The Year the Charts Began
Elvis rules from the army, The Shadows define British guitar
1960 was a year of transition. The 1950s rock and roll explosion was still echoing, but British music was about to find its own voice. Elvis Presley was in the US Army, and the vacuum at the top of the charts was being filled by a new generation of British musicians.
The year belonged to The Shadows — Britain's first great instrumental guitar group. Cliff Richard and The Shadows dominated the UK charts with a run of hits that defined early British pop. Meanwhile, in Liverpool, a teenager named John Lennon was forming a skiffle group called The Quarrymen. A year later, Paul McCartney and George Harrison would join. The seeds of everything were being planted in 1960.
The Year in Charts
1960 saw the UK singles chart dominated by a mix of American rock and roll and emerging British pop. The Shadows' "Apache" became the biggest instrumental of the year, spending five weeks at #1 and defining the sound of British guitar music for a generation. Elvis Presley still ruled despite being in the army — "It's Now or Never" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" both hit #1. But the direction was clear: British artists were beginning to claim the charts as their own.
The Shadows and British Guitar
The Shadows were more than just Cliff Richard's backing band. With hits like "Apache", "Man of Mystery", and "The Frightened City", they became the blueprint for every British guitar group that followed. Hank Marvin's Fender Stratocaster sound — a shimmering, vibrating tone achieved through a Meazzi echo unit — was immediately recognisable and endlessly imitated. Every teenager who picked up a guitar in 1960 wanted to sound like Hank Marvin.
Did You Know?
- "Apache" by The Shadows was written by Jerry Lordan, who played it to them on a ukulele.
- Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" sold over 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
- The UK singles chart published its first Top 50 in 1960, expanding from the original NME Top 12.