1960 #1 Singles Albums
January
December 28, 1959 – January 3, 1960: “Why” by Frankie Avalon [age 20] #1 Billboard Hot 100. “Why” is the last #1 of the 1950s. It was Avalon’s second and last #1 hit.
in January 1960: John Coltrane released “Giant Steps” album, considered a classic jazz album and one that saxophonists still measure themselves by today. The Penguin Guide
January 4 – 17, 1960: “El Paso” by Marty Robbins #1 Billboard Hot 100. First of three #1 songs in a row in which a person or persons die.
January 4 – 10, 1960: the Soundtrack to South Pacific is the Billboard #1 stereo album.
January 4 – February 14, 1960: the Kinston Trio’s Here We Go Again album is Billboard’s #1.
January 18 – February 7, 1960: “Running Bear” by Johnny Preston #1 Billboard Hot 100. Second of three #1 songs in a row in which a person or persons die. The song was written by J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper) with background vocals by Richardson and George Jones, who do the Indian chanting of “UGO UGO” during the three verses, as well as the Indian war cries.
January 26 – 27, 1960: Wes Montgomery records “The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery” [Airegin] Critic Chris May of All About Jazz wrote “The Incredible Jazz Guitar burst onto the US scene in 1960 like a benign hurricane, and it still sounds like a gale almost 50 years later....”
1960 #1 Singles Albums
February
February 8 – 21, 1960: “Teen Angel” by Mark Dinning #1 Billboard Hot 100. Released the previous October, radio stations were reluctant to play it and it was banned by the BBC. Performed by Sha Na Na at Woodstock. Third of three #1 songs in a row in which a person or persons die.
February 15 – May 8, 1960: the soundtrack from the original cast for The Sound of Music is Billboard’s #1 album.
February 22 – April 24, 1960: “Theme from a Summer Place” by Percy Faith #1 Billboard Hot 100
1960 #1 Singles Albums
March
In March 1960: bassist Charles Mingus released “Blues and Roots” album.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
April
April 4, 1960: RCA Victor Records announces that it will release all pop singles in mono and stereo simultaneously, the first record company to do so. Elvis Presley’s single, “Stuck on You,” is RCA’s first mono/stereo release.
April 8, 1960: Elvis records “Soldier Boy” as part of his first post-military service album.
April 21, 1960: Dick Clark testified before a congressional committee investigating payola. He admitted that he had a financial interest in 27 percent of the records he played on his show in a period of 28 months.
April 25 – May 22, 1960: “Stuck on You” by Elvis #1 Billboard Hot 100, his first since his Army discharge and his thirteenth overall. (see August 15, 1960)
April 25 – May 22, 1960: “Stuck on You” by Elvis #1 Billboard Hot 100, his first since his Army discharge and his thirteenth overall.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
May
May 9 – 15, 1960: Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra’s album Theme from a Summer Place is Billboard’s #1 album.
May 16 – May 22, 1960: the Kingston Trio’s Sold Out is Billboard’s #1 album.
May 19, 1960: five radio disk jockeys, including Alan Freed, were arrested on charges that they had accepted payola. District Attorney Frank Hogan said they had accepted illegal gratuities amounting to $116,580 from twenty-three record companies in the previous two years.
May 23 – 29, 1960: Theme from a Summer Place album again Billboard #1.
May 23 – June 26, 1960: “Cathy’s Clown” by the Everly Brothers #1 Billboard Hot 100.
May 30 – July 31, 1960: Sold Out album again Billboard #1.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
June
In June, 1960: Ornette Coleman released “Change of the Century” album.
June 27 – July 10, 1960: “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” by Connie Francis #1 Billboard Hot 100.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
July
July 3, 1960: Muddy Water records “At Newport 1960” album at Newport Jazz Festival. The album itself is released in November 1960.
July 11 – 17, 1960: “Alley Oop” by The Hollywood Argyles #1 Billboard Hot 100. July 18, 1960: Miles Davis releases “Sketches of Spain” album.
July 18 – Aug 7, 1960,: “I’m Sorry” by 15-year-old Brenda Lee #1 Billboard Hot 100. According to the Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson, Lee recorded the song early in 1960 but her label, Decca Records, held it from release for several months out of concern that a 15-year-old girl was not mature enough to sing about unrequited love.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
August
August 1 – September 25, 1960: comedian Bob Newhart’s The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart comedy album is Billboard #1.
August 8 – 15, 1960: “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” #1 Billboard Hot 100.
August 15 – September 18, 1960: “It’s Now or Never” by Elvis #1 Billboard Hot 100. It was Presley’s best selling single ever.
August 31 –September 6, 1960: Max Roach records We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite album. The Penguin Guide to Jazz has awarded the album one of its rare crown accolades, in addition to featuring it as part of its Core Collection.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
September
September 13, 1960: the Federal Communications act in the USA was amended to outlaw payments of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay of records.
September 19 – 25, 1960: “The Twist” by 18-year-old Chubby Checker #1 Billboard Hot 100 . The song was written by Hank Ballard and originally the B-side of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters’ “Teardrops on Your Letter” in 1959. Checker was born Ernest Evans. His boss nicknamed him Chubby. He made a private recording, “The Class,” on which he imitated many singers of the time including Fats Domino. The record was given to Dick Clark whose wife, after Ernest Evans said his nickname was Chubby, asked, “As in Checker?” referring to Fats Domino. The name stuck.
September 26 – October 9, 1960: “My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own” by Connie Francis #1 Billboard Hot 100
September 26 – October 30, 1960: the Kingston Trio’s String Along is their 3rd Billboard #1 album in 1960.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
October
October 20, 1960: Charles Mingus records “Fables of Faubus” with lyrics for his Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus album for release on independent label after Columbia Records had refused to release it with lyrics. The song was written as a direct protest against Arkansas governor Orval E. Faubus who in 1957 had sent out the National Guard to prevent the integration of Little Rock Central High School by nine African American teenagers. October 24 – November 13, 1960: “I Want to Be Wanted” by Benda Lee #1 Billboard Hot 100. She was still 15-years-old.
October 31 – November 6, 1960: Frank Sinatra’s Nice ‘n’ Easy Billboard #1 album.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
November
In November: Joan Baez (age 19) released her first album, Joan Baez.
November 7 – December 11, 1960: The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart comedy album returns to Billboard #1.
November 14 – 20, 1960: “Georgia On My Mind” by Ray Charles #1 Billboard Hot 100.
November 21 – 27, 1960: “Stay” by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs #1 Billboard Hot 100. Williams wrote the song in 1953 when he was 15 after unsuccessfully trying to convince his girlfriend to ignore her 10 o’clock curfew. The original recording of “Stay” remains the shortest single ever to reach the top of the American record charts, being only 1 minute and 37 seconds long.
November 28, 1960 – January 8, 1961: written in 1926, “Are You Lonesome To-night” by Elvis #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1960 #1 Singles Albums
December
December 12 – 18, 1960: Elvis Presley’s GI Blues album is Billboard #1.
December 19 – 25, 1960: Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart comedy album returns for a third time to Billboard #1.
December 26, 1960 – January 8, 1961: Presley’s GI Blues album is Billboard #1 for a second time.