Greatest Country Hits Of 1961 / Various Greatest Country Hits Of 1961 / Various CD

This release continues the series of 4-CD sets which comprises selected annual collections of the biggest US country hits of each year. This great-value 113-track collection covers the year of 1961, during which time Billboard published a country Top 30 called Hot C&W Sides, and it comprises every record which appeared in the top 22 places in that chart during the year, excluding one or two records which are unavailable for copyright reasons. Despite the fact that the pop landscape had been transformed over the preceding years by rock 'n' roll and it's aftermath, and with the new decade the British Invasion was only a couple of years away, the charts still had a familiar look about them for country fans, with many traditional established country stars well-represented, like Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce, Kitty Wells and Ray Price, although the smoother Nashville sound certainly characterised many of the hits and there was more than a smattering of artists who enjoyed big crossover hits, notably Leroy Van Dyke returning to the charts with his long-running No. 1 "Walk On By", as well as Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, Hank Locklin, and Faron Young. There were also some hot new kids on the block like Buck Owens, Roy Drusky, and Jimmy Dean, along with some collectable obscurities among the one-hit wonders. It's a fascinating and entertaining musical snapshot of the country scene during a dynamic era, and with an in-depth 12,000+ word booklet with background notes on every record, it gives a solid overview of the most popular country music of the year.

1. Ferlin Husky - On The Wings of A Dove 2. Jim Reeves - I Missed Me 3. Buck Owens - Excuse Me 4. Webb Pierce - Fallen Angel 5. Jim Reeves - Am I Losing You 6. Marion Worth - I Think I Know 7. Ernest Ashworth - You Can't Pick A Rose In December 8. Jimmy Newman - Wanting You (With Me Tonight) 9. Johnny Horton - North To Alaska 10. Floyd Cramer - Last Date 11. Elvis Presley - Are You Lonesome Tonight 12. Lester Flatt ; Earl Scruggs - Polka On A Banjo 13. Don Gibson - Sweet Dreams 14. Faron Young - Forget The Past 15. Skeeter Davis - My Last Date (With You) 16. George Jones - Window Up Above 17. Hank Locklin - One Step Ahead Of My Past 18. Bob Gallion - Loving You (Was Worth This Broken Heart) 19. Bill Anderson - Walk Out Backward 20. Marty Robbins - Don't Worry (Like All The Other Times) 21. Johnny Cash - Oh Lonesome Me 22. Rose Maddox - Kissing My Pillow 23. James O'Gwynn - House Of Blue Lovers 24. Webb Pierce - Let Forgiveness In 25. Don Gibson - What About Me 26. Buck Owens - Foolin' Around 27. Rose Maddox - I Want To Live Again 28. Roy Drusky - I'd Rather Loan You Out 29. Porter Wagoner - Your Old Love Letters 30. Warren Smith - Odds And Ends (Bits And Pieces) 31. Kitty Wells - The Other Cheek 32. Claude Gray - I'll Have Another Cup Of Coffee 33. Rusty ; Doug - Louisiana Man 34. Lou Smith - I'm Wondering 35. Jim Nesbit and Lasses Sapper - Please Mr. Kennedy 36. Jim Reeves - The Blizzard 37. Roger Miller - You Don't Want My Love 38. Faron Young - Hello Walls 39. Jimmy Smart - Shorty 40. Lewis Pruitt - Crazy Bullfrog 41. Johnny Horton - Sleepy-Eyed John 42. Ray Price - The Twenty-Fourth Hour 43. Louvin Brothers - I Love You Best Of All 44. Ray Price - Heart Over Mind 45. Connie Hall - Sleep, Baby, Sleep 46. Marion Worth - There'll Always Be Sadness 47. Ernest Ashworth - Forever Gone 48. Skeeter Davis - The Hand You're Holding Now 49. Jimmy Newman - Everybody's Dyin' For Love 50. George Jones - Family Bible 51. Johnny Hardy - In Memory Of Johnny Horton 52. Ray Sanders - Lonelyville 53. Ernest Tubb - Thoughts Of A Fool 54. Roy Drusky - Three Hearts In A Tangle 55. Buck Owens ; Ruth Maddox - Mental Cruelty 56. Benny Barnes - Yearning 57. Buck Owens ; Ruth Maddox - Loose Talk 58. Hank Locklin - From Here To There To You 59. Wilma Lee ; Stoney Cooper - Wreck On The Highway 60. Ralph Emery - Hello Fool 61. Bob Gallion - One Way Street 62. Hank Thompson ; The Brazos Valley Boys - Oklahoma Hills 63. Kitty Wells - Heartbreak U.S.A. 64. Kitty Wells - There Must Be Another Way To Live 65. Webb Pierce - Sweet Lips 66. Patti Page - Mom And Dad's Waltz 67. Hank Snow - Beggar To A King 68. Floyd Cramer - San Antonio Rose 69. Roger Miller - When Two Worlds Collide 70. Patsy Cline - I Fall To Pieces 71. Jim Reeves - What Would You Do' 72. Margie Bowes - Little Miss Belong To No-one 73. George Jones - Tender Years 74. George Hamilton IV - Three Steps To The Phone (Millions Of Miles) 75. Don Winters - Too Many Times 76. Carl Smith - Kisses Never Lie 77. Wilburn Brothers - Blue Blue Day 78. Wanda Jackson - Right Or Wrong 79. Jerry Lee Lewis - Cold Cold Heart 80. Claude Gray - My Ears Should Burn 81. Claude King - Big River, Big Man 82. Rose Maddox - Conscience I'm Guilty 83. Rex Allen - Marines, Let's Go 84. Tex Ritter - I Dreamed Of A Hillbilly Heaven 85. Roy Drusky - I Went Out Of My Way (To Make You Happy) 86. Rusty ; Doug - Diggy Liggy Lo 87. Leroy Van Dyke - Walk On By 88. George Jones ; Margie Singleton - Did I Ever Tell You 89. Joe South - You're The Reason 90. Don Gibson - Sea Of Heartbreak 91. Skeeter Davis - Optimistic 92. Jim Reeves - Stand At Your Window 93. Eddy Arnold - One Grain Of Sand 94. Marty Robbins - It's Your World 95. Hank Thompson with The Brazos Valley Boys - Hangover Tavern 96. Buck Owens - Under The Influence Of Love 97. Webb Pierce - Walking The Streets 98. Hank Locklin - Happy Birthday To Me 99. Bill Anderson - Po' Folks 100. Faron Young - Backtrack 101. Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John 102. Leon McAuliffe - Cozy Inn 103. Bobby Edwards - You're The Reason 104. Hank Snow - The Restless One 105. Hank Locklin - You're The Reason 106. George Hamilton IV - To You And Yours (From Me And Mine) 107. Ernest Tubb - Through That Door 108. Webb Pierce - How Do You Talk To A Baby 109. Del Reeves - Be Quiet Mind 110. Bob Gallion - Sweethearts Again 111. Ray Price - Soft Rain 112. Flatt ; Scruggs - Go Home 113. Wynn Stewart - Big, Big Love