List of Hot C&W Sides number ones of 1961

A dark-haired man wearing a cardigan sweater, smiling broadly
Marty Robbins spent 10 weeks at number one with "Don't Worry".

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1961, 9 different singles topped the chart, then published under the title Hot C&W Sides, in 51 issues of the magazine, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.[1]

Each of the nine number ones during the year was by a different solo vocalist. In the first issue of 1961, dated January 9,[A] Johnny Horton reached number one with "North To Alaska", replacing Ferlin Husky's "Wings Of A Dove", which had held the top spot since the issue of Billboard dated November 14, 1960.[2] Horton's single remained at number one before Husky's song returned to the top of the chart for two further weeks. "North to Alaska" was a posthumous number one for Horton, who had died in an automobile accident the previous November.[3] Following Husky's spell in the top spot, Marty Robbins had the longest run at number one of the year, spending ten consecutive weeks atop the chart with "Don't Worry", after which Faron Young had a nine-week run with "Hello Walls", an early songwriting success for Willie Nelson, who would go on to be one of the must successful and celebrated singers in country music history.[4] Young would not top the chart again until 1972.[5]

The final number one of the year was "Walk On By" by Leroy Van Dyke. The song spent ten non-consecutive weeks at the top of the chart in 1961 and held the position for a further nine weeks in 1962 for a total of nineteen weeks at number one.[6] This figure set a record for the most weeks at number one since Billboard combined country music sales and airplay into a single chart in 1958 and would remain the record for more than 50 years until Florida Georgia Line spent 24 weeks at number one between December 2012 and August 2013 with the song "Cruise".[6] Despite its huge success, "Walk On By" was Van Dyke's first and only number one single.[7] One other act gained a debut country number one single in 1961: Patsy Cline spent two weeks at the top with "I Fall To Pieces", the first of two number ones she would achieve before her death in a plane crash in 1963.[8][9]

Chart history

A woman with long dark hair wearing a polka dot shirt
Kitty Wells spent four weeks at number one with "Heartbreak U.S.A.".
A dark-haired man wearing a shirt and tie, holding a guitar and smiling broadly
Faron Young had the second-longest unbroken run at number one of 1961, spending nine weeks in the top spot with "Hello Walls".
A dark-haired man wearing a dark jacket and tie, sitting in a director's chair
Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" had a two-week run at the top.
Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
January 9 "North To Alaska" Johnny Horton [10]
January 16 [11]
January 23 [12]
January 30 [13]
February 6 [14]
February 13 "Wings Of A Dove" Ferlin Husky [15]
February 20 [16]
February 27 "Don't Worry" Marty Robbins [17]
March 6 [18]
March 13 [19]
March 20 [20]
March 27 [21]
April 3 [22]
April 10 [23]
April 17 [24]
April 24 [25]
May 1 [26]
May 8 "Hello Walls" Faron Young [27]
May 15 [28]
May 22 [29]
May 29 [30]
June 5 [31]
June 12 [32]
June 19 [33]
June 26 [34]
July 3 [35]
July 10 "Heartbreak U.S.A." Kitty Wells [36]
July 17 [37]
July 24 [38]
July 31 [39]
August 7 "I Fall To Pieces" Patsy Cline [40]
August 14 [41]
August 21 "Tender Years" George Jones [42]
August 28 [43]
September 4 [44]
September 11 [45]
September 18 [46]
September 25 "Walk On By" Leroy Van Dyke [47]
October 2 "Tender Years" George Jones [48]
October 9 [49]
October 16 "Walk On By" Leroy Van Dyke [50]
October 23 [51]
October 30 [52]
November 6 [53]
November 13 [54]
November 20 "Big Bad John" Jimmy Dean [55]
November 27 [56]
December 4 "Walk On By" Leroy Van Dyke [57]
December 11 [58]
December 18 [59]
December 25 [60]

See also

Notes and references

Notes
A. ^ The last issue of 1960 was dated December 31, but the next issue was dated January 9 due to a change in how Billboard dated its issues.

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005. Record Research. p. ix. ISBN 9780898201659.
  2. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for November 14, 1960". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Johnny Horton Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  4. ↑ Thanki, Juli (November 17, 2015). "Willie Nelson is first country star to receive Gershwin Prize". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Faron Young Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  6. 1 2 "Sam Hunt Makes Chart History With "Body Like a Back Road"". CMT. August 1, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Leroy van Dyke Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  8. ↑ Cooper, Peter (March 5, 2016). "Patsy Cline: Country music remembers its darkest day". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Patsy Cline Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for January 9, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for January 16, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for January 23, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for January 30, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for February 6, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for February 13, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for February 20, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for February 27, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for March 6, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for March 13, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for March 20, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for March 27, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for April 3, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for April 10, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for April 17, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for April 24, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for May 1, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for May 8, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for May 15, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for May 22, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for May 29, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for June 5, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for June 12, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for June 19, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for June 26, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for July 3, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for July 10, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for July 17, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for July 24, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for July 31, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for August 7, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for August 14, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  42. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for August 21, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for August 28, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  44. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for September 4, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  45. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for September 11, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  46. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for September 18, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  47. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for September 25, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  48. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for October 2, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for October 9, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for October 16, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for October 23, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  52. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for October 30, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  53. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for November 6, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  54. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for November 13, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  55. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for November 20, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for November 27, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  57. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for December 4, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  58. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for December 11, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  59. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for December 18, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  60. ↑ "Hot Country Songs chart for December 25, 1961". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.