November 14, 1961 The Everly Brothers record "Crying In The Rain" and "That's Old Fashioned (That's The Way Love Should Be)."
November 14, 1961 Before a show in Indianapolis, Ray Charles is arrested when marijuana and heroin are found in his hotel room. Charges are dropped on a technicality, but his drug problems were far from over.
November 11, 1961 Joan Baez plays her first major headlining concert, opening at New York's Town Hall in a sold-out, critically acclaimed show.
November 9, 1961 Liverpool record store owner Brian Epstein visits the local Cavern Club to check out the lunchtime show by a band he's heard a lot about: The Beatles. He becomes their manager, and in June 1962, lands them a deal with Parlophone Records.
November 6, 1961 Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" hits #1 for the first of five weeks.
November 4, 1961 Bob Dylan plays to a crowd of 53 at his Carnegie Hall debut, his first concert outside of the Greenwich Village scene. The show takes place in the smaller Chapter Hall auditorium.
October 29, 1961 Randy Jackson (of The Jackson 5) is born Steven Randall Jackson in Gary, Indiana. As the ninth child, he's both the youngest Jackson brother and youngest child in the family until baby sister Janet is born in 1966.
October 28, 1961 Construction begins on Shea Stadium in New York City, musically significant as the location of the first stadium rock concert in America: The Beatles in 1965.
October 26, 1961 Bob Dylan signs with Columbia Records, his first recording contract. Behind the deal is famed Columbia A&R man John Hammond, who is impressed by Dylan's songwriting talents, unique voice and harmonica playing.
October 26, 1961 Elvis Presley records "A Whistling Tune," "Home Is Where The Heart Is," and "Riding The Rainbow."
October 25, 1961 Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who haven't seen each other since primary school, run into each other at the Dartford train station in England - Keith is on his way to Sidcup Art College; Mick is headed to the London School of Economics. Noticing the Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry albums Mick is carrying, Keith strikes up a conversation. They later form The Rolling Stones.
October 23, 1961 Dion's "Runaround Sue" hits #1 for the first of two weeks. Dion pulled the name Sue out of thin air, but when he later marries a woman named Sue, she tells everyone the song is about her - even though she knows it isn't.
October 22, 1961 Chubby Checker performs a medley of "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again" on TV's Ed Sullivan Show, sparking chart revivals for both tunes ("The Twist" even returns to #1).
October 19, 1961 The Beatles join forces with Gerry and the Pacemakers for a show in Liverpool, where both bands combine to perform as "The Beatmakers."
October 18, 1961 Wynton Marsalis, jazz trumpeter, composer and teacher, is born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Music for Blood on the Fields, a three-and-a-half hour jazz oratorio telling the story of a couple finding freedom from slavery.
October 18, 1961 Mirisch Pictures releases the film version of the Broadway musical West Side Story, starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, and Rita Moreno. The soundtrack features music by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim - including the song "Somewhere," later recorded by Tom Waits, Aretha Franklin, Josh Groban, Kylie Minogue, and others.
October 9, 1961 Kurt Neumann (singer, songwriter and guitarist for The BoDeans) is born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
October 9, 1961 Ray Charles lands his second #1 US hit when "Hit The Road Jack" goes to the top.
October 4, 1961 Alvin & The Chipmunks, who already have #1 hits with "The Chipmunk Song" and "Witch Doctor," get their own TV show on CBS called The Alvin Show.
October 3, 1961 The Beach Boys record their first single, "Surfin'," at World Pacific studios in Los Angeles.
September 29, 1961 The New York Times publishes a glowing review of a Bob Dylan performance, giving the 20-year-old upstart his first press in a major publication.More
September 28, 1961 Dr. Kildare debuts on NBC. The theme song, sung by the show's star Richard Chamberlain, goes to #10 the following year.
September 26, 1961 Cindy Herron (of En Vogue) is born in San Francisco, California.
September 25, 1961 Bob Dylan plays a show at Gerde's Folk City in New York that earns him a glowing review in The New York Times, giving him his first major media exposure.
September 18, 1961 Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care Of My Baby," written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, hits #1 for the first of three weeks.
September 13, 1961 Dave Mustaine is born in La Mesa, California. The first lead guitarist in Metallica, he's fired from the band because of drug use in 1983 before their debut album is released, but he has writing credits on four of the tracks. Soon after, he forms Megadeth, becoming their frontman and main songwriter.
August 28, 1961 Joe Dowell's "Wooden Heart (Muss I Denn)" hits #1, where it will stay for one week.
August 25, 1961 Billy Ray Cyrus is born in Flatwoods, Kentucky. The "Achy Breaky Heart" singer is also known as dad to Hannah Montana alum Miley Cyrus.
August 10, 1961 INXS drummer Jon Farriss is born in Perth, Western Australia. His brothers Tim and Andrew are also in the band.
August 9, 1961 The movie Come September, starring first-time actor Bobby Darin and his wife Sandra Dee, opens in theaters. The pair met on set and married after a whirlwind romance.
©2026 Songfacts®, LLC