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 datesedit
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.
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".
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 (ISBN0-8118-3572-3)
Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN0-06-273244-7)
Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.
External linksedit
April 12, 2024
1961, country, music, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, includes, list, references, related, reading, external, links, sources, remain, unc. This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations May 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources 1961 in country music news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1961 List of years in country music table 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science Contents 1 Events 1 1 No dates 2 Top hits of the year 2 1 Number one hits 2 1 1 United States 2 2 Other major hits 3 Top new album releases 4 Births 5 Deaths 6 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees 7 Major awards 7 1 Grammy Awards 8 See also 9 Further reading 10 External linksEvents editMarch 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 edit 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 editNumber one hits edit United States edit as certified by Billboard Date Single Name Artist Wks No 1 Spec NoteJanuary 9 North to Alaska Johnny Horton 5 B February 27 Don t Worry Marty Robbins 10May 8 Hello Walls Faron Young 9 Young s first Billboard Number One since Country Girl in 1959 July 10 Heartbreak U S A Kitty Wells 4 B August 7 I Fall to Pieces Patsy Cline 2 1 A August 21 Tender Years George Jones 7 2 Jones first Billboard Number One since White Lightning in 1959 September 25 Walk on By Leroy Van Dyke 19 2 C November 20 Big Bad John Jimmy Dean 2 A Also reached Number One on the Billboard Top Pop 100 and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts Notes 1 No 1 song of the year as determined by Billboard 2 Song dropped from No 1 and later returned to top spot A First Billboard No 1 hit for that artist B Last Billboard No 1 hit for that artist C Only Billboard No 1 hit for that artist to date Other major hits edit US Single Artist8 Backtrack Faron Young9 Be Quiet Mind Del Reeves5 Beggar to a King Hank Snow18 Big Big Love Wynn Stewart7 Big River Big Man Claude King16 Black Land Farmer Frankie Miller4 The Blizzard Jim Reeves14 Blue Blue Day The Wilburn Brothers14 Conscience I m Guilty Rose Maddox16 Cozy Inn Leon McAuliffe11 Crazy Bullfrog Lewis Pruitt15 Did I Ever Tell You George Jones and Margie Singleton14 Diggy Liggy Lo Rusty amp Doug14 Don t Let Your Sweet Love Die Reno and Smiley14 Everybody s Dying for Love Jimmy C Newman16 Family Bible George Jones9 Flat Top Cowboy Copas2 Foolin Around Buck Owens15 Forever Gone Ernest Ashworth20 Forget the Past Faron Young12 From Here to There to You Hank Locklin10 Go Home Flatt amp Scruggs11 The Hands You re Holding Now Skeeter Davis12 Hangover Tavern Hank Thompson7 Happy Birthday to Me Hank Locklin5 Heart Over Mind Ray Price4 Hello Fool Ralph Emery7 How Do You Talk to a Baby Webb Pierce5 I Dreamed of a Hill Billy Heaven Tex Ritter12 I Love You Best of All The Louvin Brothers15 I Want to Live Again Rose Maddox9 I Went Out of My Way To Make You Happy Roy Drusky10 I d Rather Loan You Out Roy Drusky4 I ll Just Have a Cup of Coffee Then I ll Go Claude Gray17 In Memory of Johnny Horton Johnny Hardy3 It s Your World Marty Robbins11 Kisses Never Lie Carl Smith14 Kissing My Pillow Rose Maddox11 Last Date Floyd Cramer5 Let Forgiveness In Webb Pierce20 Lonelyville Ray Sanders4 Loose Talk Buck Owens and Rose Maddox10 Louisiana Man Rusty amp Doug7 Loving You Was Worth This Broken Heart Bob Gallion8 Mental Cruelty Buck Owens and Rose Maddox3 My Ears Should Burn When Fools Are Talked About Claude Gray5 My Last Date With You Skeeter Davis7 Odds and Ends Bits and Pieces Warren Smith13 Oh Lonesome Me Johnny Cash7 Oklahoma Hills Hank Thompson17 One Grain of Sand Eddy Arnold14 One Step Ahead of My Past Hank Locklin20 One Way Street Bob Gallion10 Optimistic Skeeter Davis19 The Other Cheek Kitty Wells11 Please Mr Kennedy Jim Nesbitt9 Po Folks Bill Anderson12 Polka on a Banjo Flatt amp Scruggs15 Ragged but Right Moon Mullican11 The Restless One Hank Snow9 Right or Wrong Wanda Jackson8 San Antonio Rose Floyd Cramer2 Sea of Heartbreak Don Gibson16 Shorty Jimmy Smart10 Signed Sealed and Delivered Cowboy Copas20 Sleep Baby Sleep Connie Hall9 Sleepy Eyed John Johnny Horton3 Soft Rain Ray Price16 Stand at Your Window Jim Reeves12 Sunny Tennessee Cowboy Copas6 Sweet Dreams Don Gibson3 Sweet Lips Webb Pierce20 Sweethearts Again Bob Gallion20 There Must Be Another Way to Live Kitty Wells16 Thoughts of a Fool Ernest Tubb2 Three Hearts in a Tangle Roy Drusky9 Three Steps to the Phone Millions of Miles George Hamilton IV14 Through That Door Ernest Tubb13 To You and Yours From Me and Mine George Hamilton IV10 Too Many Times Don Winters13 Twenty Fourth Hour Ray Price2 Under the Influence of Love Buck Owens9 Walk Out Backwards Bill Anderson5 Walking the Streets Webb Pierce15 What Would You Do Jim Reeves6 When Two Worlds Collide Roger Miller2 Window Up Above George Jones8 Wreck on the Highway Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper14 You Don t Want My Love Roger Miller4 You re the Reason Bobby Edwards14 You re the Reason Hank Locklin16 You re the Reason Joe South10 Your Old Love Letters Porter WagonerTop new album releases editSingle Artist Record LabelAt the Golden Nugget Hank Thompson CapitolBuck Owens Buck Owens CapitolBuck Owens Sings Harlan Howard Buck Owens CapitolChet Atkins Workshop Chet Atkins RCACowboy Copas Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous Cowboy Copas StardayGot You on My Mind Jean Shepard CapitolHere s the Answer Skeeter Davis RCAHank Snow Souvenirs Hank Snow RCAChet Atkins in Hollywood Chet Atkins RCALet s Make Memories Tonight Eddy Arnold RCAA Man and His Guitar Chet Atkins RCAThe Most Popular Guitar Chet Atkins RCAOur Favorite Folk Songs The Browns RCAPatsy Cline Showcase Patsy Cline DeccaRight or Wrong Wanda Jackson CapitolSan Antonio Rose Ray Price ColumbiaThe Wild Wicked But Wonderful West Johnny Bond StardayThe Versatile Burl Ives Burl Ives DeccaBirths editJuly 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 Deaths editSeptember 20 Karl Farr member of the Sons of the Pioneers Country Music Hall of Fame Inductees editJimmie Rodgers 1897 1933 Fred Rose 1898 1954 Hank Williams Sr 1923 1953 Major awards editGrammy Awards edit Best Country and Western Recording Big Bad John Jimmy DeanSee also editCountry Music Association Inductees of the Country Music Hall of FameFurther reading editKingsbury 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 External links editCountry Music Hall of Fame Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1961 in country music amp oldid 1204084040, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
