It’s end of March, 2023 as we tune into the sounds of February, 1961…
Songs of the month
“Ghost Riders in the Sky” – Ramrods
[new] “All In My Mind” – Maxine Brown
“Angel Baby” – Rosie & Originals
“Angel Baby” – Rosie & The Originals
[new] “Angel On My Shoulder” – Shelby Flint
[new] “Apache” – Jorgen Ingmann
“Are You Lonesome Tonight” – Elvis Presley
[new] “Baby Sittin’ Boogie” – Buzz Clifford
[new] “C’est Si Bon” – Conway Twitty
“Calcutta” – Lawrence Welk
“Calendar Girl” – Neil Sedaka
“Corinna Corinna” – Ray Peterson
[new] “Dedicated To The One I Love” – Shirelles
[new] “Don’t Worry” – Marty Robbins
[new] “Ebony Eyes” – Everly Brothers
“Emotions” – Brenda Lee
“Exodus” – Ferrante & Teicher
[new] “Gee Whiz” – Carla Thomas
[new] “Good Time Baby” – Bobby Rydell
“I Count The Tears” – Drifters
[new] “If I Didn’t Care” – Platters
[new] “Jimmy’s Girl” – Johnny Tillotson
“Last Date” – Floyd Cramer
[new] “Little Boy Sad” – Johnny Burnette
“My Empty Arms” – Jackie Wilson
“North To Alaska” – Johnny Horton
“Once In A While” – Chimes
“Pepe” – Duane Eddy
[new] “Pony Time” – Chubby Checker
“Rubber Ball” – Bobby Vee
“Sailor” – Lolita
“Shop Around” – Miracles
[new] “Spanish Harlem” – Ben E. King
[new] “Story Of My Life” – Paul Anka
[new] “Surrender” – Elvis Presley
[new] “The Story Of My Life” – Paul Anka
“There She Goes” – Jerry Wallace
“There’s A Moon Out Tonight” – Capris
[new] “Think Twice” – Brook Benton
[new] “Walk Right Back” – Everly Brothers
[new] “What A Price” – Fats Domino
“Wheels” – String-A-Longs
“Where The Boys Are” – Connie Francis
“Will You Love Me Tomorrow” – Shirelles
“Wings Of A Dove” – Ferlin Husky
“Wonderland By Night” – Bert Kaempfert
[new] “You Can Have Her” – Roy Hamilton
[new] = New to the chart this week.
You can listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.
This month in history
On February 1st the push-button telephone was put into public service for the first time, as Bell Telephone test marketed its “Touch-Tone” service for its customers in the cities of Carnegie, Pennsylvania and Findlay, Ohio. Rural New Zealand was somewhat behind the times in telephonic technology however… when I was 5 in Mangaturoto in the ’80s we still had a crank phone where you couldn’t dial a number manually and had to ask at the exchange. Then in the late ’80s in Sandspit we had a dial-phone on a shard party line where you could listen in on other people’s calls! We didn’t get a push-button phone until the ’90s I believe. 3 decades after this great video…
On February 19th, led by British author and activist Bertrand Russell, the Committee of 100 and a crowd of 5,000 people staged a sit-down protest at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall, London, demanding that the U.K. call off its agreement to bring nuclear missiles to the British Isles. As one author notes, “Somewhat to the distress of Russell … police took no action on this occasion.”
On February 28th, Under United States law, 38 U.S.C. 101 (29)(A), the Vietnam Era began which refers to “The period beginning on February 28, 1961, and ending on May 7, 1975, in the case of a veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period.”
What’d Sadie think?
A week at the top for “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by the Shirelles before
“Calcutta” by Lawrence Welk takes it out for two. The month is rounded out by new to the charts, “Pony Time” by Chubby Checker.
Loved ’em
- “All In My Mind” – Maxine Brown
- “Apache” – Jorgen Ingmann
- “Dedicated To The One I Love” – Shirelles
- “Gee Whiz” – Carla Thomas
- “Good Time Baby” – Bobby Rydell
- “If I Didn’t Care” – Platters
- “Little Boy Sad” – Johnny Burnette
- “Pony Time” – Chubby Checker
- “Spanish Harlem” – Ben E. King
- “Walk Right Back” – Everly Brothers
Liked ’em
- “Angel On My Shoulder” – Shelby Flint
- “Baby Sittin’ Boogie” – Buzz Clifford
- “Don’t Worry” – Marty Robbins
- “Ebony Eyes” – Everly Brothers
- “Jimmy’s Girl” – Johnny Tillotson
- “Story Of My Life” – Paul Anka
- “Surrender” – Elvis Presley
- “What A Price” – Fats Domino
- “You Can Have Her” – Roy Hamilton
Leave ’em
- “Think Twice” – Brook Benton
Now go listen to the full playlist on Youtube via this link.