Judy Garland's performance at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, April 23, 1961 was recorded live and released as a two-record album. It was #1 on the Billboard album chart all of September and 13 weeks total. Her performance was dubbed "the greatest night in show business history." It would receive the Grammy for Best Album.

Top Albums:

Judy Garland - Judy At Carnegie Hall
Soundtrack - Never On Sunday
Lawrence Welk - Yellow Bird
Original Cast - Camelot
Elvis Presley - Something For Everybody

Billboard Top 40, 9/16/1961
Rank..Previous .. # Weeks .. Title .. Artist

#1 .. 2 / 7 Take Good CAre of My Baby---------------Bobby Vee
#2 .. 1 / 11 Michael---------------------------------The Highwaymen
#3 .. 3 / 12 My True Story---------------------------The Jive Five
#4 .. 22 / 4 His Latest Flame------------------------Elvis Presley
#5 .. 11 / 6 Crying----------------------------------Roy Orbison
#6 .. 7 / 7 Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor---Lonnie Donegan
#7 .. 14 / 7 Without You-----------------------------Johnny Tillotson
#8 .. 6 / 13 Wooden Heart----------------------------Joe Dowell
#9 .. 29 / 4 One Track Mind--------------------------Bobby Lewis
#10 .. 13 / 8 When We Get Married---------------------The Dreamlovers
#11 .. 5 / 11 You Don't Know What You've Got----------Ral Donner
#12 .. 19 / 7 A Little Bit of Soap--------------------The Jarmels
#13 .. 9 / 5 Little Sister---------------------------Elvis Presley
#14 .. 31 / 8 It's Gonna Work Out Fine----------------Ike & Tina Turner
#15 .. 12 / 8 The Mountain's High---------------------Dick & Dee Dee
#16 .. 15 / 22 Tossin' and Turnin'---------------------Bobby Lewis
#17 .. 8 / 7 Who Put the Bomp------------------------Barry Mann
#18 .. 4 / 9 Hurt------------------------------------Timi Yuro
#19 .. 23 / 5 Big Cold wind---------------------------Pat Boone
#20 .. 20 / 5 Frankie & Johnny------------------------Brook Benton
#21 .. 24 / 6 More Money For You And Me Medley--------The Four Preps
#22 .. 33 / 6 Mexico----------------------------------Bob Moore & His Orchestra
#23 .. 34 / 3 You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby-----Bobby Darin
#24 .. 21 / 18 I Fall To Pieces------------------------Patsy Cline
#25 .. 28 / 10 Nag-------------------------------------The Halos
#26 .. 18 / 12 Don't Bet Money Honey-------------------Linda Scott
#27 .. 55 / 2 Hit The Road Jack-----------------------Ray Charles
#28 .. 26 / 12 Last Night------------------------------The Mar-Keys
#29 .. 16 / 9 School Is Out---------------------------Gary U.S. Bonds
#30 .. 17 / 9 I Just Don't Understand-----------------Ann-Margaret
#31 .. 36 / 6 Lover's Island--------------------------The Blue Jays
#32 .. 10 / 9 As If I Didn't Know---------------------Adam Wade
#33 .. 48 / 5 The Astronaut---------------------------Jose Jimenez
#34 .. 27 / 8 Amor------------------------------------Ben E. King
#35 .. 46 / 5 Jeremiah Peabody's Pills----------------Ray Stevens
#36 .. 37 / 4 Look In My Eyes-------------------------The Chantels
#37 .. 40 / 5 Years From Now--------------------------Jackie Wilson
#38 .. 32 / 7 Let Me Belong To You--------------------Brian Hyland
#39 .. 74 / 2 Bristol Stomp---------------------------The Dovells
#40 .. 69 / 3 Let's Get Together----------------------Hayley Mills

On September 19th, 1961, Bobby Vee’s “Take Good Care of My Baby” was in its second week of a three week run at #1.  The song was a product of Brill Building writers Carole King and Gerry Goffin and would be Vee’s biggest hit.  It was part of the “teen idol” trend of the early 1960’s, as was other top ten entries, Johnny Tillotson’s “Without You” and Joe Dowell’s version of Elvis Presley’s “Wooden Heart” (featured on the “G.I. Blues” album).  Ral Donner sounded a lot like Presley and had his first success with a cover of Elvis’s “The Girl of My Best Friend” (from the album “Elvis is Back”).  “You Don’t Know What You’ve Got” would be his biggest hit.

The biggest teen idol of all, Elvis Presley had two records in the top twenty.  “His Latest Flame” was peaking that week and “Little Sister” would reach as high as #5 in a couple of weeks.  Although neither reached the top of the charts as so many other Elvis post army releases had done, both were probably closer to his pre-army style.

Another artist with double entries in the top twenty was Bobby Lewis.  “Tossin’ and Turnin’” had occupied the top spot for 7 weeks earlier in the summer and “One Track Mind” was peaking at #9.

While Barry Mann payed homage to the doo-wop strain of rock and roll with “Who Put the Bomp,” the genre itself was well represented by The Jive Five’s “My True Story” which was peaking at #3, The Jarmels’ “A Little Bit of Soap” and The Dreamlovers’ “When We Get Married.”  Although it didn’t get any higher than #3, “My True Story” was popular enough to make Billboard’s top ten for 1961 (#6).

The rising influence of folk music was illustrated by The Highwaymen’s “Michael”  which was an adaptation of an African-American work song that purportedly was sung by slaves living on islands off the shore of Georgia. 

Perhaps one of the most unique of the top ten was Lonnie Donegan’s “Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor.”  Donegan was very popular in the U.K. and it was a rarity for British imports to make it on the U.S. chart.  In a few years that would change as a young group of Brit’s who idolized Donegan was appearing frequently at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.