(Saturday, May 14, 1955) — “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets (featuring the late Danny Cedrone on the electric guitar solo), widely considered to be the song that, more than any other, brought rock and roll into mainstream culture around the world, debuted at #22 on today’s Billboard Best Sellers in Stores top 30 chart.
Category Archives: Popular Music 1950s
Riot breaks out at Elvis Presley concert in Jacksonville 60 years ago today (May 13 1955)
Video: 'Elvis Presley Interview 1955 Jacksonville, FL'
(Friday, May 13, 1955) — A riot broke out at an Elvis Presley concert today at the Gator Bowl Baseball Park in Jacksonville, Florida, the first time trouble was reported at one of his concerts. Witnesses say the crowd went crazy when Presley said, “Girls, I’ll see you backstage.”
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‘Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)’ by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra peaks at #1 in USA 60 years ago today (Apr 30 1955)
(Saturday, April 30, 1955) — “Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)” by Pérez Prado and His Orchestra was the #1 song on today’s Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart for 10 consecutive weeks (Apr. 30, May 7/14/21/28, June 4/11/18/25, July 2, 1955).
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‘Birth of the Boogie’ by Bill Haley and His Comets peaks at #17 in USA 60 years ago today (Apr 30 1955)
(Saturday, April 30, 1955) — “Birth of the Boogie” by Bill Haley and His Comets was the #17 song on today’s Billboard Most Played in Juke Boxes chart for one week.
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Rosemary Clooney performs on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ 60 years ago this hour (Apr 10 1955)
Video: 'Rosemary Clooney "Mambo Italiano" on The Ed Sullivan Show'
(Sunday, April 10, 1955, 8 p.m. EST) — Rosemary Clooney performed “Mambo Italiano” on tonight’s live edition of the CBS-TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show.
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Inner-city school drama ‘Blackboard Jungle’ opens in New York City 60 years ago today (Mar 19 1955)
Video: 'Blackboard Jungle' trailer
(Saturday, March 19, 1955) — Blackboard Jungle, a social commentary film about teachers in an inner-city school, opened today at Loew’s State Theatre in New York City. The film marked the rock and roll revolution by featuring Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock.”
Directed by Richard Brooks, the film starred Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern and Sidney Poitier.
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Charlie Parker, jazz master, dies 60 years ago this hour (Mar 12 1955)
Image: 'Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker Story'
(Saturday, March 12, 1955, 8:15 p.m. EST) — Legendary jazz musician Charlie “Bird” Parker died tonight in New York City of heart failure. Known as the inventor of bebop, Parker was 34.
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‘Peter Pan’ Broadway production airs live on NBC-TV in color 60 years ago this hour (Mar 7 1955)
Video: '"Producers' Showcase" Peter Pan (7 March 1955)' (4 videos)
(Monday, March 7, 1955, 7:30-9:00 p.m. EST) — NBC-TV presented the full-length Broadway production of Peter Pan live tonight in color (only a black-and-white kinescope recording survived) as part of Producers’ Showcase, with nearly all of the show’s original cast.
The show attracted a then-record audience of 65-million viewers, the highest ever up to that time for a single television program.
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ABC bans Rosemary Clooney’s ‘Mambo Italiano’ 60 years ago today (Nov 18 1954)
Video: 'Rosemary Clooney - Mambo Italiano - 1954 originals'
(Thursday, November 18, 1954) — ABC radio and TV today banned “Mambo Italiano,” a hit by Rosemary Clooney, for so-called “offensive lyrics,” most likely due to the exaggerated Italian vernacular, including the words “goombah” and “gidrool.”
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Elvis Presley makes professional debut in Memphis 60 years ago this hour (July 30 1954)
Image: 'Elvis Presley - Backstage at the Overton Park Shell, Friday, July 30, 1954'
(Friday, July 30, 1954, 8:00 p.m. local time) — Elvis Presley made his professional debut in Memphis. It was his first concert to be advertised.
