6 of the 60s: 6/26/13 (1961)...

Hey gang, it's hump day, and time to shuffle out another half-dozen nuggets from the 60s. This week I'm back to 1961, the year John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev meet at the Vienna summit.

Chris Kenner - "I Like It Like That"
from the album Land Of 1000 Dances (1966)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #2
Songwriters: Chris Kenner, Allen Toussaint

New Orleans soul man had a hit with this record eventually covered by the Dave Clark Five, but didn't have a regular album release before his untimely death in 1968.

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Gene McDaniels - "Tower Of Strength"
from the album Tower Of Strength (1962)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriters: Burt Bacharach, Bob Hilliard

One of Bacharach's 60s hits without normal collaborator Hal David, this hit was one of the first big mainstream soul hits of the decade.

The Pips (Gladys Knight & The Pips) - "Every Beat Of My Heart"
from the album Letter Full Of Tears (1962)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6
Songwriter: Johnny Otis

This song originally from the Royals was done by the future Motown powerhouse, whose vocal group was jilted from profiting from their original, redid this for a top-10 version.

The Jarmels- "A Little Bit Of Soap"
from the album 14 Golden Classics (1994)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #12
Songwriter: Bert Russell

The one-hit-wonders from Richmond Virginia were named for a Harlem street, and this little ditty had legs, becoming a top-40 hit two more times in covers by Elton John Band member Nigel Olsson and soft-rock singer Paul Davis.

Solomon Burke - "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)"
from the album Solomon Burke's Greatest Hits (1962)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #24
Songwriter: Virgil Stewart

 This pioneer of soul music doesn't nearly get as much credit as his contemporaries (Charles, Redding). This single introduced him to the masses, though his pop success wasn't as great, perhaps because his soul was so unfiltered.

Mary Wells - "I Don't Want To Take A Chance"
from the album Bye Bye Baby/I Don't Want To Take A Chance (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #33
Songwriters: Berry Gordy, William "Mickey" Stevenson


...The first female-sung top-40 hit for Motown Records, this song by the label's first big solo star was the template for the brand's upcoming tsunami of hits.

That's it for this 60s throwback...I'll be back tomorrow with 7 more from 1971 and 8 from 1981...