Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

April 3, 1961 The Marcels' "Blue Moon" hits #1 in America.

March 20, 1961 Elvis Presley's "Surrender" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

February 27, 1961 Chubby Checker's "Pony Time" hits #1 in America for the first of five weeks.

February 13, 1961 Lawrence Welk's "Calcutta" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

February 6, 1961 The Capris' "There's a Moon Out Tonight" enters the R&B charts.

January 30, 1961 The Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" hits #1 in America. It's the first big hit for the songwriting team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King.

November 21, 1960 Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs' "Stay" hits #1 in America. One of the most famous falsetto songs ever recorded, it is later covered by The Four Seasons and Jackson Browne. Running just 1:38, it's the shortest song ever to top the Hot 100.

November 21, 1960 Ray Charles has four entries on the Billboard Hot 100: "Georgia On My Mind" (#5), "Ruby" (#51), "Hard Hearted Hannah" (#66), and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (#95).

November 3, 1960 Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never" hits #1 in the UK, where it stays for eight weeks. The UK release was delayed because "O Sole Mio," on which the melody is based, is still under copyright in Britain, but not in America, where "It's Now Or Never" went to #1 in August.

October 24, 1960 Brenda Lee's "I Want To Be Wanted" hits #1 in the US. It's her last chart-topper until 63 years later when her festive favorite "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," revived by a new music video, goes to the top.

October 24, 1960 In a down year for rock and roll, Frank Sinatra's album of orchestral ballads, Nice 'N' Easy, hits #1 in America.

October 17, 1960 The Drifters' "Save The Last Dance For Me" hits #1 in America for the first of three weeks. Doc Pomus wrote the lyric about his wedding day, when he watched his bride, the actress Willi Burke, dance with his brother.

October 10, 1960 Larry Verne's novelty song "Mr. Custer" hits #1 in America.

September 26, 1960 Connie Francis' "My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

September 24, 1960 Hank Ballard and the Midnighters' "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" enters the Hot 100, joining their songs "Finger Poppin' Time" and "The Twist" (the original version) on the chart. It's the first time an act has had three songs on the Hot 100 at the same time.

August 15, 1960 Elvis Presley's "It's Now Or Never," with a melody based on the Italian song "O Sole Mio," hits #1 in America for the first of five weeks, bumping off "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Brian Hyland.

August 8, 1960 Brian Hyland's "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" hits #1, where it stays for one week.

July 18, 1960 Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry," recorded when she was just 15, hits #1 for the first of three weeks. It's the first of her two chart-toppers; her next single, "I Want To Be Wanted," also goes to #1.

July 11, 1960 The Hollywood Argyles' "Alley Oop" hits #1 in America.

May 23, 1960 The Everly Brothers' "Cathy's Clown" hits #1 in America for the first of five weeks. In the UK, it has been at #1 since May 11, making it the first song to top both charts at the same time.

April 25, 1960 Elvis Presley scores his first #1 of the '60s (and 13th of his career) when "Stuck on You" hits the top spot in America.

February 22, 1960 Percy Faith's "Theme From A Summer Place" hits #1 in America for the first of nine weeks, knocking Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight" from the top spot.

February 8, 1960 Mark Dinning's "Teen Angel" begins a two-week run at #1.

January 18, 1960 Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" hits #1 for the first of three weeks.

January 4, 1960 Marty Robbins' "El Paso" hits #1 in the US despite running a shocking 4:40.

December 28, 1959 Frankie Avalon's "Why" hits #1.

December 14, 1959 Guy Mitchell's "Heartaches by the Number" hits #1 for the first of two weeks.

November 16, 1959 The Fleetwoods' "Mr. Blue" hits #1.

November 9, 1959 Johnny Mathis goes to #1 in America with his album Heavenly.

November 1, 1959 Elvis Presley's current stint in the Army means that for the first time in nearly five years, no Elvis single resides on the Billboard charts.