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List of Billboard Easy Listening number ones of 1961

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A dark-skinned man with a thin mustache, smiling slightly
Brook Benton had the first number one on the Easy Listening chart.

In 1961, Billboard magazine launched a chart ranking the top-performing songs in the United States which were considered to be "easy listening". The chart has undergone various name changes and since 1996 has been published under the title Adult Contemporary.[1] Initially, the listing was compiled simply by extracting from the magazine's pop music chart, the Hot 100, those songs which were deemed by the magazine's staff to fit under the Easy Listening banner and ranking them according to their placings on the Hot 100.[2] In 1961, seven different songs topped the Easy Listening chart in 24 issues of the magazine.

The number one song on the first Easy Listening chart was "The Boll Weevil Song" by Brook Benton, which was at number 2 on the Hot 100 that week.[3] Benton had achieved six chart-toppers on the R&B chart since 1959,[4] but "The Boll Weevil Song" would prove to be his only Easy Listening number one.[5] The song held the top spot on the new chart for three weeks before being replaced by "Together" by Connie Francis.

The longest-running Easy Listening number one of 1961 was "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean, which spent the final ten weeks of the year in the top spot. The song was a multi-genre chart-topper, also reaching number one on the country chart as well as the Hot 100.[6] It was one of three songs to top the Hot 100 as well as the Easy Listening chart during the year, along with "Wooden Heart" by Joe Dowell and "Michael" by the Highwaymen.[7] "Mexico" by Bob Moore and his Orchestra, which topped the Easy Listening chart for a single week, would prove to be the only track by Moore to appear on either that listing or the Hot 100.[8][9] Moore, whose primary instrument was the bass guitar, was better known as a backing musician for other artists, including Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan.[10]

Chart history

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A dark-haired young woman pressing one hand against her right cheek
Connie Francis topped the chart with her recording of the 1928 song "Together".
A dark-haired young man wearing a dark jacket and a necktie, smiling broadly while sitting in a chair and turning to look behind him
Jimmy Dean spent the last ten weeks of 1961 at number one.
Chart history
Issue date Title Artist(s) Ref.
July 17 "The Boll Weevil Song" Brook Benton [11]
July 24 [12]
July 31 [13]
August 7 "Together" Connie Francis [14]
August 14 "Wooden Heart" Joe Dowell [15]
August 21 [16]
August 28 [17]
September 4 "Michael" The Highwaymen [18]
September 11 [19]
September 18 [20]
September 25 [21]
October 2 [22]
October 9 "Mexico" Bob Moore and his orchestra [23]
October 16 "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" Sue Thompson [24]
October 23 "Big Bad John" Jimmy Dean [25]
October 30 [26]
November 6 [27]
November 13 [28]
November 20 [29]
November 27 [30]
December 4 [31]
December 11 [32]
December 18 [33]
December 25 [34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Whitburn 2002, p. 6.
  2. ^ Whitburn 2007, p. vi.
  3. ^ "The Hot 100 chart for July 17, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Whitburn 2004, p. 54.
  5. ^ Whitburn 2002, p. 32.
  6. ^ Whitburn 1996, p. 92.
  7. ^ Whitburn 2005, pp. 987, 988.
  8. ^ Whitburn 2002, p. 174.
  9. ^ Whitburn 2005, p. 487.
  10. ^ Chadbourne, Eugene. "Bob Moore Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  11. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 17, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  12. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 24, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  13. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for July 31, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  14. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 7, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  15. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 14, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 21, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for August 28, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  18. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 4, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  19. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 11, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  20. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 18, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  21. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for September 25, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  22. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 2, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  23. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 9, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  24. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 16, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  25. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 23, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  26. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for October 30, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  27. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 6, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  28. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 13, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  29. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 20, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  30. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for November 27, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  31. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 4, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  32. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 11, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  33. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 18, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  34. ^ "Adult Contemporary chart for December 25, 1961". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2018.

Works cited

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