6 of the 60s: 2/19/14 (1960)...

Hey gang I'm here to serve out a half dozen more nuggets from the 60s, and this week I'm back to 1960, the year four black students from North Carolina held a sit-in at the lunch counter at a Woolworths at Greenboro, sparking similar protests nationwide.

Larry Verne - "Mr. Custer"
from the album Mister... (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Fred Darlan, Al Delory, Joseph Van Winkle

Comedy gets a history lesson with this western knockoff that somehow made it to the top ten of the R&B chart. Verne would later quit music to be a set designer.

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The Browns - "The Old Lamplighter"
from the album Town And Country (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriters: Nat Simon, Charles Tobias

This record from Jim Ed and his two sisters was a remake of a 1947 #1 hit for Sammy Kaye, and would again be redone in the 90s by Icelandic siren Bjork.

Donnie Brooks - "Mission Bell"
from the album The Happiest (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7
Songwriter: William Michael

Texan-born rockabilly singer had hit big moment with this easy-going ringing of the music charts.

Bill Black's Combo - "Smokie - Part 2"
from the album Smokie (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: 17
Songwriter: Bill Black

The bassist who backed Elvis at the start had his first #1 soul hit with this slinky little number.

Debbie Reynolds - "Am I That Easy To Forget"
from the album Am I That Easy To Forget? (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #25
Songwriters: Carl Belew, W.S. Stevenson

The silver screen darling has quite a bit of success on the pre-British invasion music scene, including the title track to this album...

Bob Beckham - "Crazy Arms"
from the album Just As Much As Ever (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #36
Songwriters: Ralph Mooney, Chuck Seals

This Oklahoma country-rock singer would eventually run his own label, Combine..

Tomorrow I'll have 7 more from 1970 and 8 from 1980...