1960 R&B Hits Collection / Various 1960 R&B Hits Collection / Various CD

This continues the strand of R&B and country collections associated with Acrobat's highly popular "America's Greatest Hits" series, this one focusing on the top R&B records in the US Billboard charts during 1960. This great value 115-track 4-CD anthology includes, with the exception of certain records which are unavailable for inclusion due to copyright restrictions, just about every record which peaked in the Billboard R&B Top 15 during that year. By this time, the R&B scene had evolved considerably as the rock 'n roll scene had matured and Tin Pan Alley had marketed it's teen-oriented offshoots, and there was an exciting feel to the charts, with substantial crossover of pop artists into the R&B chart and vice versa, with artists like Jackie Wilson, The Drifters, Ray Charles and Sam Cooke. The big chart winner of the year was Brook Benton, with three No. 1s and 23 weeks at the top, fourteen of those with Dinah Washington. With the blurring of the boundaries between the genres, the more traditional blues and R&B artists whose music had helped lay the groundwork for rock found it harder to reach the top positions. However, there was still a solid representation of old school blues artists like B.B. King and Jimmy Reed, and top class R&B singers like Etta James, Bobby Bland and James Brown formed the core of the chart, as well as the first chart incursions from the Motown stable by Barrett Strong and Marv Johnson. As with all these collections, it provides a window onto a dynamic and exciting musical environment, and includes a number of unfamiliar names and recordings of which even enthusiasts of the genre may not be too aware, and which will be welcome additions to their collections. It contains a 12,000+ word booklet featuring background notes on every record.

1. Lloyd Price - Won'tcha Come Home 2. Bill Black's Combo - Smokie (Part 2) 3. Clyde McPhatter - Let's Try Again 4. Freddy Cannon - Way Down Yonder in New Orleans 5. Frankie Avalon - Why 6. Dee Clark - How About That 7. Connie Francis - Among My Souvenirs 8. Paul Anka - It's Time to Cry 9. Della Reese - Not One Minute More 10. Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want) 11. Lloyd Price - Lady Luck 12. Dinah Washington ; Brook Benton - Baby (You've Got What It Takes) 13. Bobby "Blue" Bland - I'll Take Care of You 14. Johnny Preston - Running Bear 15. Rosco Gordon - Just a Little Bit 16. B. B. King - Sweet Sixteen (Part I) 17. Mark Dinning - Teen Angel 18. Bobby Darin - Beyond the Sea 19. Little Anthony ; the Imperials - Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop 20. Jack Scott - What in the World's Come Over You 21. James Brown - I'll Go Crazy 22. Jimmy Jones - Handy Man 23. Bobby Rydell - Wild One 24. Lavern Baker - Shake a Hand 25. Nat "King" Cole - Whatcha' Gonna Do 26. Percy Faith - Theme from "A Summer Place" 27. Ray Bryant Combo - Little Susie (Part 4) 28. Sammy Turner - Paradise 29. Drifters - This Magic Moment 30. Jimmy Reed - Baby What You Want Me to Do: 31. Marv Johnson - I Love the Way You Love 32. Ruth Brown - Don't Deceive Me 33. Brenda Lee - Sweet Nothin's 34. Platters - Harbor Lights 35. Buster Brown - Fannie Mae 36. James Brown (Aka Nat Kendrick ; the Swans) - (Do the) Mashed Potatoes (Part 1) 37. Billy Bland - Let the Little Girl Dance 38. Bill Black's Combo - White Silver Sands 39. Bobby "Blue" Bland - Lead Me on 40. Brook Benton - the Ties That Bind 41. Debbie Reynolds - Am I That Easy to Forget' 42. Wade Flemons - Easy Lovin' 43. Al Brown's Tunetoppers - the Madison 44. Elmo James and His Broomdusters - the Sky Is Crying 45. Jackie Wilson - Night 46. Harold Dorman - Mountain of Love 47. Connie Stevens - Sixteen Reasons 48. Jackie Wilson - Doggin' Around 49. Jessie Hill - Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Part II) 50. Elvis Presley - Stuck on You 51. Jimmy Jones - Good Timin' 52. Jim Reeves - He'll Have to Go 53. Johnny Preston - Cradle of Love 54. Ella Fitzgerald - Mack the Knife 55. Jeanne Black - He'll Have to Stay 56. Ray Bryant Combo - the Madison Time (Part I) 57. B. B. King - (I've) Got a Right to Love My Baby 58. Everly Brothers - Cathy's Clown 59. Sam Cooke - Wonderful World 60. Jack Scott - Burning Bridges 61. James Brown and the Famous Flames - Think 62. Ron Holden with the Thunderbirds - Love You So 63. Dinah Washington ; Brook Benton - a Rockin' Good Way (To Mess Around ; Fall in Love) 64. Connie Francis - Everybody's Somebody's Fool 65. Hollywood Argyles - Alley Oop 66. Drifters - Lonely Winds 67. Etta James - All I Could Do Was Cry 68. Bobby Marchan - There's Something on Your Mind (Part 2) 69. James Brown (And the Famous Flames) - You've Got the Power 70. Dinah Washington - This Bitter Earth 71. Ray Charles - Sticks and Stones 72. Jon Thomas - Heartbreak (It's Hurtin' Me) 73. Olympics - Big Boy Pete 74. Coasters - Wake Me, Shake Me 75. Jackie Wilson - a Woman, a Lover, a Friend 76. Fats Domino - Walking to New Orleans 77. Brenda Lee - I'm Sorry 78. Lloyd Price - Question 79. Ike ; Tina Turner - a Fool in Love 80. Elvis Presley with the Jordanaires - It's Now or Never 81. Brian Hyland - Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini 82. Ray Charles - Tell the Truth 83. Chubby Checker - the Twist 84. Nat "King" Cole ; Stan Kenton - My Love 85. Brook Benton - Kiddio 86. Bobby Rydell - Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu) 87. Roy Orbison - Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel 88. B. B. King - Partin' Time 89. Sugarpie Desanto - I Want to Know 90. Etta James ; Harvey Fuqua - If I Can't Have You 91. Clyde McPhatter - Ta Ta 92. Sam Cooke - Chain Gang 93. Etta James - My Dearest Darling 94. Ventures - Walk - Don't Run 95. Marv Johnson - (You've Got to) Move Two Mountains 96. Bobby Peterson - Irresistible You 97. Jimmy Charles - a Million to One 98. Larry Verne - Mr. Custer 99. Connie Francis - My Heart Has a Mind of It's Own 100. Fats Domino - Three Nights a Week 101. Ray Charles - Georgia on My Mind 102. Bill Black's Combo - Don't Be Cruel 103. Drifters - Save the Last Dance for Me 104. Bob Luman - Let's Think About Livin' 105. Brenda Lee - I Want to Be Wanted 106. Jackie Wilson - Am I the Man 107. Chubby Checker - the Hucklebuck 108. Fats Domino - My Girl Josephine 109. Elvis Presley - Are You Lonesome Tonight' 110. Joe Jones - You Talk Too Much 111. Maurice Williams ; Zodiacs - Stay 112. Gary "U. S." Bonds - New Orleans 113. Joe ; Ann - Gee Baby 114. Etta Jones - Don't Go to Strangers 115. Aretha Franklin - Today I Sing the Blues