This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 1961.
With just a $1,500 budget, bronze plaques honoring each of the singers would be cast, a tradition that continues today.
(as certified by Billboard)
| Date | Single Name | Artist | Wks. No.1 | Spec. Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 9 | North to Alaska | Johnny Horton | 5 | ||
| February 27 | Don't Worry | Marty Robbins | 10 | ||
| May 8 | Hello Walls | Faron Young | 9 |
| |
| July 10 | Heartbreak U.S.A. | Kitty Wells | 4 | ||
| August 7 | I Fall to Pieces | Patsy Cline | 2 | ||
| August 21 | Tender Years | George Jones | 7 |
| |
| September 25 | Walk on By | Leroy Van Dyke | 19 | ||
| November 20 | Big Bad John | Jimmy Dean | 2 |
|
| US | Single | Artist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Backtrack | Faron Young | |
| 9 | Be Quiet Mind | Del Reeves | |
| 5 | Beggar to a King | Hank Snow | |
| 18 | Big, Big Love | Wynn Stewart | |
| 7 | Big River, Big Man | Claude King | |
| 16 | Black Land Farmer | Frankie Miller | |
| 4 | The Blizzard | Jim Reeves | |
| 14 | Blue Blue Day | The Wilburn Brothers | |
| 14 | Conscience I'm Guilty | Rose Maddox | |
| 16 | Cozy Inn | Leon McAuliffe | |
| 11 | Crazy Bullfrog | Lewis Pruitt | |
| 15 | Did I Ever Tell You | George Jones and Margie Singleton | |
| 14 | Diggy Liggy Lo | Rusty & Doug | |
| 14 | Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die | Reno and Smiley | |
| 14 | Everybody's Dying for Love | Jimmy C. Newman | |
| 16 | Family Bible | George Jones | |
| 9 | Flat Top | Cowboy Copas | |
| 2 | Foolin' Around | Buck Owens | |
| 15 | Forever Gone | Ernest Ashworth | |
| 20 | Forget the Past | Faron Young | |
| 12 | From Here to There to You | Hank Locklin | |
| 10 | Go Home | Flatt & Scruggs | |
| 11 | The Hands You're Holding Now | Skeeter Davis | |
| 12 | Hangover Tavern | Hank Thompson | |
| 7 | Happy Birthday to Me | Hank Locklin | |
| 5 | Heart Over Mind | Ray Price | |
| 4 | Hello Fool | Ralph Emery | |
| 7 | How Do You Talk to a Baby | Webb Pierce | |
| 5 | I Dreamed of a Hill-Billy Heaven | Tex Ritter | |
| 12 | I Love You Best of All | The Louvin Brothers | |
| 15 | I Want to Live Again | Rose Maddox | |
| 9 | I Went Out of My Way (To Make You Happy) | Roy Drusky | |
| 10 | I'd Rather Loan You Out | Roy Drusky | |
| 4 | I'll Just Have a Cup of Coffee (Then I'll Go) | Claude Gray | |
| 17 | In Memory of Johnny Horton | Johnny Hardy | |
| 3 | It's Your World | Marty Robbins | |
| 11 | Kisses Never Lie | Carl Smith | |
| 14 | Kissing My Pillow | Rose Maddox | |
| 11 | Last Date | Floyd Cramer | |
| 5 | Let Forgiveness In | Webb Pierce | |
| 20 | Lonelyville | Ray Sanders | |
| 4 | Loose Talk | Buck Owens and Rose Maddox | |
| 10 | Louisiana Man | Rusty & Doug | |
| 7 | Loving You (Was Worth This Broken Heart) | Bob Gallion | |
| 8 | Mental Cruelty | Buck Owens and Rose Maddox | |
| 3 | My Ears Should Burn (When Fools Are Talked About) | Claude Gray | |
| 5 | My Last Date (With You) | Skeeter Davis | |
| 7 | Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces) | Warren Smith | |
| 13 | Oh Lonesome Me | Johnny Cash | |
| 7 | Oklahoma Hills | Hank Thompson | |
| 17 | One Grain of Sand | Eddy Arnold | |
| 14 | One Step Ahead of My Past | Hank Locklin | |
| 20 | One Way Street | Bob Gallion | |
| 10 | Optimistic | Skeeter Davis | |
| 19 | The Other Cheek | Kitty Wells | |
| 11 | Please Mr. Kennedy | Jim Nesbitt | |
| 9 | Po' Folks | Bill Anderson | |
| 12 | Polka on a Banjo | Flatt & Scruggs | |
| 15 | Ragged but Right | Moon Mullican | |
| 11 | The Restless One | Hank Snow | |
| 9 | Right or Wrong | Wanda Jackson | |
| 8 | San Antonio Rose | Floyd Cramer | |
| 2 | Sea of Heartbreak | Don Gibson | |
| 16 | Shorty | Jimmy Smart | |
| 10 | Signed Sealed and Delivered | Cowboy Copas | |
| 20 | Sleep, Baby, Sleep | Connie Hall | |
| 9 | Sleepy-Eyed John | Johnny Horton | |
| 3 | Soft Rain | Ray Price | |
| 16 | Stand at Your Window | Jim Reeves | |
| 12 | Sunny Tennessee | Cowboy Copas | |
| 6 | Sweet Dreams | Don Gibson | |
| 3 | Sweet Lips | Webb Pierce | |
| 20 | Sweethearts Again | Bob Gallion | |
| 20 | There Must Be Another Way to Live | Kitty Wells | |
| 16 | Thoughts of a Fool | Ernest Tubb | |
| 2 | Three Hearts in a Tangle | Roy Drusky | |
| 9 | Three Steps to the Phone (Millions of Miles) | George Hamilton IV | |
| 14 | Through That Door | Ernest Tubb | |
| 13 | To You and Yours (From Me and Mine) | George Hamilton IV | |
| 10 | Too Many Times | Don Winters | |
| 13 | Twenty-Fourth Hour | Ray Price | |
| 2 | Under the Influence of Love | Buck Owens | |
| 9 | Walk Out Backwards | Bill Anderson | |
| 5 | Walking the Streets | Webb Pierce | |
| 15 | What Would You Do | Jim Reeves | |
| 6 | When Two Worlds Collide | Roger Miller | |
| 2 | Window Up Above | George Jones | |
| 8 | Wreck on the Highway | Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper | |
| 14 | You Don't Want My Love | Roger Miller | |
| 4 | You're the Reason | Bobby Edwards | |
| 14 | You're the Reason | Hank Locklin | |
| 16 | You're the Reason | Joe South | |
| 10 | Your Old Love Letters | Porter Wagoner |
| Single | Artist | Record Label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the Golden Nugget | Hank Thompson | Capitol | |
| Buck Owens | Buck Owens | Capitol | |
| Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard | Buck Owens | Capitol | |
| Chet Atkins' Workshop | Chet Atkins | RCA | |
| Cowboy Copas Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous | Cowboy Copas | Starday | |
| Got You on My Mind | Jean Shepard | Capitol | |
| Here's the Answer | Skeeter Davis | RCA | |
| Hank Snow Souvenirs | Hank Snow | RCA | |
| Chet Atkins in Hollywood | Chet Atkins | RCA | |
| Let's Make Memories Tonight | Eddy Arnold | RCA | |
| A Man and His Guitar | Chet Atkins | RCA | |
| The Most Popular Guitar | Chet Atkins | RCA | |
| Our Favorite Folk Songs | The Browns | RCA | |
| Patsy Cline Showcase | Patsy Cline | Decca | |
| Right or Wrong | Wanda Jackson | Capitol | |
| San Antonio Rose | Ray Price | Columbia | |
| The Wild, Wicked But Wonderful West | Johnny Bond | Starday | |
| The Versatile Burl Ives | Burl Ives | Decca |