It became clear in 1955 that Rock "n" Roll was no
passing fad, on July 9, 1955, the mild-mannered Bill Haley's Rock Around
the Clock reached number one. The theme song from "Blackboard
Jungle" became rocks first international hit as it topped the UK
charts in November. Elvis turned 20, Buddy Holly was still a teenager,
James Bronw was 22, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Little Richard all
turned 23 in 1955. Alan Freed began promoting rock n roll show, even
though segregation was outlawed in 1954 the concerts rarely had black
and whites perform together. April 14th Easter Jubilee broke all
attendance records at the Paramount Theater in Brooklyn. On the 16th,
for an admission price of 60 cents Elvis made his first appearance in
the Big D Jamboree. Patsy Cline debuts her first recordings. The Famous
Flames led by 22 year old Jame Brown record Please, Please, Please at
radio station WIBB in Macon Georgia. November 21st Col. Tom Parker takes
control of Elvis. Tennessee Ernie Ford's Sixteen Tons begins it's
journey toward number 1. Child singing siblings Barry, Maurice, and
Robin Gibb begin regular Saturday morning performances at local cinemas
in Manchester, England.
This is a non-profit, informational web page, meant to be a
reminder of the music we listened to 50 years ago. Use of copyrighted
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