The Greatest Country Hits of 1961

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 its 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. However, 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.