From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, nine different singles topped the chart, which at the time was published under the title Hot C&W Sides, C&W being an abbreviation for country and western. Chart placings were 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 artist. 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 ", the final chart-topper of 1960.
[2] Horton's single spent five weeks 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 unbroken run at number one of the year, spending ten consecutive weeks atop the chart with "
Don't Worry ". Immediately after this run,
Faron Young had a nine-week spell atop the listing with "
Hello Walls ", an early songwriting success for
Willie Nelson , who would go on to be one of the most successful and celebrated singers in country music history.
[4] Despite continuing to chart regularly, Young would not reach number one again until 1972.
[5]
The final number one of the year was "
Walk On By " by
Leroy Van Dyke . The song first reached the top spot in September and by the end of the year had spent ten non-consecutive weeks atop the chart in three separate spells. It would go on to hold the position for a further nine weeks in 1962 for a cumulative total of nineteen weeks at number one.
[6] This figure set a record for the most weeks at number one by a song since Billboard combined country music sales and airplay into a single chart in 1958.
[6] It would retain 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] Two other acts gained the first country number one singles of their respective careers in 1961.
Patsy Cline spent two weeks at the top with "
I Fall To Pieces ", the first of two number ones which she would achieve before her death in
a plane crash in 1963.
[8]
[9]
Jimmy Dean spent a similar length of time in the peak position with his first and only number one, "
Big Bad John ", which also topped the all-genre
Hot 100 chart.
[10]
[11] It was the only song to top both charts in 1961.
[12]
Chart history
Kitty Wells spent four weeks at number one with "
Heartbreak U.S.A. "
Faron Young had the second-longest unbroken run at number one of 1961, spending nine weeks in the top spot with "
Hello Walls ".
Jimmy Dean 's "
Big Bad John " had a two-week run at the top.
Patsy Cline had her first number one in 1961.
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
^
Whitburn, Joel (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005 . Record Research. p. ix.
ISBN
9780898201659 .
^
a
b
"Hot Country Songs chart for January 9, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas.
"Johnny Horton Biography & History" .
AllMusic .
Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018 .
^ Thanki, Juli (November 17, 2015).
"Willie Nelson is first country star to receive Gershwin Prize" .
The Tennessean . Retrieved April 25, 2018 .
^
Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits .
Watson-Guptill . pp. 33–374.
ISBN
9780823082896 .
^
a
b
c
"Sam Hunt Makes Chart History With "Body Like a Back Road" " .
CMT . August 1, 2017.
Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2018 .
^
Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits .
Watson-Guptill . p. 337.
ISBN
9780823082896 .
^ Cooper, Peter (March 5, 2016).
"Patsy Cline: Country music remembers its darkest day" .
The Tennessean . Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits .
Watson-Guptill . p. 74.
ISBN
9780823082896 .
^
Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits .
Watson-Guptill . p. 92.
ISBN
9780823082896 .
^ Huey, Steve.
"Jimmy Dean Biography & History" .
AllMusic .
Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018 .
^
"Hot 100 – 1961 Archive" .
Billboard . Archived from
the original on March 11, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2020 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for January 16, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for January 23, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for January 30, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for February 6, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for February 13, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for February 20, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for February 27, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for March 6, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for March 13, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for March 20, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for March 27, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for April 3, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for April 10, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for April 17, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for April 24, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for May 1, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for May 8, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for May 15, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for May 22, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for May 29, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for June 5, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for June 12, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for June 19, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for June 26, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for July 3, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for July 10, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for July 17, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for July 24, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for July 31, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for August 7, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for August 14, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for August 21, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for August 28, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for September 4, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for September 11, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for September 18, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for September 25, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for October 2, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for October 9, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for October 16, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for October 23, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for October 30, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for November 6, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for November 13, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for November 20, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for November 27, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for December 4, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for December 11, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on May 20, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for December 18, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
^
"Hot Country Songs chart for December 25, 1961" .
Billboard .
Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018 .
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