This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1961.
Specific locations 1961 in British music 1961 in Japanese music 1961 in Norwegian music
Specific genres 1961 in country music 1961 in jazz
Events January 20 – Francis Poulenc's Gloria receives its premiėre in Boston, USA. February 9 – The Beatles at The Cavern Club: The Beatles, at this juncture John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best, perform under this name at The Cavern Club for the first time following their December return to Liverpool from Hamburg. February 12 – The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's first million-selling single. February 13 – Frank Sinatra forms his own record label, Reprise Records, which will later release recordings by The Beach Boys, Ella Fitzgerald, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix. February 14 – The Platters file a lawsuit against Mercury Records for breach of contract after the record company refuses to accept recordings on which Tony Williams does not sing lead. The group's lawsuit contends that their contract does not require this. February 15 – American soul singer Jackie Wilson is shot and seriously wounded at his Manhattan apartment by jealous girlfriend Juanita Jones (claimed publicly to be an obsessive fan). February 25 – Elvis Presley makes his first public stage appearance in four years, playing two shows in Memphis, Tennessee. March 18 – The 6th Eurovision Song Contest, held at Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, is won by Luxembourg with the song "Nous les amoureux", sung by Jean-Claude Pascal. March 21 – The Beatles at The Cavern Club: The Beatles play the first of nearly 300 regular performances at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. March 25 – Elvis Presley performs a benefit show at the Block Arena in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The show raises $62,000 for the USS Arizona Memorial fund. April 13 Intolleranza 1960 by Luigi Nono, his first opera, premières at La Fenice in Venice. The 3rd Annual Grammy Awards are held in Los Angeles, hosted by actor Lloyd Bridges. Ray Charles wins the most awards with four. Bob Newhart's The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart wins Album of the Year, Percy Faith's version of the "theme from A Summer Place" wins Record of the Year and Ernest Gold's "Theme from Exodus" wins Song of the Year. Newhart also wins Best New Artist. April 17 – Dalida and Charles Aznavour receive Radio Monte Carlo Oscar Awards for Best Song. April 23 – Judy Garland's concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City. April 29 – Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti makes his operatic debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Teatro Municipale (Reggio Emilia). May 1 – The Pulitzer Prize for Music is awarded to Walter Piston for his Symphony No. 7. June 14 – Patsy Cline is hospitalized as a result of a head-on car collision. While she is in hospital, the song "I Fall to Pieces" becomes a big Country/Pop crossover hit for her. June 25 – The Bill Evans Trio completes a two-week stay at The Village Vanguard in New York. It is the last time this trio will play before virtuoso bassist Scott LaFaro's death 10 days later. The five sets they play on the 25th are recorded, resulting in two albums, Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. June–July – Stu Sutcliffe leaves The Beatles to resume his art studies in Hamburg. July 1 – French composer Olivier Messiaen marries pianist Yvonne Loriod privately in Paris. July 17 – Billboard magazine first publishes an "Easy Listening" chart, listing songs that the magazine determines are not rock & roll records. The first #1 song on this chart is "The Boll Weevil Song" by Brook Benton. This chart will be renamed a number of times, becoming the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. October – John Cage's book Silence: Lectures and Writings is published in the United States. October 17 – Former schoolfriends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, later of The Rolling Stones, meet each other again by chance on Dartford railway station in Kent, England, on the way to their respective colleges and discover their mutual taste for rock and roll. November 9 – The Beatles at The Cavern Club: Future manager Brian Epstein first sees The Beatles. November 25 – The Everly Brothers enlist in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. November 27 – The Beach Boys release their debut 45 rpm single "Surfin'"/"Luau" on the small California label Candix Records. They have previously been known as The Pendletones. December 9 – The Beatles play their first gig in the south of England, at Aldershot. Inadequate advertising results in only 18 people turning up. In the early hours of the following morning they play an impromptu set at a London club. William Alwyn sets up home with fellow-composer Doreen Carwithen, his former pupil, at Blythburgh in England. The Leeds International Pianoforte Competition is founded in the north of England by Marion, Countess of Harewood, and Fanny Waterman. Indian tabla player Keshav Sathe and sitar player Bhaskar Chandavarkar perform with Larry Adler. The Country Music Association (CMA) creates the Country Music Hall of Fame and inducts, Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose and Hank Williams as the first three members. The score of Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 is discovered by musicologist Oldřich Pulkert in the Prague National Museum. ISMN M-006-20254-6.
Bands formed See :Category:Musical groups established in 1961
Albums released All the Way – Brenda Lee All the Way – Frank Sinatra The Alvin Show – Alvin and the Chipmunks – Soundtrack As Long as She Needs Me – Sammy Davis Jr. Bikini Twist – Bill Haley & His Comets Blue Hawaii (OST) – Elvis Presley The Blues and the Abstract Truth – Oliver Nelson BMOC: Best Music On/Off Campus – The Brothers Four The Bobby Darin Story – Bobby Darin Bobby's Biggest Hits – Bobby Rydell Bobby Vee – Bobby Vee Bo Diddley Is a Lover – Bo Diddley Bright and Shiny – Doris Day Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! – Ella Fitzgerald Come Swing with Me! – Frank Sinatra Das ist Freddy – Freddy Quinn Runaround Sue – Dion An Electrifying Evening with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet – Dizzy Gillespie Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook – Ella Fitzgerald Ella in Hollywood – Ella Fitzgerald Ella Returns to Berlin – Ella Fitzgerald (recorded, released 1991) Emotions – Brenda Lee Explorations – Bill Evans Trio For 'Teen Twisters Only – Chubby Checker Garde-moi la dernière danse – Dalida The Genius Sings the Blues – Ray Charles Goin' Places – The Kingston Trio (including "It Was a Very Good Year") The Greatest Horn in the World – Al Hirt He's the King and His Band – Al Hirt I Have Dreamed – Doris Day I Remember Tommy – Frank Sinatra It's Morrissey, Man! – Dick Morrissey Jewels of the Sea – Les Baxter Joan Baez, Vol. 2 – Joan Baez Judy at Carnegie Hall – Judy Garland Les Chansons d'Aragon – Léo Ferré L'Étonnant Serge Gainsbourg – Serge Gainsbourg Let's Twist Again – Chubby Checker Listen to Cliff! – Cliff Richard Loin de moi – Dalida Lonely and Blue – Roy Orbison The Lure of the Grand Canyon – Johnny Cash Make Way – The Kingston Trio More Soul – Hank Crawford My Favorite Things – John Coltrane New Juke Box Hits – Chuck Berry Now Here's Johnny Cash – Johnny Cash Out of the Cool – The Gil Evans Orchestra Patsy Cline Showcase – Patsy Cline Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 – Byron Janis, Antal Dorati conducts the London Symphony Orchestra Rah! – Mark Murphy Rainin' in My Heart – Slim Harpo Ring-a-Ding-Ding! – Frank Sinatra Rick Is 21 – Rick Nelson Roy Orbison at the Rock House – Roy Orbison Runaway with Del Shannon – Del Shannon A Scottish Soldier – Andy Stewart Send for Me – Julie London The Shadows – The Shadows Shirley Bassey – Shirley Bassey Sinatra Swings – Frank Sinatra Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! – Frank Sinatra Sings Hits of the Rockin' 50's – Bobby Vee Sing to Me Mr. C – Perry Como Someday My Prince Will Come – Miles Davis Something for Everybody – Elvis Presley The Soul of Ike & Tina Turner – Ike & Tina Turner Straight Ahead – Oliver Nelson Stranger on the Shore – Acker Bilk Sunday at the Village Vanguard – Bill Evans Trio The Swingin's Mutual! – Nancy Wilson with the George Shearing quintet Time Further Out – Dave Brubeck 21 Today – Cliff Richard Twist – Bill Haley & His Comets West Side Story – Cal Tjader West Side Story – Original Soundtrack Whatever Julie Wants – Julie London The Young Ones – Cliff Richard and The Shadows
Biggest hit singles The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in 1961.
# Artist Title Year Country Chart Entries 1 Ben E King Stand By Me 1961 US UK 1 – Feb 1987, Ireland 1 – Feb 1987, DDD 1 of 1961, RYM 2 of 1961, Switzerland 3 – Mar 1987, US BB 4 – May 1961, Germany 4 – Mar 1987, US BB 7 of 1961, Netherlands 7 – Mar 1987, POP 7 of 1961, Norway 9 – Apr 1987, Scrobulate 14 of soul, Canada 16 – May 1961, Austria 17 – Apr 1987, RIAA 25, US CashBox 43 of 1961, Acclaimed 53, 95 in 2FM list, Italy 96 of 1962, Rolling Stone 121, Germany 235 of the 1980s, Party 269 of 1999, WXPN 746 2 Del Shannon Runaway 1961 US UK 1 – Apr 1961, US BB 1 – Mar 1961, Canada 1 – Mar 1961, Australia 1 for 6 weeks Oct 1960, RYM 1 of 1961, Norway 4 – Jun 1961, DDD 7 of 1961, US CashBox 9 of 1961, Australia Goset 12 – Oct 1967, Australia 15 of 1961, US BB 5 of 1961, POP 17 of 1961, South Africa 18 of 1961, Acclaimed 66, Scrobulate 96 of oldies, Rolling Stone 466 3 Chubby Checker Let's Twist Again 1961 US UK 2 – Dec 1961, Canada 2 – Jul 1961, Norway 2 – Feb 1962, US BB 3 of 1961, Netherlands 3 – Jan 1976, POP 3 of 1961, South Africa 6 of 1962, US BB 8 – Jul 1961, Sweden (alt) 10 – Feb 1976, Austria 11 – Apr 1976, Germany 12 – Mar 1962, RYM 16 of 1961, Italy 17 of 1962, Party 23 of 1999, US CashBox 62 of 1961, DDD 67 of 1961, Scrobulate 95 of oldies, Germany 396 of the 1960s 4 Elvis Presley Surrender 1961 US UK 1 – May 1961, US BB 1 – Feb 1961, Canada 1 – Mar 1961, Australia 1 for 2 weeks Sep 1960, Norway 2 – Apr 1961, Germany 6 – May 1961, South Africa 10 of 1961, US CashBox 32 of 1961, Global 33 (5 M sold) – 1961, RYM 33 of 1961 5 The Marcels Blue Moon 1961 US UK 1 – Apr 1961, US BB 1 – Mar 1961, Canada 1 – Mar 1961, Norway 4 – May 1961, US CashBox 11 of 1961, South Africa 11 of 1961, Germany 13 – Jun 1961, US BB 14 of 1961, DDD 14 of 1961, POP 14 of 1961, RYM 26 of 1961, Acclaimed 1034
Top hits on record
Published popular music "Another Time, Another Place" w.m. Richard Adler from the musical Kwamina "Baby Elephant Walk" m. Henry Mancini from the film Hatari! "Big Bad John" w.m. Jimmy Dean "Blue Bayou" w.m. Joe Melson & Roy Orbison "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" w.m. Howard Greenfield & Jack Keller "Crazy" w.m. Willie Nelson Cruella DeVil w.m. Mel Leven, from the Walt Disney animated film 101 Dalmatians "Crying" w.m. Joe Melson & Roy Orbison "Funny How Time Slips Away" w.m. Willie Nelson "Hats Off to Larry" w.m. Del Shannon "Hit the Road Jack" w.m. Percy Mayfield "I Love How You Love Me" w.m. Barry Mann & Larry Kolber "Let's Get Together" w.m. Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman from the film The Parent Trap "Let's Twist Again" w.m. Dave Appell & Kal Mann "Little Miss Stuck-up" w.m. Lee Pockriss & Paul Vance "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" w.m. Bob Merrill from the film Carnival! "Mister Ed theme song" w.m. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans "Moon River" w. Johnny Mercer m. Henry Mancini from the film Breakfast at Tiffany's "Multiplication" w.m. Bobby Darin. Introduced by Bobby Darin in the film Come September. "My Kind of Girl" w.m. Leslie Bricusse "The Passenger's Always Right" w.m. Noël Coward from the musical Sail Away "Pocketful Of Miracles" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jimmy Van Heusen from the film Pocketful of Miracles "Running Scared" w.m. Joe Melson & Roy Orbison "Speedy Gonzales" w.m David Hess, Buddy Kaye & Ethel Lee "Ten Girls Ago" w. Diane Lampert m. Sammy Fain "Tender Is the Night" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain. Theme from the film Tender Is the Night