- 1961 in country music
"See also:"
1960 in country music ,1961 in music ,
other events of 1961,1962 in country music and theList of years in Country Music Events
*
June 14 —Patsy Cline is seriously injured after a car accident. While in the hosptial, 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 newCountry Music Hall of Fame , to honor performers and others who were influential in the history of the genre. The first three inductees, honored onNovember 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 theAcuff-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.
*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
"(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
*"Hill-Billy Heaven" -Tex Ritter
*"I'll Have One More Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go)" –Claude Gray
*"It's Your World" -Marty Robbins
*"Last Date" -Floyd Cramer
*"Let Forgiveness In" - Webb Pierce
*"Loose Talk" -Buck Owens andRose Maddox
*"Louisiana Man" - Rusty and Doug
*"Mental Cruelty" -Buck Owens andRose Maddox
*"My Ears Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About)" –Claude Gray
*"My Last Date (With You)" -Skeeter Davis
*"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
*"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)
* "Patsy Cline Showcase " -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.
*August 25 -Billy Ray Cyrus , honky-tonk "Achy Breaky Heart " heartthrob of the 90's and 2000's, thanks to the huge success of "Achy Breaky".Deaths
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
* [http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/ Country Music Hall of Fame]
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