Billboard AC Chart Flashback: July 31, 1961
Jul 18, 2011 10:14:55 GMT -5
Post by johnm1120 on Jul 18, 2011 10:14:55 GMT -5
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Adult Contemporary Chart. We're gonna be taking it way back this week to the top 20 from the 3rd published AC chart.
The chart premiered for the week ending July 17th 1961, and was referred to as the "Easy Listening" Chart. The concept of "Easy Listening" came about in the 1950s when Rock and Roll was making its wave onto the scene and had taken over. However not everybody was into the rock scene. Radio programmers of these stations wanted to still play the hits, but not necessary rock and roll. "Easy Listening" became the home of artists who were not considered "rock" and it also became a safe haven for more established artists such as Pat Boone, Connie Francis, Frank Sinatra, & Johnny Mathis, among others.
Back in the 1950s and 60s, when the definition "top 40" was used, it was not a specific genre of music, but every genre from rock, rhythm & blues, country, black (as it was called back then), instrumentals, big band, folk, and anything in between. Radio stations played what was in the top 40, as well as a few up and comers on the chart who were making sales. There was no specific format that pop stations played.
The chart method until 1965 was an interesting one. Billboard took the regular chart and removed the "rock" songs, thus creating the "Easy Listening" chart. This gave programmers more of an idea what to play what wasn't rock.
Brook Benton's "Boll Weevil Song" has the honor of being the first #1 on the Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary Chart. The song was #2 that week on the Hot 100. The song at #1 that week was a "rock" song "Tossin' & Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis.
And now, the very 3rd AC/EL chart!
July 31, 1961
TW LW WC
01 01 03 Brook Benton - Boll Weevil Song
02 03 03 Connie Francis - Come Together
03 02 03 Arthur Lyman - Yellow Bird
04 04 03 Floyd Cramer - San Antonio Rose
05 07 03 Joe Dowell - Wooden Heart (Muss I Denn)
06 05 03 Chordettes - Never On Sunday
07 08 03 Matt Monra - My Kind of Girl
08 06 03 Pat Boone - Moody River
09 09 03 Linda Scott - Don't Bet Money Honey
10 13 02 Timi Yuro - Hurt
11 12 03 String-A-Longs - Should I
12 15 02 Adam Wade - As If I Didn't Know
13 11 03 Patti Page - You'll Answer to Me
14 DEBUT Steve Lawrence - My Claire De Lune
15 14 03 Nat King Cole - Take A Fool's Advice
16 16 03 Don Shirley Trio - Water Boy
17 20 02 McGuire Sisters - Tears on My Pillow
18 19 03 Joe Reisman - The Guns of Navarone
19 18 03 Ray Ellis - La Dolce Vita
20 DEBUT The Platters - I'll Never Smile Again
50 years ago on this chart, Brook Benton was spending his 3rd and final week at #1 with his inaugural AC hit. Connie Francis would take over the following week, before losing out to Joe Dowell.
1961 also saw the first of what would become an AC staple, the first double digit #1 song. It belonged to Jimmy Dean, who topped the chart for the final 10 weeks of 1961 with "Big Bad John."
The chart premiered for the week ending July 17th 1961, and was referred to as the "Easy Listening" Chart. The concept of "Easy Listening" came about in the 1950s when Rock and Roll was making its wave onto the scene and had taken over. However not everybody was into the rock scene. Radio programmers of these stations wanted to still play the hits, but not necessary rock and roll. "Easy Listening" became the home of artists who were not considered "rock" and it also became a safe haven for more established artists such as Pat Boone, Connie Francis, Frank Sinatra, & Johnny Mathis, among others.
Back in the 1950s and 60s, when the definition "top 40" was used, it was not a specific genre of music, but every genre from rock, rhythm & blues, country, black (as it was called back then), instrumentals, big band, folk, and anything in between. Radio stations played what was in the top 40, as well as a few up and comers on the chart who were making sales. There was no specific format that pop stations played.
The chart method until 1965 was an interesting one. Billboard took the regular chart and removed the "rock" songs, thus creating the "Easy Listening" chart. This gave programmers more of an idea what to play what wasn't rock.
Brook Benton's "Boll Weevil Song" has the honor of being the first #1 on the Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary Chart. The song was #2 that week on the Hot 100. The song at #1 that week was a "rock" song "Tossin' & Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis.
And now, the very 3rd AC/EL chart!
July 31, 1961
TW LW WC
01 01 03 Brook Benton - Boll Weevil Song
02 03 03 Connie Francis - Come Together
03 02 03 Arthur Lyman - Yellow Bird
04 04 03 Floyd Cramer - San Antonio Rose
05 07 03 Joe Dowell - Wooden Heart (Muss I Denn)
06 05 03 Chordettes - Never On Sunday
07 08 03 Matt Monra - My Kind of Girl
08 06 03 Pat Boone - Moody River
09 09 03 Linda Scott - Don't Bet Money Honey
10 13 02 Timi Yuro - Hurt
11 12 03 String-A-Longs - Should I
12 15 02 Adam Wade - As If I Didn't Know
13 11 03 Patti Page - You'll Answer to Me
14 DEBUT Steve Lawrence - My Claire De Lune
15 14 03 Nat King Cole - Take A Fool's Advice
16 16 03 Don Shirley Trio - Water Boy
17 20 02 McGuire Sisters - Tears on My Pillow
18 19 03 Joe Reisman - The Guns of Navarone
19 18 03 Ray Ellis - La Dolce Vita
20 DEBUT The Platters - I'll Never Smile Again
50 years ago on this chart, Brook Benton was spending his 3rd and final week at #1 with his inaugural AC hit. Connie Francis would take over the following week, before losing out to Joe Dowell.
1961 also saw the first of what would become an AC staple, the first double digit #1 song. It belonged to Jimmy Dean, who topped the chart for the final 10 weeks of 1961 with "Big Bad John."