This continues the strand of R&B and country collections associated with Acrobat's highly popular "America's Greatest Hits" series, this one focusing on the top R&B records in the US Billboard charts during 1961. This great value 113-track 4-CD anthology includes, with the exception of certain records which are unavailable for inclusion due to copyright restrictions, just about every record which peaked in the Billboard R&B Top 15 during that year. By this time, the R&B scene had evolved considerably as the rock 'n roll scene had matured and Tin Pan Alley had marketed it's teen-oriented offshoots, and there was an exciting feel to the charts, with substantial crossover into the pop charts through artists like Ben E. King, Ray Charles, Brook Benton, The Miracles, Aretha Franklin and The Marvelettes. There was also a significant weight of other records from the increasingly powerful Motown, Tamla and other labels producing material which would have a significant influence on emerging talent across the pond in the UK, like The Beatles, who absorbed some of the songs in this anthology into their repertoire, sowing the seeds of the British invasion which was soon to transform the pop landscape once more. With the blurring of the boundaries between the genres, the more traditional blues and R&B artists whose music had helped lay the groundwork for rock found it harder to reach the top positions in the R&B chart, and the foundations of the soul boom of the late '60s and 70s was clearly in evidence in many of the hits included here. As with all these collections, it provides a window onto a dynamic and exciting musical environment, and includes a number of unfamiliar names and recordings of which even enthusiasts of the genre may not

Tracklist:

Jerry Butler - He Will Break Your Heart
Floyd Cramer - Last Date
Bert Kaempfert ; His Orch. - Wonderland By Night
Brook Benton - Fools Rush in (Where Angels Fear to Tread)
Kathy Young ; the Innocents - a Thousand Stars
Johnny Horton - North to Alaska
Bobby Bland - Cry Cry Cry
Miracles - Shop Around
James Booker - Gonzo 1
Ray Charles - Ruby 1
Nina Simone - Trouble in Mind 1
Etta ; Harvey - Spoonful 1
Ike ; Tina Turner - I Idolize You 1
Little Junior Parker - Stand By Me 1
Drifters - I Count the Tears 1
Marv Johnson - Happy Days 1
The Innocents - Gee Whiz 1
Jimmy Reed - Close Together 1
Ronnie Love ; His Orch. - Chills and Fever 2
Rosie ; the Originals - Angel Baby 2
Ferrante ; Teicher - Exodus 2
Ray Charles ; His Orch. - Them That Got 2
The Capris - There's a Moon Out Tonight 2
Maxine Brown - All in My Mind 2
Roy Hamilton - You Can Have Her 2
Aretha Franklin - Won't Be Long 2
Mary Wells - Bye Bye Baby 2
Jackie Wilson - the Tear of the Year 2
Fats Domino - What a Price 3
Lawrence Welk - Calcutta 3
Chubby Checker - Pony Time 3
Etta James - at Last 3
Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes) 3
Brook Benton - Think Twice 3
Bobby Bland - I Pity the Fool 3
James Brown - Bewildered 3
Marcels - Blue Moon 3
Brook Benton - for My Baby 3
The Vibrations - the Watusi 4
Ben E. King - Spanish Harlem 4
Ray Charles - One Mint Julep 4
Etta James - Trust in Me 4
Ernie K-Doe - Mother-In-Law 4
Jerry Butler - Find Another Girl 4
Jorgen Ingmann ; His Guitar - Apache 4
Jackie Wilson - Please Tell Me Why 4
The Miracles - Ain't It Baby 4
Drifters - Some Kind of Wonderful 4
Clarence "Frogman" Henry - But I Do 5
Gene McDaniels - a Hundred Pounds of Clay 5
Del Shannon - Runaway 5
Shep ; the Limelites - Daddy's Home 5
Joe Barry - I'm a Fool to Care 5
Maxine Brown - Funny 5
Junior Parker - Driving Wheel 5
Ben E. King - Stand By Me 5
Cleftones - Heart and Soul 5
Regents - Barbara Ann 5
Jimmy Reed - Big Boss Man 6
Etta James - Fool That I Am 6
James Brown - I Don't Mind 6
Elvis Presley - I Feel So Bad 6
Pips - Every Beat of My Heart 6
Clarence 'Frogman' Henry - You Always Hurt the One You Love 6
Bobby Lewis - Tossin' and Turnin' 6
Dee Clark - Raindrops 6
Ray Charles - I've Got News for You 6
Jackie Wilson - I'm Comin' on Back to You 6
Brook Benton - the Boll Weevil Song 7
The Drifters - Please Stay 7
Gary "U. S." Bonds - Quarter to Three 7
B. B. King - Peace of Mind 7
Chris Kenner - I Like It Like That (Part I) 7
Spinners - That's What Girls Are Made for 7
Damita Joe - I'll Be There 7
Mar-Keys - Last Night 7
Gary U.S. Bonds - School Is Out 7
Bobby Bland - Don't Cry No More 7
Mary Wells - I Don't Want to Take a Chance 8
The Chanters - No, No, No 8
Jerry Butler - I'm a Telling You 8
The Sensations Featuring Yvonne - Music, Music, Music 8
Jive Five - My True Story 8
Fats Domino - Let the Four Winds Blow 8
Ben E. King - Amor 8
James Brown - Baby, You're Right 8
Bull Moose Jackson - I Love You Yes I Do 8
Ike ; Tina Turner - It's Gonna Work Out Fine 8
Jimmy Reed - Bright Lights, Big City 9
Bobby Lewis - One Track Mind 9
Brook Benton - Frankie and Johnny 9
Ray Charles - Hit the Road Jack 9
Chantels - Look in My Eyes 9
Jarmels - a Little Bit of Soap 9
Etta James - Don't Cry, Baby 9
The Stereos - I Really Love You 9
Dovells - Bristol Stomp 9
Lee Dorsey - Ya Ya 9
Drifters - Sweets for My Sweet 10
Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman 10
Dion - Runaround Sue 10
Aretha Franklin - Operation Heartbreak 10
Little Junior Parker - in the Dark 10
Gene McDaniels - Tower of Strength 10
Jimmy McCracklin - Just Got to Know 10
Sims Twins - Soothe Me 10
Chubby Checker - the Fly 10
Dinah Washington - September in the Rain 10
Solomon Burke - Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms) 11
The Miracles - Everybody's Gotta Pay Some Dues 11
Bobby Bland - Turn on Your Love Light 11
Crystals - There's No Other (Like My Baby) 11
Impressions - Gypsy Woman

UPC: 824046713423
Label: Acrobat
Release Date: 2.8.19
Format: CD

1961 R&B Hits Collection / Various - 1961 R&b Hits Collection (CD)