1956 in music

Contents

1 Events

2 Albums released

3 No. 1 hit singles

4 Top hits on record

5 Top R&B and Country hits on record

6 Published popular music

13.1 Eurovision Song Contest

Events

Cameo-Parkway Records formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Kal Mann & Bernie Lowe.
Foundation of the Korean piano brand Young Chang.
January 26 - Buddy Holly's first recording sessions for Decca Records take place in Nashville, Tennessee
Roy Orbison signs with Sun Records
January 28 - Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show
March 22 - Carl Perkins is injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Delaware and spends several months in the hospital. Perkins had been on his way to New York City to make an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.
March 31 - Elvis Presley films a screen test for Paramount Pictures.
April 3 - Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on The Milton Berle Show
April 6 - Paramount Pictures signs Elvis Presley to a three picture deal.
April 7 - The first regularly scheduled nationally broadcast rock & roll show, Rock 'n Roll Dance Party, with Alan Freed as host, premieres on the CBS Radio Network.
April 10 - Nat King Cole is severely beaten by a group of racial segregationists in Birmingham, Alabama while performing
May 2 - For the first time in Billboard magazine history, five singles appear in both the pop and R&B Top Ten charts. They are Elvis Presley's "Heatbreak Hotel" (#1 pop, #6 R&B), Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" (#4 pop, #3 R&B), Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" (#9 pop, #1 R&B), the Platters' "Magic Touch" (#10 pop, #7 R&B) and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (#7 pop, #4 R&B). Presley's and Perkins' singles also appeared on the country and western Top Ten chart at #1 and #2 respectively
May 6 - Elvis Presley appears on the Milton Berle show
May 24 - First ever Eurovision Song Contest
June 5 - Elvis Presley introduces his new single, Hound Dog, on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his sugestive hip movements.
July 1 - Elvis Presley appears on the Steve Allen show
July 9 - Dick Clark hosts American Bandstand for the first time
September 9 - Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Nat King Cole becomes the first major black performer to host a variety show on national television. The Nat King Cole Show was first broadcast on November 5, 1956
December 4 - Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash record together at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The sessions are later released under the name, the "Million Dollar Quartet"
December 19 - Breaking the record for the highest number of concurrent singles by a single artist, Elvis Presley holds 9 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Presley would hold the record until 1964 when the Beatles held 14 positions on the chart.
Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock stars.
Aretha Franklin's musical career begins
Gene Vincent's musical career begins
The Coasters' musical career begins
Charlie Rich's musical career begins
Bobby Darin's musical career begins
Willie Nelson's musical career begins
Dalida's musical career begins on Barclay Record in Europe as (one of) the first biggest "world pop star" and sex symbol
Chrysler Corporation provides an in-car turntable 16⅔ rpm record player with 7-inch ultramicrogroove records in its luxury model, the "Imperial". The machine was developed by Peter Goldmark — the man who invented the 33⅓ rpm long playing (LP) record format

Albums released

The Ames Brothers - The Ames Brothers
Ames Brothers Concert - The Ames Brothers
The Ames Brothers With Hugo Winterhalter - The Ames Brothers & Hugo Winterhalter
Dinner Music For People Who Aren't Very Hungry - Spike Jones
Do You Remember When? - McGuire Sisters
The East Side - Patti Page
Ella and Louis - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
The Four Aces - The Four Aces
Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems Of Color - Frank Sinatra
Frankie Laine & The Four Lads - Frankie Laine
A Girl Named Jo - Jo Stafford
High Society - Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & Celeste Holm
Holding Hands At Midnight - Dinah Shore
Howdy! - Pat Boone
In The Land Of Hi Fi - Patti Page
Kay Starr Country - Kay Starr
Latin Kick - Cal Tjader
Listen To The Hi-Lo's - The Hi-Lo’s
Love Songs Sung - Dinah Shore
Love's Old Sweet Song - The Ames Brothers
Lullaby Time - Bing Crosby
Manhattan Tower - Patti Page
Most Happy Fella - Doris Day
Music And Memories - Georgia Gibbs
New Jazz Conceptions - Bill Evans
Pat Boone - Pat Boone
On Hand - The Hi-Lo’s
On The Sunny Side Of The Street - The Four Lads
Shillelaghs And Shamrocks - Bing Crosby
Singin' And Swingin' - The Mills Brothers
Ski Trails - Jo Stafford
Song Favorites - Georgia Gibbs
Songs By Kay Starr - Kay Starr
Swingin' With Her Nibs - Georgia Gibbs
Swingin' With Kay Starr - Kay Starr
The Best Of - The Eisenhowers
This Is Sinatra - Frank Sinatra
Two For Tonight - Bing Crosby
Under Glass - The Hi-Lo’s

No. 1 hit singles

These singles reached the top of Billboard magazine's charts in 1956.

First week	Number of weeks	Title	Artist
January 14, 1956	5	"Memories Are Made Of This"	Dean Martin
February 18, 1956	2	"Great Pretender"	The Platters
March 3, 1956	3	"Rock And Roll Waltz"	Kay Starr
March 24, 1956	6	"Poor People Of Paris"	Les Baxter
May 3, 1956	7	"Heartbreak Hotel"	Elvis Presley
June 16, 1956	7	"Wayward Wind"	Gogi Grant
August 4, 1956	2	"I Almost Lost My Mind"	Pat Boone
August 18, 1956	5	"My Prayer"	The Platters
September 15, 1956	7	"Don't Be Cruel/Hound Dog"	Elvis Presley
November 3, 1956	3	"Green Door"	Jim Lowe
November 17, 1956	3	"Love Me Tender"	Elvis Presley
December 8, 1956	2	"Singing The Blues"	Guy Mitchell
December 22, 1956	1	"Love Me Tender"	Elvis Presley
December 29, 1956	7	"Singing The Blues"	Guy Mitchell