1961 R&B Hits Collection / Various 1961 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 1961. This great value 113-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 into the pop charts through artists like Ben E. King, Ray Charles, Brook Benton, The Miracles, Aretha Franklin and The Marvelettes. There was also a significant weight of other records from the increasingly powerful Motown, Tamla and other labels producing material which would have a significant influence on emerging talent across the pond in the UK, like The Beatles, who absorbed some of the songs in this anthology into their repertoire, sowing the seeds of the British invasion which was soon to transform the pop landscape once more. 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 in the R&B chart, and the foundations of the soul boom of the late '60s and 70s was clearly in evidence in many of the hits included here. 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

1. Jerry Butler - He Will Break Your Heart 2. Floyd Cramer - Last Date 3. Bert Kaempfert ; His Orch. - Wonderland By Night 4. Brook Benton - Fools Rush in (Where Angels Fear to Tread) 5. Kathy Young ; the Innocents - a Thousand Stars 6. Johnny Horton - North to Alaska 7. Bobby Bland - Cry Cry Cry 8. Miracles - Shop Around 9. James Booker - Gonzo 10. Ray Charles - Ruby 11. Nina Simone - Trouble in Mind 12. Etta ; Harvey - Spoonful 13. Ike ; Tina Turner - I Idolize You 14. Little Junior Parker - Stand By Me 15. Drifters - I Count the Tears 16. Marv Johnson - Happy Days 17. The Innocents - Gee Whiz 18. Jimmy Reed - Close Together 19. Ronnie Love ; His Orch. - Chills and Fever 20. Rosie ; the Originals - Angel Baby 21. Ferrante ; Teicher - Exodus 22. Ray Charles ; His Orch. - Them That Got 23. The Capris - There's a Moon Out Tonight 24. Maxine Brown - All in My Mind 25. Roy Hamilton - You Can Have Her 26. Aretha Franklin - Won't Be Long 27. Mary Wells - Bye Bye Baby 28. Jackie Wilson - the Tear of the Year 29. Fats Domino - What a Price 30. Lawrence Welk - Calcutta 31. Chubby Checker - Pony Time 32. Etta James - at Last 33. Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes) 34. Brook Benton - Think Twice 35. Bobby Bland - I Pity the Fool 36. James Brown - Bewildered 37. Marcels - Blue Moon 38. Brook Benton - for My Baby 39. The Vibrations - the Watusi 40. Ben E. King - Spanish Harlem 41. Ray Charles - One Mint Julep 42. Etta James - Trust in Me 43. Ernie K-Doe - Mother-In-Law 44. Jerry Butler - Find Another Girl 45. Jorgen Ingmann ; His Guitar - Apache 46. Jackie Wilson - Please Tell Me Why 47. The Miracles - Ain't It Baby 48. Drifters - Some Kind of Wonderful 49. Clarence "Frogman" Henry - But I Do 50. Gene McDaniels - a Hundred Pounds of Clay 51. Del Shannon - Runaway 52. Shep ; the Limelites - Daddy's Home 53. Joe Barry - I'm a Fool to Care 54. Maxine Brown - Funny 55. Junior Parker - Driving Wheel 56. Ben E. King - Stand By Me 57. Cleftones - Heart and Soul 58. Regents - Barbara Ann 59. Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man 60. Etta James - Fool That I Am 61. James Brown - I Don't Mind 62. Elvis Presley - I Feel So Bad 63. Pips - Every Beat of My Heart 64. Clarence 'Frogman' Henry - You Always Hurt the One You Love 65. Bobby Lewis - Tossin' and Turnin' 66. Dee Clark - Raindrops 67. Ray Charles - I've Got News for You 68. Jackie Wilson - I'm Comin' on Back to You 69. Brook Benton - the Boll Weevil Song 70. The Drifters - Please Stay 71. Gary "U. S." Bonds - Quarter to Three 72. B. B. King - Peace of Mind 73. Chris Kenner - I Like It Like That (Part I) 74. Spinners - That's What Girls Are Made for 75. Damita Joe - I'll Be There 76. Mar-Keys - Last Night 77. Gary U.S. Bonds - School Is Out 78. Bobby Bland - Don't Cry No More 79. Mary Wells - I Don't Want to Take a Chance 80. The Chanters - No, No, No 81. Jerry Butler - I'm a Telling You 82. The Sensations Featuring Yvonne - Music, Music, Music 83. Jive Five - My True Story 84. Fats Domino - Let the Four Winds Blow 85. Ben E. King - Amor 86. James Brown - Baby, You're Right 87. Bull Moose Jackson - I Love You Yes I Do 88. Ike ; Tina Turner - It's Gonna Work Out Fine 89. Jimmy Reed - Bright Lights, Big City 90. Bobby Lewis - One Track Mind 91. Brook Benton - Frankie and Johnny 92. Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack 93. Chantels - Look in My Eyes 94. Jarmels - a Little Bit of Soap 95. Etta James - Don't Cry, Baby 96. The Stereos - I Really Love You 97. Dovells - Bristol Stomp 98. Lee Dorsey - Ya Ya 99. Drifters - Sweets for My Sweet 100. Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman 101. Dion - Runaround Sue 102. Aretha Franklin - Operation Heartbreak 103. Little Junior Parker - in the Dark 104. Gene McDaniels - Tower of Strength 105. Jimmy McCracklin - Just Got to Know 106. Sims Twins - Soothe Me 107. Chubby Checker - the Fly 108. Dinah Washington - September in the Rain 109. Solomon Burke - Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms) 110. The Miracles - Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues 111. Bobby Bland - Turn on Your Love Light 112. Crystals - There's No Other (Like My Baby) 113. Impressions - Gypsy Woman