Y
1961
1961 in British Music
Beatlemania stirs in Liverpool's Cavern Club as British R&B takes its first breaths.
Key Events
- •The Beatles' first Cavern Club lunchtime session — the Merseybeat legend begins
- •Helen Shapiro becomes a teen sensation at 14 with 'Walking Back to Happiness'
- •The Temperance Seven bring trad jazz to the top of the charts
Dominant Genres
BeatTrad JazzPopR&B
Notable Trends
- →Merseybeat scene crystallises around Liverpool's clubs
- →Trad jazz briefly becomes a national craze
- →The Shadows' template inspires a wave of instrumental groups