6 of the 60s: 7/30/14 (1961)

It's time for this week's hump-day 60s flashback, with a half-dozen more nuggets from 1961, the year the Russian submarine K-19 leaked radioactive material, which killed dozens of sailors on the ship who were exposed fixing the trouble (later to be made into a Harrison Ford movie The Widowmaker)...

Bert Kaempfert - "Wonderland By Night"
from the album Wonderland By Night (1960)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1
Songwriters: Lincoln Chase, Klaus-Gunter Neuman

Proof of the Barenaked Ladies' claim that "Bert Kaempfert's got the mad hits", this trumpet-driven instrumental topped the chart for three weeks and gave the German orchestra leader his big break.

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The String-A-Longs - "Wheels"
from the album Pick A Hit (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3
Songwriters: Richard Stephens, Jimmy Torres

Originally titled "Tell The World", a vinyl-labeling snafu changed the name on the record, but that didn't stop it from becoming one of the biggest instrumental hits of the year.

Bob Moore - "Mexico"
from the album Mexico (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7
Songwriter: Boudleaux Bryant

The bassist and bandleader that was part of the elite session musicians in Nashville that backed the likes of Patsy Cline and Elvis had his own his with this south-of-the-border shuffler.

Floyd Cramer - San Antonio Rose
from the album On The Rebound (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8
Songwriter: Bob Wills

Another of the Nashville "A-Team" of session guys was this piano man that had three consecutive top-10 pop hits between 1960 and 1961.

Bill Black's Combo - "Hearts Of Stone"
from the album Greatest Hits (1963)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20
Songwriters: Randy Jackson, Eddy Ray

Elvis' bassist had a half-dozen straight top-20 with this non-album side.

The Ramrods - "(Ghost) Riders In The Sky"
from the EP The Ramrods (1961)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30
Songwriter: Stan Jones

The Connecticut instrumental band scored with this redo of the classic cowboy tune.

I'll be back tomorrow with seven more from 1971 and eight from 1981...