1960年第一屆星島業餘歌唱比賽，三十人進入決賽，其中包括因為怕輸而改名黃霑的黃湛森。

比賽分成國語時代曲和歐西歌曲兩組，沒有粵語的組別。整個比賽由初賽開始，吸引了過千人參加，是城中大事。參賽者自選的招牌飲歌，反映了1960年流行聲音的向背。

那一年，黃湛森在歐西歌曲組進入最後十五名後慘被淘汰，成終生憾事。老友詹小屏二話不說，以詹小屏的聲，唱Patti Page的歌，順利奪得冠軍。

國語時代曲組得冠軍的張海韻，學古典音樂出身，唱梁樂音作的《賣糖歌》，用古典技法，唱流行之音，唱出了時代曲站在時代街角的風釆。

然後所有歌手，不論歐西國語，一起向前，行入一個叫做六十年代的新世界。

My Rifle, My Pony and Me (1959)

Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
Lyricist: Paul Francis Webster
Vocalists: Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson

The sun is sinking in the west
The cattle go down to the stream
The redwing settles in the nest
It's time for a cowboy to dream

Purple light in the canyons
That's where I long to be
With my three good companions
Just my rifle, pony and me

Gonna hang (gonna hang)
My sombrero (my sombrero)
On the limb (on the limb)
Of a tree (of a tree)
Coming home (coming home)
Sweetheart darling
(sweetheart darling)
Just my rifle, pony and me
Just my rifle, my pony and me

(Whippoorwill in the willow
Sings a sweet melody
Riding to Amarillo)
Just my rifle, pony and me
No more cows (no more cows)
To be roping (to be roping)
No more strays will I see
Round the bend (round the bend)
She'll be waiting (she'll be waiting)
For my rifle, pony and me
For my rifle, my pony and me