Every Baby Boomer Alive Remembers These 4 Classic Country Jams From 1961

If you’re a baby boomer, you might just remember a couple of the following huge country music hits from 1961. I know at least one of them still makes it to my regular rotation after all these years.

“Sea Of Heartbreak” by Don Gibson

Don Gibson had a pretty big crossover hit with this country tune from 1961. “Sea Of Heartbreak” made it all the way to No. 2 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is your typical lost love song with a nautical theme, and listeners at the time were on board. The tune would become popular as a cover song in later years, with artists like Johnny Cash and Kenny Price dishing out their own versions.

“I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline from ‘Showcase’

Patsy Cline makes it to our list with one of the most popular country songs of 1961, if not of the whole of the 1960s. ”I Fall To Pieces” was written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard, and the smooth-voiced Cline took the country pop song to the top of the charts in 1961. “I Fall To Pieces” peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and crossed over to the US pop chart at No. 12.

“Foolin’ Around” by Buck Owens from ‘Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard’

Buck Owens was a mainstay on the country charts in the 1960s. One of his most noteworthy hits from 1961 has to be “Foolin’ Around”. This classic country jam made it to No. 2 on the Hot Country Singles chart. It almost became a minor crossover hit, too, peaking at No. 13 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

“Heartbreak U.S.A.” by Kitty Wells from ‘Heartbreak U.S.A.’

“Heartbreak U.S.A.” by Kitty Wells was one of many hits the iconic singer dished out. Many a baby boomer might remember her country hit “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” from the 50s, but “Heartbreak U.S.A.” was also quite a hit in 1961. This song became one of Wells’ most successful singles, peaking at No. 1 on the Hot C&W Sides chart.

(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)