number one hits of the sixties

In the history of popular music , no decade impacted culture quite like the 1960s . No other decade saw the likes of Elvis , Bob Dylan , the Beatles , the Rolling Stones , James Brown — all at their prime . And perhaps no other decade saw such a vast evolution in popular music , with the sounds changing as fast as the culture of the Baby Boom . Reflecting or escaping from the turbulent events around them , number one artists of the sixties created an eclectic soundtrack for the times

When the 1960s began , former WWII Supreme Allied Commander [banner_entry_middle]

Dwight D Eisenhower was president of the US and the song at the top of the charts was a country ballad named El Paso ‘ by Marty Robbins . The quiet simplicity of the fifties was in its death throes , helped to its grave by the likes of Elvis Presley , Little Richard , and others . Elvis returned from the Army the same year , and just a few weeks after John F Kennedy was elected to office , the King reclaimed his throne at the top of the charts with Are You Lonesome Tonight

Ballads and teen romance songs dominated the charts at the beginning of the decade . 1961 saw the rise of fad songs such as The Twist ‘ by Chubby Checker , female singing groups like the Shirelles and Marvelettes , and teen idols like Ricky Nelson and Dion experience success . The new hope inspired by Kennedy and Camelot ‘ allowed Americans to enjoy another year of innocent bliss

In 1962 , popular music remained largely the same . Teen pop still ruled the charts , Chubby Checker twisted again , and young men and women were slow dancing to love ballads . Ray Charles topped the charts , and the Four Seasons began a hit streak that would last for the next few years But , with the Cuban Missile Crisis and a growing social consciousness inspired by the Beat generation and folk music , things were soon to change

Bob Dylan scored no number one hit in 1963 , but his influence was surely spreading throughout popular music as the country ‘s tastes began to shift . Though pop music still consisted predominantly of fluffy love songs and snappy dance numbers , a prodigy named Little Stevie Wonder scored his first number one , and Jan and Dean took surf music to the top of the charts . By the end of the year , Kennedy was dead and the country would never be the same

Reeling from the events of the prior year , Americans turned to the Beatles for solace . From February to May of 1964 , the Beatles held the number one chart position . Like the country , the music scene would be forever changed , as teen pop transformed from Bobby Vinton to the Beach Boys and the Animals . Americans also started hearing about a place called Vietnam

With the Beatles firmly established as the pinnacle of popular music scoring five number ones in 1965 , many similar artists and copycats achieved success . The Byrds topped the charts with Dylan ‘s Mr Tambourine Man ‘ and the Rolling… [banner_entry_footer]