1961 in country music

none May 2015 May 2015 This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1961. 1961 1961 country music Events March 17 – September 22 — NBC-TV airs Five Star Jubilee, a weekly show featuring five rotating hosts: Rex Allen, Snooky Lanson, Tex Ritter, Carl Smith and Jimmy Wakely. June 14 — Patsy Cline is seriously injured after a car accident. While in the hospital, the song "I Fall to Pieces" becomes a huge country-pop crossover hit. No dates 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, honored on November 3, 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 Sr., 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. Spade Cooley is arrested in connection with the beating death of his second wife, Ella Mae Evans. He is convicted and sentenced to prison. En route to prison, he suffers a heart attack, from which he will recover. Top hits of the year Number one hits United States (as certified by Billboard) DateSingle NameArtistWks. No.1Spec. NoteJanuary 9North to AlaskaJohnny Horton5B BFebruary 27Don't WorryMarty Robbins10May 8Hello WallsFaron Young9Young's first Billboard Number One since "Country Girl" in 1959.July 10Heartbreak U.S.A.Kitty Wells4B BAugust 7I Fall to PiecesPatsy Cline21 1A AAugust 21Tender YearsGeorge Jones72 2 Jones' first Billboard Number One since "White Lightning" in 1959.September 25Walk on ByLeroy Van Dyke192 2C CNovember 20Big Bad JohnJimmy Dean2A A Also reached Number One on the Billboard Top Pop 100 and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts. Notes 1 1 No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard. 2 2 Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot. A A First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist. B B Last Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist. C C Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist to date. Other major hits USSingleArtist8BacktrackFaron Young9Be Quiet MindDel Reeves5Beggar to a KingHank Snow18Big, Big LoveWynn Stewart7Big River, Big ManClaude King16Black Land FarmerFrankie Miller4The BlizzardJim Reeves14Blue Blue DayThe Wilburn Brothers14Conscience I'm GuiltyRose Maddox16Cozy InnLeon McAuliffe11Crazy BullfrogLewis Pruitt15Did I Ever Tell YouGeorge Jones and Margie Singleton14Diggy Liggy LoRusty & Doug14Don't Let Your Sweet Love DieReno and Smiley14Everybody's Dying for LoveJimmy C. Newman16Family BibleGeorge Jones9Flat TopCowboy Copas2Foolin' AroundBuck Owens15Forever GoneErnest Ashworth20Forget the PastFaron Young12From Here to There to YouHank Locklin10Go HomeFlatt & Scruggs11The Hands You're Holding NowSkeeter Davis12Hangover TavernHank Thompson7Happy Birthday to MeHank Locklin5Heart Over MindRay Price4Hello FoolRalph Emery7How Do You Talk to a BabyWebb Pierce5I Dreamed of a Hill-Billy HeavenTex Ritter12I Love You Best of AllThe Louvin Brothers15I Want to Live AgainRose Maddox9I Went Out of My Way (To Make You Happy)Roy Drusky10I'd Rather Loan You OutRoy Drusky4I'll Just Have a Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)Claude Gray17In Memory of Johnny HortonJohnny Hardy3It's Your WorldMarty Robbins11Kisses Never LieCarl Smith14Kissing My PillowRose Maddox11Last DateFloyd Cramer5Let Forgiveness InWebb Pierce20LonelyvilleRay Sanders4Loose TalkBuck Owens and Rose Maddox10Louisiana ManRusty & Doug7Loving You (Was Worth This Broken Heart)Bob Gallion8Mental CrueltyBuck Owens and Rose Maddox3My Ears Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About)Claude Gray5My Last Date (With You)Skeeter Davis7Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces)Warren Smith13Oh Lonesome MeJohnny Cash7Oklahoma HillsHank Thompson17One Grain of SandEddy Arnold14One Step Ahead of My PastHank Locklin20One Way StreetBob Gallion10OptimisticSkeeter Davis19The Other CheekKitty Wells11Please Mr. KennedyJim Nesbitt9Po' FolksBill Anderson12Polka on a BanjoFlatt & Scruggs15Ragged but RightMoon Mullican11The Restless OneHank Snow9Right or WrongWanda Jackson8San Antonio RoseFloyd Cramer2Sea of HeartbreakDon Gibson16ShortyJimmy Smart10Signed Sealed and DeliveredCowboy Copas20Sleep, Baby, SleepConnie Hall9Sleepy-Eyed JohnJohnny Horton3Soft RainRay Price16Stand at Your WindowJim Reeves12Sunny TennesseeCowboy Copas6Sweet DreamsDon Gibson3Sweet LipsWebb Pierce20Sweethearts AgainBob Gallion20There Must Be Another Way to LiveKitty Wells16Thoughts of a FoolErnest Tubb2Three Hearts in a TangleRoy Drusky9Three Steps to the Phone (Millions of Miles)George Hamilton IV14Through That DoorErnest Tubb13To You and Yours (From Me and Mine)George Hamilton IV10Too Many TimesDon Winters13The Twenty-Fourth HourRay Price2Under the Influence of LoveBuck Owens9Walk Out BackwardsBill Anderson5Walking the StreetsWebb Pierce15What Would You DoJim Reeves6When Two Worlds CollideRoger Miller2Window Up AboveGeorge Jones8Wreck on the HighwayWilma Lee and Stoney Cooper14You Don't Want My LoveRoger Miller4You're the ReasonBobby Edwards14You're the ReasonHank Locklin16You're the ReasonJoe South10Your Old Love LettersPorter Wagoner Top new album releases AlbumArtistRecord LabelAt the Golden NuggetHank ThompsonCapitolBuck OwensBuck OwensCapitolBuck Owens Sings Harlan HowardBuck OwensCapitolChet Atkins' WorkshopChet AtkinsRCACowboy Copas Sings the Songs That Made Him FamousCowboy CopasStardayGot You on My MindJean ShepardCapitolHere's the AnswerSkeeter DavisRCAHank Snow SouvenirsHank SnowRCAChet Atkins in HollywoodChet AtkinsRCALet's Make Memories TonightEddy ArnoldRCAA Man and His GuitarChet AtkinsRCAThe Most Popular GuitarChet AtkinsRCAOur Favorite Folk SongsThe BrownsRCAPatsy Cline ShowcasePatsy ClineDeccaRight or WrongWanda JacksonCapitolSan Antonio RoseRay PriceColumbiaThe Wild, Wicked But Wonderful WestJohnny BondStardayThe Versatile Burl IvesBurl IvesDecca Births July 1 — Michelle Wright, country star of the 1990s; best known for the hit "Take It Like a Man". July 8 — Toby Keith, country star of the 1990s who became a mega-superstar in the 2000s (decade), thanks to his fusion of honky tonk, love ballads and rock (d. 2024). August 25 — Billy Ray Cyrus, honky-tonk heartthrob of the 1990s and 2000s (decade), thanks to the huge success of "Achy Breaky Heart". December 7 – Dawn Sears, backing vocalist for Vince Gill and member of The Time Jumpers (d. 2014). Deaths September 20 – Karl Farr, member of the Sons of the Pioneers. 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 See also Country Music Association Inductees of the Country Music Hall of Fame 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 (0-8118-3572-3) Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (0-06-273244-7) Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005. External links Country Music Hall of Fame Country Category:Country music by year