Thursday, July 29, 2021

THURSDAY BACKTRACK: Music and news from 60 years ago - week ending 29 July 1961

In at #5 this week - we've heard the first four - is Billy Fury:



Some memorable events (via Wikipedia):

24 July: Wilfred Roman Oquendo, a Cuban-born American citizen, hijacks Eastern Airlines Flight 202 at pistol point in Miami and forces the pilot to take him to Cuba. 'Skyjacking' has been developed by Fidel Castro's brother Raul, initially targeting the planes of Cubana de Aviación; in the US it is not technically illegal until September 1961:

25 July: President Kennedy makes a televised address announcing that the US will defend West Berlin against the Soviets at any cost including nuclear war. 
[Video below gives soundtrack, audio-visual recording is on the JFK Library website here: https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/TNC/TNC-258/TNC-258 .]

26 July: In the African sub-Saharan continent, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) votes in a constitutional referendum to allow some representation for black people, in the Rhodesian Parliament. 
    Although technically non-racial, there are two electoral rolls: on the 'A' list 50 constituencies are largely inhabited by whites; the 15 on the 'B' list are almost entirely black. The 'B' roll therefore has c. 23% of the seats in Parliament. 
    At this time the European population is estimated to number 225,000 (out of a total c. 3.75 million in 1960); that is, whites represent about 6% of the population but have 77% of the seats. Nevertheless this new proposed constitution is broadly welcomed in the UK House of Commons as a first step towards a non-racial society, as the debate there some weeks before, on 22 June, shows:
    'It may be that many of us would like to see rather more, but, even a year ago, the most liberal-minded Southern Rhodesian that I have met would hardly have looked forward to being able to have 15 so quickly, and many were hoping to get only two, three or four after the next election' -
-  Frederic Bennett, Conservative MP for Torquay.
    Later, as other African countries gain sovereignty, Southern Rhodesia wishes to follow suit, but is refused UK permission on the grounds that it has not yet moved to majority rule; this leads in 1965 to the colony's 'unilateral declaration of independence', not recognised internationally or by the United Nations. Following internal conflict and a period of direct rule from Britain, Zimbabwe gains its independence at last in 1980.

UK chart hits, week ending 29 July 1961

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

1

Temptation

The Everly Brothers

Warner Brothers

2

Well I Ask You

Eden Kane

Decca

3

Hello Mary Lou / Travellin' Man

Ricky Nelson

London

4

Runaway

Del Shannon

London

5

Halfway To Paradise

Billy Fury

Decca

6

A Girl Like You

Cliff Richard and The Shadows

Columbia

7

You Don't Know

Helen Shapiro

Columbia

8

Pasadena

The Temperance Seven

Parlophone

9

You Always Hurt The One You Love

Clarence 'Frogman' Henry

Pye

10

Romeo

Petula Clark

Pye

11

Time

Craig Douglas

Top Rank

12

Don't You Know It

Adam Faith

Parlophone

13

Baby I Don't Care / Valley Of Tears

Buddy Holly

Coral

14

Surrender

Elvis Presley

RCA

15

Weekend

Eddie Cochran

London

16

But I Do

Clarence 'Frogman' Henry

Pye

17

Runnin' Scared

Roy Orbison

London

18

Quarter To Three

The U.S. Bonds

Top Rank

19

Old Smokie / High Voltage

Johnny and The Hurricanes

London

20=

More Than I Can Say

Bobby Vee

London

20=

That's My Home

Acker Bilk

Columbia


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