1961- A Standout Year Part 2
by Pat Jacobs
The Marvelettes were the first Motown group to hit the no.1 spot with "Please Mr. Postman", with Gladys Horton singing lead. ( She sang lead until 1966.) And they became the second female group of the decade and the rock era to accomplish this. The Chantels returned to the Top 40 with new lead singer Annette Smith (no relation to original lead Arlene Smith). "Look In My Eyes" (no. 14) and "Well, I Told You" (no.29), an answer record to Ray Charles' "Hit The Road Jack" The Crystals made their Top 40 debut with "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", at no. 20. They were discovered by Phil Spector. A doo-wop revival (in 1961!) resulted in hits for The Capris, The Marcels, Rosie and The Originals, Little Caesar and The Romans, The Velvets, The Pips (Gladys Knight and The Pips), and The Chimes, among others. Doo-wop started on the streets of New York City; groups of young, mostly black males, who were too poor to afford instruments, used their voices to harmonize and in place of instruments. Early doo-wop inspirations were The Ravens and The Drifters with Clyde McPhatter. (Many groups were named after birds! Others picked names of streets or automobiles.) New York music entrepreneur George Goldner recorded several of these groups; in early 1954, he recorded The Crows, who had great success with "Gee". Goldner then established Gee Records and then signed Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, and others, such as The Harptones and The Flamingos. By the mid-50s, doo-wop became a national fad in American cities. Dion and The Belmonts were one of the few white doo-wop groups. "Shop Around" by The Miracles became Motown's first million seller. German orchestra leader Bert Kaempfert had a top single and album, "Wonderland By Night", and also co-wrote "Wooden Heart", the Elvis Presley hit and a no.1 smash for Joe Dowell! Kaempfert also produced The Beatles, who were then performing in Germany. Frank Sinatra announced plans to start his own label, Reprise. Fellow rat packers Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. joined Sinatra's new label. Across the ocean, The Beatles played for the first time at the Cavern Club. They were the opening act for The Bluegenes, later known as The Swinging Blue Jeans). Bob Dylan debuted in New York as opening act for John Lee Hooker. Dylan also played harmonica on a recording session for Harry Belafonte. Ben E. King originally wrote "Stand By Me" for his former group, The Drifters. "Surrender", the Elvis Presley hit, was based on an old Italian ballad (as was "It's Now Or Never"= "O Sole Mio"? "Buttered Popcorn" was the earliest Motown single by The Supremes (with Diana Ross), previously known as The Primettes, who recorded on the Lupine label. They were the sister group to The Primes (later known as The Temptations). 1961's biggest hit was "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis. The first hit from Stax Records was "Last Night" by The Mar-Keys. The twist craze started catching on with the grownups. "Michael" The Highwaymen, was a 19th century slave song. Across the ocean, the alternative pop magazine Mersey Beat, was started in Liverpool. "Please Mr. Postman", by The Marvelettes became Motown's first no.1 hit. The Lettermen had their first top 40 hit, "The Way You Look Tonight" (no. 13) and first top ten (Dec.), "When I Fall In Love" (no. 7). 11-year-old Steveland Judkins was signed to the Motown company, who was later renamed Little Stevie Wonder. The Dovells had a no. 2 smash with "Bristol Stomp". Joan Baez debuted on the album charts and fellow folkie Bob Dylan made his debut album. Dylan played Carnegie Hall........to just 53 people! Later in the year, The Beach Boys performed their first show under that name at a Ritchie Valens Memorial show. And their debut single "Surfin" was released on X Records. Across the ocean, The Beatles became regulars at the Cavern Club. And Brian Epstein discovered them there. Top 40 format radio was launched. (I also read that radio station WTIX in New Orleans started this in 1955! I'm not sure about this; I always thought Top 40 radio was "sixties".) The first U.S. disco, Le Club, opened in New York. The biggest crossover of R + B hits to the pop charts occurred at this time. Popular dances were the Bristol Stomp, the Fish, the Pony, the Fly, and the Hucklebuck. And would you believe that Paul Revere and The Raiders made their debut this year?!! Their first Top 40 hit was an instrumental, "Like, Long Hair" (no. 38). |
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