1960 saw further erosion of rock and roll’s stranglehold on the pop charts.

By now, Little Richard was joining the ministry, Jerry Lee Lewis was scandalized, Elvis was in the army (or worse, movies), Chuck Berry faced charges regarding the Mann act, and Buddy Holly was dead.

Throw in a scandal regarding payola, which was aimed almost exclusively at rock and roll, and you might a clearer picture of why things were changing, but despite all this, the pop charts remained relevant, with some incredibly strong R&B artists now welcome to the mainstream.

Featured tracks include:

Cathy’s Clown – The Everly Brothers

Paper Roses – Anita Bryant

Wonderful World – Sam Cooke

Ding-A-Ling – Bobby Rydell

Ooh Poo Pah Doo, parts 1 and 2 – Jessie Hill

Think – James Brown

Only the Lonely – Roy Orbison

Mule Skinner Blues – The Fendermen

All I Could Do Was Cry – Etta James

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini – Brian Hyland

Walk Don’t Run – The Ventures

Walking to New Orleans – Fats Domino

Chain Gang – Sam Cooke