Jan 1960
The teenage tragedy songs  "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston and "Teen Angel" by Mark Dinning are back to back #1 hits. The teen tragedy genre would be an enduring hit formula into the early '70's. (more)
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Mar '60
After two years in the Army, Elvis is discharged and back in the studio. He proves he's still got it, with three #1 hits in 1960, "Stuck on You", "It's Now or Never" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight" featuring a new,
more adult sound.
(more)   (video)
Apr '60
21 year old Eddie Cochran is killed in a taxi crash in the UK. Gene Vincent is seriously hurt and never fully recovers.(more)
May '60
Roy Orbison tops the charts with "Only the Lonely". (more)
(video)
Apr '60
The National Association of Record Merchandisers holds the first Grammy Awards - with Frank Sinatra winning for his album "Nice 'n Easy". (more)
Jun '60
The Everly Brothers have their 4th and final #1 hit with "Cathy's Clown".(more)
Jul '60
15 year old country and rockabilly veteran, Brenda Lee, tops the Pop Charts with "I'm Sorry" featuring the lush production of the new Nashville sound.  (more)  (video)
Jul '60
Scoring hits since 1957, Connie Francis has her first #1 with "Everybody Is Somebody's Fool". She hits #1 again in Sept. with "My Heart Has a Mind of It's Own". (more) (video) 
Johnny Kidd and the Pirates have a #1 smash in the UK with "Shakin' All Over". (more)
Aug '60
Joan Baez releases her first album of traditional folk songs, produced by Fred Hellerman of the Weavers. (more)
Sep '60
The Ventures top the charts with the instrumental "Walk Don't Run", considered a forerunner of surf music. (more)  (video) 
Sep '60
The Motown label has its' first top ten hit when The Miracles "Shop Around" reaches #2. (more) (video)
Sep '60
Chubby Checkers' cover of Hank Ballards' "The Twist" goes to #1 and becomes a nationwide dance craze. (more) (video)
Oct '60
'Save the Last Dance For Me" by the Drifters hits #1, Lead vocalist Ben E. King leaves the group for a solo career.  (more)
The Shirelles become the first "girl group" to top the charts with the Goffin/King composittion "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". (more)  (video) 
Jan '61
Nov '60
Doo Wop group, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs score a #1 hit with "Stay".  (more)
Mar '61
Chubby Checker keeps it going in '61 with "Pony Time" #1, "Let's Twist Again" #8, and "The Fly" #7. (video)   (more)
Apr '61
A doo wop reworking of the pop standard "Blue Moon" goes to the top for The Marcels.  (more)
May '61
Del Shannon has a #1 hit with "Runaway", complete  with a solo featuring an early version of a synthesizer called the Musitron,  (video)   (more)
Jun '61
"Travellin' Man" is #1 for 21 year old Ricky Nelson off his sixth album.(more)  (video) 
Gary U.S. Bonds hits the top with "Quarter to Three" which goes on to sell over a million copies .(more)  (video) 
Jun '61
Dick Dale puts out the instrumental "Let's Go Trippin" on his own Deltone label. The song is a regional hit in California and is considered the first surf rock song.  (more)
Sep '61
Bobby Vee is on top with "Take Good Care of My Baby" by the songwriting team of Goffin/King,   (more)
Oct '61
Ray Charles has a number one hit with "Hit The Road Jack". (video)   (more)
Patsy Cline continues the cross over success of "the Nashville sound" with her hits "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy", the latter song written by Willie Nelson, (more)   (video)
Following his departure from The Drifters, Ben E. King cranks up his solo career with the hits "Spanish Harlem" and "Stand By Me",   (more)
Dion DiMucci, formerly of Dion & The Belmonts, hits #1 as a solo artist with "Runaround Sue" on Laurie Records. (more)  (video)
Oct '61
Nov '61
The Beach Boys a group from Hawthorne, California featuring vocal harmonies, have a regional hit with their first single "Surfin".(more)
Dec '61
Brooklyn, NY based vocal group The Tokens are number one with their doo wop hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", (more)
Dec '61
The Marvelettes bring Motown their first #1 hit with "Please Mr. Postman".  (more)  (video)
Jan '62
The Twist craze continues as Chubby Checkers' "The Twist" goes to #1 again. Joey Dee & The Starlighters "Peppermint Twist" also hits #1. (more)   (video)
Mar '62
Bruce Channel has a #1 hit with "Hey Baby" featuring the harmonica of Delbert McClinton,(more)
Apr '62
Actress Shelley Fabares of The Donna Reed Show, has a #1 hit launched on the TV show, (more)
Apr '62
Elvis is back on top with "Good Luck Charm" - he gives up touring for 8 years, but continues his movie career.  (more)
Jul '62
Bobby Vinton has his first #1 with "Roses Are Red" he would have several more top hits including "Blue Velvet" and "Mr. Lonely" among others. (video)   (more)
Aug '62
Songwriters Goffin and King write a #1 dance hit for their teenage babysitter. The song would be a hit in the 60's, 70's and 80's for Little Eva, Grand Funk and Kylie Minogue. (video)   (more)
The Isley Brothers follow up on their 1959 hit "Shout" with "Twist & Shout" which reaches #17. (more)
James Brown releases the album "Live at the Apollo" it would reach #2 and spend 14 months on the charts. (more) (video)
Sep '62
The Four Seasons "Sherry" goes to #1. They would follow with 3 more #1's and are matched only by the Beach Boys in records sold from '62 - '64. (video)   (more)
Oct '62
Booker T & The MG's, the house band at Stax Studios in Memphis, go to #3 with the instrumental "Green Onions". (video)   (more)
Nov '62
The Crystals, under the direction of Wall of Sound producer Phil Spector, have a #1 hit with "He's A Rebel". (more)
The Exciters go to #4 with "Tell Him", another Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller composition. (more)  (video)
Jan '63
Folk group, The Rooftop Singers have a #1 hit with "Walk Right In". (more)
The Beatles second single goes to #2 in the UK. (more)  (video) 
Feb '63
Mar '63
Patsy Cline is killed in a Tennessee plane crash. (more)
Mar '63
The Rolling Stones release their first single "Come On" which goes to #21 in the UK. (more)
Folk group, Peter, Paul & Mary are #2 with "Puff the Magic Dragon" and hit #2 again later in the year with their cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind". (more) (video) 
Columbia releases the first Bob Dylan album which fails to chart.
(more)
Dec '62
Mar '63
Johnny Cash records "Ring of Fire" the biggest hit of his career, topping the Country Charts for seven weeks. (more) (video) 
Apr '63
The girl group sound reigns in '63 with #1 hits for the Chiffons (left), Little Peggy March, Lesley Gore, The Crystals and The Angels. (video)  (more)
Aug '63
"Surf City" by Jan and Dean goes to #1. The song is co-written by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. (more) (video) 
Jul '63
Motown artist, Stevie Wonder has a #1 hit with Fingertips Part 1.
(more) (video)
Aug '63
The Beatles play their final gig at Liverpool's Cavern Club on Aug. 3rd, having played the Cavern Club 292 times. (more)  (video) 
Aug '63
The Ronettes reach #2 with "Be My Baby" produced and co-written by Phil Spector. Lead singer Veronica Bennett would later marry Spector. (more) (video)
Sep '63
The Beach Boys release the second of three albums in '63 with the single "Surfer Girl" hitting #7. (more)   (video) 
Dec '63
The Singing Nun holds the top spot for four weeks in December with "Dominique".(more)
Oct '63
"Sugar Shack" by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs reaches #1. (more)
Dec '63
Garage rockers The Kingsmen from Portland, Oregon hit #2 with "Louie Louie" but are blocked from the top spot by the blockbuster nun. (video)   (more)
May '63
Bob Dylan's second album is released featuring 2 covers and 11 originals displaying Dylan's songwriting skills for the first time. The album goes to #22. (more)
Dec '63
'63 is the year of Beatlemania in the UK with The Beatles racking up two #1 albums, a #2 single "Please Please Me" and three #1 singles "From Me To You", "She Loves You", and "I Want To Hold Your Hand". As the year ends, they are still unknown in the US.  (video)   (more)
Jan '64
Top of the Pops debuts on British televison.  (more)  (video)
Feb '64
The Beatles launch the British Invasion with three weeks of  appearances on
The Ed Sullivan Show. (video)  (more)
Feb '64
Feb '64
The Beatles have their first US #1 with "I Want To Hold Your Hand". They would follow with "She Loves You" and "Can't Buy Me Love" at #1.  By April the top 5 singles are by The Beatles and they have 14 songs in the Top 100 - breaking Elvis' record. (video)   (more)
England's The Dave Clark 5 have a #6 hit with "Glad All Over" the first of 5 top 10 singles for them in '64. (video)  (more)
Mar '64
May '64
Mary Wells has a #1 hit with "My Guy" on the Motown label.
(video)   (more)
UK act, Peter and Gordon top the charts with "A World Without Love", written by Paul McCartney. (video)  (more)
"Goin' To The Chapel" by the Dixie Cups hits #1.
  (video)   (more)
Jun '64
Jun '64
Jul '64
The Beach Boys have their first #1 with "I Get Around".
(video)   (more)
Jan '64
Bob Dylan releases the album - The Times They Are a Changin'. The first of two albums he would release in '64. (more) (video) 
Jul '64
The Four Seasons are back on top with "Rag Doll".
(video)   (more)
Aug '64
"House of the Rising Sun" by the UK band The Animals is #1.  (more)  (video) 
 
Aug '64
Motown act, The Supremes, have the first of five consecutive number one hits with "Where Did Our Love Go". (more)  (video)
Aug '64
UK band The Kinks redefine the power chord with their hit "You Really Got Me". (more)  (video)   
Sep '64
ABC television debuts the music show "Shindig!" (video)  (more)
Sep '64
Roy Orbison tops the charts again with "Oh Pretty Woman". (more)  (video) 
 
Oct '64
Simon and Garfunkel release their first album, which fails to chart.   (more)
Oct '64
British band Manfred Mann score a #1 hit with their cover of "Do Wah Diddy" which failed to chart previously for The Exciters. (video)   (more)
Oct '64
The Rolling Stones make their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and tour the US for the second time. Their cover of "Time Is On My Side" goes to #6 in the US. In the UK they have their first #1 with a cover of The Valentinos "It's All Over Now". (more)   (video)  
Nov '64
Girl group The Shangri-Las hit #1 with "Leader of the Pack". (more)  (video)
 
Dec '64
Sam Cooke is gunned down by a woman in Los Angeles, CA.   (more)
Elvis is still a hit at the box office in Viva Las Vegas with Ann Margret. (video)   (more)
Dec '64
The Beatles end the year on top with "I Feel Fine". (video)  (more)
Dec '64
The Zombies have their second Top Ten hit with "Tell Her No" following up on "She's Not There" which went to #2 in Aug. (more)   (video)  
1950's     '60-'64     '65-'69     ''70-''74     ''75-''79   '80-'84     '85-'89     '90-'94     '95-'99
"We don't like their sound and guitar group music is on the way out."
  - Decca Records rejecting the Beatles
-  R o c k  M u s i c  T i m e l i n e  -
1960
1964