THURSDAY BACKTRACK: Music and news from 60 years ago - week ending 17 June 1961

This week's Number One: Elvis sings 'Surrender':

  

Some memorable events (via Wikipedia):

11 June: Phil Hill brings the winning Ferrari 250TRi/61 home at the 1961 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Hill co-drove with Belgian long distance specialist Olivier Gendebien.
https://klemcoll.wordpress.com/2016/05/06/the-winner-arrives/

 

12 June: German-speaking separatists blow up 37 electricity pylons in the South Tyrol region of Italy (photo source) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_Fire

14 June: UK Government announces that new push-button 'panda' pedestrian crossings
will start to replace 'zebra' crossings in the following year (source: BBC)

15 June: East German Communist First Secretary says there is no plan for a Berlin Wall.

Construction begins on 13 August.

16 June: Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, in Paris with the Kirov Ballet and about to fly with them to Britain, is told by KGB agents to accompany them back to Moscow instead. He breaks away from them, runs to two French policemen and asks for political asylum.

UK chart hits, week ending 17 June 1961

Htp: Clint's labour-of love compilation https://www.sixtiescity.net/charts/61chart.htm

Surrender	Elvis Presley	RCA	1
Runaway	Del Shannon	London	2
The Frightened City	The Shadows	Columbia	3
Hello Mary Lou / Travellin' Man	Ricky Nelson	London	4
But I Do	Clarence 'Frogman' Henry	Pye	5
More Than I Can Say	Bobby Vee	London	6
Pasadena	The Temperance Seven	Parlophone	7
You'll Never Know	Shirley Bassey	Columbia	8
I Told Every Little Star	Linda Scott	Columbia	9
Halfway To Paradise	Billy Fury	Decca	10
Temptation	The Everly Brothers	Warner Brothers	11
Have A Drink On Me	Lonnie Donegan	Pye	12
What'd I Say	Jerry Lee Lewis	London	13
Well I Ask You	Eden Kane	Decca	14
Pop Goes The Weasel / Bee*Bom	Anthony Newley	Decca	15
Runnin' Scared	Roy Orbison	London	16
Don't Treat Me Like A Child	Helen Shapiro	Columbia	17
On The Rebound	Floyd Cramer	RCA	18
Little Devil	Neil Sedaka	RCA	19
Wooden Heart	Elvis Presley	RCA	20