Music
Music in America: 1960s
The 1960s was an extremely tumultuous decade for America, but that turbulence reverberated not only politically but within the music world as well, resulting in one of the most crucial decades in music.
The 1960s is perhaps best known for the political unrest thanks to the controversial conflicts of the decade. Unsurprisingly, the pervasiveness of the political atmosphere permeated itself into the nature of music. Episodes of great suffering and turmoil like World War II and the Great Depression were protested in song, this inspired a new generation of songwriters to wield music as a weapon against social injustice. In particular, this emboldened a revival folk music and the redefining of the songwriter.
Before the 60s a songwriter typically played the role of a bard, recalling an event or telling a story. The spice of protest accentuated a flavor that was more emotionally compelling, with narratives that were less focused on the story but more so on commentary of the story. This flavor has dominated the pallet of sound to this day. Perhaps no musician embodies this transition better than Bob Dylan. Though Dylan was admittedly a poor singer, he became a legend out of the shear potency of the songs that he wrote. It is because of the powerful talent of musicians like Dylan that audiences began to not only pay attention to songwriters, but remember and celebrate them.
The music scene in the 60s was not only influenced by politics, it was also influenced by the decade preceding it. Rock had begun to take shape in the 50s thanks to the influence of the blues, R&B, and country. The infusion of other genres continued into the 60s creating the previously mentioned folk rock (Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Mamas & the Papas), psychedelic rock (The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix), surf rock (The Beach Boys), and garage rock (The Kingsmen) among others. The 60s also saw the British rock scene break into the mainstream, immortalized as “The British Invasion”, a movement spearheaded by The Beatles in the mid 60s. The 60s was one of the most influential and transformative decades for rock, appropriately capstoned by the Woodstock Festival in 1969.
Quizzes and Polls
8th Annual Grammy Awards
The 8th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on March, 1966 and celebrated the music of 1965.
| Award | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Album Of The Year | Frank Sinatra September of My Years |
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| Album Of The Year (Classical) | Vladimir Horowitz Horowitz at Carnegie Hall, an Historic Return |
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| Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts | Silverstein, Lenisdorf, Boston Symphony Bartok: Concerto No. 2 for Violin; Stravnisky: Concerto for Violin |
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| Best Album Cover, Photography | Paul Horn Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts |
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| Best Album Notes | Frank Sinatra September of My Years |
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| Best Arrangement Accompanying A Vocalist Or Instrumentalist | Frank Sinatra It Was A Very Good Year Lyrics |
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| Best Chamber Music Performance (Instrumental Or Vocal) | Juilliard String Quartet Bartok: The 6 String Quartets |
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| Best Classical Performance (Choral) | Robert Shaw conducting the Robert Shaw Chorale, RCA Victor Symphony Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms; Poulenc: Gloria |
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| Best Classical Performance (Instrumental Soloist With Orchestra) | Artur Rubinstein (Leinsdorf conducting the Boston Symphony) Beethoven: Concerto No. 4 in G Major for Piano and Orchestra |
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| Best Classical Performance (Instrumental Soloist Without Orchestra) | Vladimir Horowitz Horowitz at Carnegie Hall, an Historic Return |
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| Best Classical Performance (Orchestra) | Leopold Stokowski conducting the American Symphony Ives: Symphony No. 4 |
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| Best Classical Vocal Performance With Or Without Orchestra | Leontyne Price (Leinsdorf conducting the Boston Symphony) Strauss: Salome (Dance of the Seven Veils, Interlude, Final Scene); The Egyptian Helen (Awakening Scene) |
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| Best Comedy Performance | Bill Cosby Why Is There Air? |
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| Best Composition By A Contemporary Classical Composer | Charles Ives Symphony No. 4 |
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| Best Country & Western Album | Roger Miller The Return of Roger Miller |
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| Best Country & Western Single | Roger Miller King Of The Road (Lyrics) |
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| Best Country & Western Song | Roger Miller King Of The Road (Lyrics) |
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| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance (Female) | Jody Miller Queen Of The House (Lyrics) |
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| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance (Male) | Roger Miller King Of The Road (Lyrics) |
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| Best Engineered Recording | Larry Levine A Taste of Honey (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass) |
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| Best Engineered Recording (Classical) | Fred Plaut Horowitz at Carnegie Hall, an Historic Return (Vladimir Horowitz) |
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| Best Folk Recording | Harry Belafonte, Miriam Makeba An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba |
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| Best Gospel Or Other Religious Recording | George Beverly Shea & Anita Kerr Quartet Southland Favorites |
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| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass A Taste Of Honey (Lyrics) |
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| Best Instrumental Performance (Non-Jazz) | Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass A Taste Of Honey (Lyrics) |
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| Best Jazz Performance (Large Group Or Soloist With Large Group) | Duke Ellington Orchestra Ellington ’66 |
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| Best Jazz Performance (Small Group Or Soloist With Small Group) | Ramsey Lewis Trio The In Crowd |
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| Best New Country & Western Artist | The Statler Brothers (Lyrics) |
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| Best Opera Recording | Karl Bohm conducting the Orchestra of German Opera, Berlin (solos: Fischer-Dieskau, Lear, Wunderlich) Berg: Wozzeck |
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| Best Original Jazz Composition | Lalo Schifrin Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts |
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| Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or Television Show | Robert Armbruster Orchestra The Sandpiper |
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| Best Performance By A Chorus | Swingle Singers Anyone for Mozart? |
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| Best Recording For Children | Marvin Miller Dr. Seuss Presents Fox in Sox and Green Eggs and Ham |
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| Best Score From An Original Cast Show | Alan Jay Lerner, Burton Lane On a Clear Day You Can See Forever |
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| Best Spoken Word Or Drama Recording | John F. Kennedy As We Remember Him |
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| Contemporary Rock & Roll Female Vocal Performance | Petula Clark I Know A Place Lyrics |
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| Contemporary Rock & Roll Group Vocal Performance | The Statler Brothers Flowers On The Wall (Lyrics) |
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| Contemporary Rock & Roll Male Vocal Performance | Roger Miller King Of The Road (Lyrics) |
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| Contemporary Rock & Roll Single | Roger Miller King Of The Road (Lyrics) |
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| Female Vocal Performance | Barbra Streisand My Name is Barbra (Lyrics) |
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| Male Vocal Performance | Frank Sinatra It Was A Very Good Year (Lyrics) |
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| Most Promising New Recording Artist | Peter Serkin (Pianist) |
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| New Artist | Tom Jones (Lyrics) |
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| Record Of The Year | Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass A Taste Of Honey (Lyrics) |
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| Rhythm & Blues Recording | James Brown Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Lyrics) |
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| Song Of The Year | Paul Francis Webster, Johnny Mandel The Shadow of Your Smile |
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| Vocal Group Performance | The Anita Kerr Quartet We Dig Mancini |
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The 9th Annual Grammy Awards
The 9th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on March, 1967 and celebrated the music of 1966.
| Award | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| Album Of The Year | Frank Sinatra Sinatra: A Man and His Music |
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| Album Of The Year (Classical) | Morton Gould conducting the Chicago Symphony Ives: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor |
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| Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts | Beatles Revolver |
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| Best Album Cover, Photography | Porter Wagoner Confessions of a Broken Man |
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| Best Arrangement Accompanying A Vocalist Or Instrumentalist | Frank Sinatra Strangers In The Night (Lyrics) |
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| Best Chamber Music Performance (Instrumental Or Vocal) | Boston Symphony Chamber Players Boston Symphony Chamber Players (selections by Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, Fine, Copland, Carter, Piston) |
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| Best Classical Performance (Choral) | Robert Shaw conducting the Robert Shaw Chorale and Orchestra Handel: Messiah |
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| Best Classical Performance (Instrumental Soloist With Or Without Orchestra) | Julian Bream Baroque Guitar (Bach, Sanz, Weiss, etc.) |
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| Best Classical Performance (Orchestra) | Erich Leinsdorf conducting the Boston Symphony Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A Minor |
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| Best Classical Performance (Vocal Soloist) | Leontyne Price (Molinari-Pradelli conducting the RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra; solos: Barber, Purcell, etc) Prima Donna |
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| Best Comedy Performance | Bill Cosby Wonderfulness |
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| Best Country & Western Recording | David Houston Almost Persuaded (Lyrics) |
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| Best Country & Western Song | Billy Sherrill, Glenn Sutton Almost Persuaded |
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| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance (Female) | Jeannie Seely Don’t Touch Me |
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| Best Country & Western Vocal Performance (Male) | David Houston Almost Persuaded (Lyrics) |
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| Best Engineered Recording | Cortelia Clark Blues in the Street |
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| Best Engineered Recording (Classical) | Anthony Salvatore Wagner: Lohengrin (Leinsdorf conducting the Boston Symphony Pro Musica Chorus and soloists) |
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| Best Folk Recording | Cortelia Clark Blues in the Street |
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| Best Instrumental Arrangement | Herb Alpert What Now My Love (Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass) |
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| Best Instrumental Jazz Performance (Group Or Soloist With Group) | Wes Montgomery Goin’ out of My Head |
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| Best Instrumental Performance (Other Than Jazz) | Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass What Now My Love (Lyrics) |
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| Best Instrumental Theme | Neal Hefti Batman Theme |
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| Best Opera Recording | Georg Solti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic (solos: Nilsson, Crespin, Ludwig, King, Hotter) Wagner: Die Walkure |
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| Best Original Jazz Composition | Duke Ellington In the Beginning God |
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| Best Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or Television | Alex North Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? |
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| Best Performance By A Chorus | Ray Conniff & Singers Somewhere, My Love (Lara’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago) |
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| Best Recording For Children | Marvin Miller Dr. Seuss Presents: If I Ran the Zoo and Sleep Book |
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| Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance Vocal Or Instrumental | Ramsey Lewis Hold It Right There |
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| Best Rhythm & Blues Recording | Ray Charles Crying Time (Lyrics) |
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| Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance (Male Or Female) | Ray Charles Crying Time (Lyrics) |
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| Best Sacred Recording (Musical) | Porter Wagoner and the Blackwood Brothers Grand Old Gospel |
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| Best Score From An Original Cast Show Album | Jerry Herman Mame |
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| Best Spoken Word, Documentary Or Drama Recording | Edward R. Murrow Edward R. Murrow, a Reporter Remembers, Vol. 1, The War Years |
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| Female Vocal Performance | Edyie Gorme If He Walked into My Life Today |
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| Male Vocal Performance | Frank Sinatra Strangers In The Night (Lyrics) |
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| Record Of The Year | Frank Sinatra Strangers In The Night (Lyrics) |
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| Rock & Roll Group Performance | The Mamas & The Papas Monday Monday (Lyrics) |
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| Rock & Roll Recording | The New Vaudeville Winchester Cathedral |
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| Rock & Roll Solo Performance | Paul McCartney Eleanor Rigby (Lyrics) |
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| Song Of The Year | John Lennon, Paul McCartney Michelle |
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| Vocal Group Performance | The Anita Kerr Quartet A Man and a Woman |
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Billboard Hot 100 for 1966
| # | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballad of the Green Berets | SSgt. Barry Sadler |
| 2 | Cherish | The Association |
| 3 | (You’re My) Soul and Inspiration | The Righteous Brothers |
| 4 | Reach Out I’ll Be There | The Four Tops |
| 5 | 96 Tears | ? and the Mysterians |
| 6 | Last Train to Clarksville | The Monkees |
| 7 | Monday, Monday | The Mamas and the Papas |
| 8 | You Can’t Hurry Love | The Supremes |
| 9 | Poor Side of Town | Johnny Rivers |
| 10 | California Dreamin’ | The Mamas and the Papas |
| 11 | Summer In The City | Lovin’ Spoonful |
| 12 | Born Free | Roger Williams |
| 13 | These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ | Nancy Sinatra |
| 14 | What Becomes of the Brokenhearted | Jimmy Ruffin |
| 15 | Strangers in the Night | Frank Sinatra |
| 16 | We Can Work It Out | The Beatles |
| 17 | Good Lovin’ | The Young Rascals |
| 18 | Winchester Cathedral | New Vaudeville Band |
| 19 | Hanky Panky | Tommy James and the Shondells |
| 20 | When a Man Loves a Woman (song) | Percy Sledge |
| 21 | Paint It Black | The Rolling Stones |
| 22 | My Love | Petula Clark |
| 23 | Lightnin’ Strikes | Lou Christie |
| 24 | Wild Thing | The Troggs |
| 25 | Kicks | Paul Revere and the Raiders |
| 26 | Sunshine Superman | Donovan |
| 27 | Sunny | Bobby Hebb |
| 28 | Paperback Writer | The Beatles |
| 29 | See You In September | The Happenings |
| 30 | You Keep Me Hangin’ On | The Supremes |
| 31 | Li’l Red Riding Hood | Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs |
| 32 | Devil with a Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly | Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels |
| 33 | Good Vibrations | The Beach Boys |
| 34 | A Groovy Kind of Love | The Mindbenders |
| 35 | You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me | Dusty Springfield |
| 36 | Cool Jerk | The Capitols |
| 37 | Born a Woman | Sandy Posey |
| 38 | Red Rubber Ball | The Cyrkle |
| 39 | B-A-B-Y | Carla Thomas |
| 40 | Walk Away Renée | The Left Banke |
| 41 | Daydream | The Lovin’ Spoonful |
| 42 | Time Won’t Let Me | The Outsiders |
| 43 | Hooray for Hazel | Tommy Roe |
| 44 | Sweet Pea | Tommy Roe |
| 45 | Bus Stop | The Hollies |
| 46 | I’m Your Puppet | James Bobby Purify |
| 47 | I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry | B.J. Thomas |
| 48 | Ain’t Too Proud to Beg | The Temptations |
| 49 | Dirty Water | The Standells |
| 50 | Elusive Butterfly | Bob Lind |
| 51 | I Am a Rock | Simon and Garfunkel |
| 52 | Crying Time | Ray Charles |
| 53 | Secret Agent Man | Johnny Rivers |
| 54 | The Sound Of Silence | Simon and Garfunkel |
| 55 | Lady Godiva | Peter and Gordon |
| 56 | Homeward Bound | Simon and Garfunkel |
| 57 | Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? | The Lovin’ Spoonful |
| 58 | Barefootin’ | Robert Parker |
| 59 | Uptight (Everything’s Alright) | Stevie Wonder |
| 60 | Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) | Cher |
| 61 | Sloop John B | The Beach Boys |
| 62 | 19th Nervous Breakdown | The Rolling Stones |
| 63 | Wipe Out | The Surfaris |
| 64 | Psychotic Reaction | Count Five |
| 65 | Beauty Is Only Skin Deep | The Temptations |
| 66 | No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) | The T-Bones |
| 67 | Just Like Me | Paul Revere and the Raiders |
| 68 | Love Makes the World Go Round | Deon Jackson |
| 69 | The Pied Piper | Crispian St. Peters |
| 70 | Coming On Strong | Brenda Lee |
| 71 | Somewhere My Love | Ray Conniff Singers |
| 72 | Almost Persuaded | David Houston |
| 73 | If I Were a Carpenter | Bobby Darin |
| 74 | Don’t Mess with Bill | The Marvelettes |
| 75 | Cherry, Cherry | Neil Diamond |
| 76 | Working In The Coal Mine | Lee Dorsey |
| 77 | Message to Michael | Dionne Warwick |
| 78 | Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing | Lou Rawls |
| 79 | Barbara Ann | The Beach Boys |
| 80 | Gloria | Shadows of Knight |
| 81 | My World Is Empty Without You | The Supremes |
| 82 | Rainy Day Women 12 and 35 | Bob Dylan |
| 83 | Guantanamera | The Sandpipers |
| 84 | Land of 1000 Dances | Wilson Pickett |
| 85 | Oh How Happy | The Shades of Blue |
| 86 | Woman | Peter and Gordon |
| 87 | You Baby | The Turtles |
| 88 | Five O’Clock World | The Vogues |
| 89 | Black Is Black | Los Bravos |
| 90 | Nowhere Man | The Beatles |
| 91 | Dandy | Herman’s Hermits |
| 92 | Baby Scratch My Back | Slim Harpo |
| 93 | She’s Just My Style | Gary Lewis and The Playboys |
| 94 | The More I See You | Chris Montez |
| 95 | I Fought the Law | Bobby Fuller Four |
| 96 | Yellow Submarine | The Beatles |
| 97 | Hungry | Paul Revere and the Raiders |
| 98 | Zorba the Greek | Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass |
| 99 | Shapes of Things | The Yardbirds |
| 100 | 634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.) | Wilson Pickett |