide" – Roger Miller
• "The Window Up Above" - George Jones
• "Your Old Love Letters" - Porter Wagoner
• "You're the Reason" - Bobby Edwards

Top new album releases

• At the Golden Nugget – Hank Thompson (Capitol)
• Buck Owens - Buck Owens (Capitol)
• Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard - Buck Owens (Capitol)
• Showcase With the Jordanaires - Patsy Cline (Decca)
• Chet Atkins' Workshop - Chet Atkins (RCA)
• Got You on My Mind – Jean Shepard (Capitol)
• In Hollywood – Chet Atkins (RCA)
• Let's Make Memories Tonight - Eddy Arnold (RCA)
• A Man and His Guitar - Chet Atkins (RCA)
• The Most Popular Guitar - Chet Atkins (RCA)
• Our Favorite Folk Songs - The Browns (RCA)
• Right or Wrong – Wanda Jackson (Capitol)
• San Antonio Rose - Ray Price (Columbia)
• The Wild, Wicked But Wonderful West - Johnny Bond (Starday)

Births

• July 8 - Toby Keith, country star of the 1990s who became a mega-superstar in the 2000s, thanks to his fusion of honky tonk and rock.

Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees

• Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933)
• Fred Rose (1898-1954)
• Hank Williams Sr. (1923-1953)

Major Awards

Grammy awards

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

Further reading

• Kingsbury, Paul, "The Grand Ole Opry: History of Country Music. 70 Years of the Songs, the Stars and the Stories," Villard Books, Random House; Opryland USA, 1995
• Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
• Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
• Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2005.

Other links

• Country Music Association
• Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame

External links

• Country Music Hall of Fame