This is a list of Billboard magazine's ranking of the year's top country and western singles of 1961.
Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" ranked as the year's No. 1 country and western record. It was released in January 1961, entered the Top 40 on Billboards country and western chart on April 3, and spent a total of 39 weeks on the chart.
George Jones had two records that finished in the year's Top 5 records: "The Window Up Above" spent 34 weeks on the chart and ranked No. 3 on the year-end chart; and "Tender Years" spent 32 weeks on the chart and ranked No. 4 for the year.Whitburn, p. 166.
Webb Pierce and Buck Owens led all other artists, each having four records on the year-end list.
Three labels, Capitol, Decca, and RCA Victor, each had 11 records finish on the year-end list. Columbia had seven, and Mercury five.
Rank PeakThis column recites the record's peak position on Billboard's weekly charts. Title Artist(s) Label1 1 "I Fall to Pieces" Patsy Cline Decca2 2 "Foolin' Around" Buck Owens Capitol3 2 "The Window Up Above" George Jones Mercury4 1 "Tender Years" George Jones Mercury5 2 "Three Hearts in a Tangle" Roy Drusky Decca6 1 "Hello Walls" Faron Young Capitol7 1 "Don't Worry" Marty Robbins Columbia8 1 "Heartbreak U.S.A." Kitty Wells Decca9 2 "Sea of Heartbreak" Don Gibson RCA Victor10 1 "On the Wings of a Dove" Ferlin Husky Capitol11 3 "Sweet Lips" Webb Pierce Decca12 4 "I'll Just Have Another Cup of Coffee" Claude Gray Mercury13 3 "I Missed Me" Jim Reeves RCA Victor14 5 "Hillbilly Heaven" Tex Ritter Capitol15 5 "Heart over Mind" Ray Price Columbia16 2 "Under the Influence of Love" Buck Owens Capitol17 1 "North to Alaska" Johnny Horton Columbia18 1 "Walk On By" Leroy Van Dyke Mercury19 3 "My Ears Should Burn" Claude Gray Mercury20 5 "Beggar to a King" Hank Snow RCA Victor21 5 "Let Forgiveness In" Webb Pierce Decca22 7 "Loving You (Was Worth This Broken Heart)" Bob Gallion Hickory23 7 "I Think I Know" Marion Worth Columbia24 6 "When Two Worlds Collide" Roger Miller RCA Victor25 4 "The Blizzard" Jim Reeves RCA Victor26 4 "Loose Talk" Buck Owens, Rose Maddox Capitol27 7 "Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces)" Warren Smith Liberty28 4 "Fallen Angel" Webb Pierce Decca29 7 "Big River, Big Man" Claude King Columbia30 10 "Louisiana Man" Rusty and Doug Hickory31 5 "My Last Date (With You)" Skeeter Davis RCA Victor32 6 "Sweet Dreams" Don Gibson RCA Victor33 4 "You're the Reason" Bobby Edwards Crest34 3 "It's Your World" Marty Robbins Columbia35 9 "Po' Folks" Bill Anderson Decca36 9 "I Went Out of My Way" Roy Drusky Decca37 4 "Hello Fool" Ralph Emery Liberty38 9 "Walk Out Backward" Bill Anderson Decca39 10 "Your Old Love Letters" Porter Wagoner RCA Victor40 7 "Oklahoma Hills" Hank Thompson Capitol41 2 "Excuse Me" Buck Owens Capitol42 12 "I Love You Best of All" Louvin Brothers Capitol43 7 "Happy Birthday to Me" Hank Locklin RCA Victor44 5 "Walking the Streets" Webb Pierce Decca45 9 "Right or Wrong" Wanda Jackson Capitol46 1 "Big Bad John" Jimmy Dean Columbia47 8 "San Antonio Rose" Floyd Cramer RCA Victor48 9 "Three Steps to a Phone (Millions of Miles)" George Hamilton IV RCA Victor49 8 "Backtrack" Faron Young Capitol 50 10 "I'd Rather Loan You Out" Roy Drusky Decca
See also List of Hot C&W Sides number ones of 1961 List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1961 1961 in country music
Notes
References