2015/3/23 8:451950's Music Decade Overview

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Left to Right: '50's rock n' rollpioneers The Everly Brothers,Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry,Elvis Presley, Little Richard,and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Rock Music in the Fifties:

In the early 1950's the American Pop Charts are dominated bythe remnants of the big band era including vocalists such asDoris Day, Frankie Lane, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooneyand Nat King Cole, along with band leaders Mitch Miller, PercyFaith and others. The Rhythm & Blues Charts feature African-American artists playing to a predominately African-

1950's Top 100 Best Selling Singles Worldwide:

1 Bill Haley & his Comets - Rock Around the Clock - 1955 2 Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock - 1957 3 Jo Stafford - You Belong to Me - 1952 4 Doris Day Que sera sera (Whatever will be will be) - 1956 5 Rocco Granata - Marina - 1959 6 The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley - 1958 7 Anton Karas - Third Man Theme - 1950 8 Bobby Darin - Mack the Knife - 1959 9 Al Martino - Here in My Heart - 195210 Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa - 195011 Teresa Brewer (Put Another Nickel In) Music! Music! Music! - 195012 Patti Page - Tennessee Waltz - 195013 Les Paul & Mary Ford Vaya Con Dios (may God Be With You) - 195314 Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill - 195615 Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire - 195716 The Chordettes - Mister Sandman - 195417 Nat King Cole - Too Young - 195118 Vera Lynn - Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart - 195219 Doris Day - Secret Love - 195420 Elvis Presley - Hound Dog - 195621 Tennessee Ernie Ford - Sixteen Tons - 195522 Nat King Cole - Unforgettable - 195123 The Crew-Cuts Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream) - 195424 The Platters - Only You (And You Alone) - 195525 Paul Anka - Diana - 195726 Tony Bennett - Stranger in Paradise - 195327 The Platters - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - 195928 Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel - 195629 Johnnie Ray - Cry - 195130 Perez Prado Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White - 195531 Perry Como Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - 195332 Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat Song - 195733 Elvis Presley - Don't Be Cruel - 195634 Domenico Modugno - Volare - 195835 Elvis Presley - All Shook Up - 195736 Kitty Kallen - Little Things Mean a Lot - 195437 Pat Boone - Love Letters in the Sand - 195738 Dean Martin - Memories Are Made of This - 195639 The Kalin Twins - When - 195840 Frankie Avalon - Venus - 195941 The Platters - The Great Pretender - 195642 Doris Day - Bewitched (bothered & bewildered) - 195043 Phil Harris - The Thing - 195044 Four Aces - Love is a Many Splendoured Thing - 195545 Rosemary Clooney - Hey There - 195446 The Diamonds - Little Darlin' - 195747 Patti Page How Much is That Doggy in the Window? - 195348 Eddie Fisher - I'm Walking Behind You - 195349 Guy Mitchell - Singing The Blues - 195650 Elvis Presley

traditional African-American audience for R&B and gains awide audience of both white and black teenagers. Freedeventually names this cross-current of musical styles andinfluences - electric blues, boogie, jazz, gospel, R&B vocalgroups and country - "Rock and Roll".

The solid body electric guitar becomes commercially availablein the early fifties and is quickly adapted by R&B artists, aswell as Pop artists. The 78 RPM record is replaced by the LP(long playing) vinyl album and the 45 RPM single isintroduced.

In 1953, Bill Haley and His Comets are the first to hit the popcharts with a true rock and roll song, taking their single "CrazyMan Crazy" to #12. Black R&B artists such as Doo Wop groupthe Orioles achieve crossover success on the Pop Charts in1953 with their R&B hit "Crying In The Chapel".

Independent record labels such as Sun (Memphis), Ace(Jackson, MS), Vee-Jay (Gary, IN), Chess (Chicago),Specialty Records (Los Angeles) and many other labelsare quick to pick up on the opportunity and begin torelease Rock and Roll records from newly signed artists.

In 1955 rock and roll has it's first nationwide #1 hit whenBill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" tops the PopCharts. Although considered a novelty or fad by most,rock proves it's staying power. In 1955 black R&B artistsLittle Richard and Chuck Berry score significant Pop hits.

More cross-over hits fromblack R&B artists such asFats Domino and ThePlatters climb the popcharts. White artists suchas Pat Boone, TheCrewcuts and GeorgiaGibbs find successcovering R&B hits andturning them into hits onthe pop charts.

American audience inurban centers and thesouth. Cleveland, Ohioradio Disc Jockey AlanFreed is an exceptionwith his "MoondogShow" where he spinsup-tempo rhythm &blues hits, but aims hisshow beyond the

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1955 Rock Timeline

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1950's Timelines By Year:1950's Decade Overview

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50's Photo Galleries By Year:

Rock Roots 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959

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1959 Photo Gallery

What's included on this website:

Rock Music by Decade (mainnavigation at the top of each page)includes the following info: - Key music events by decade - Top 100 Songs of the decade - Top 100 Albums of the decade - Top Artists of the decade - Music genres by decade

Yearly Music Timelines (secondarynavigation at top of each decadepage) include the followinginformation: - Key music events by Month/Year - Yearly Jukebox from Rdio - Top Songs by Year - Top Albums by Year - Links to more detailed info - Links to #1 Songs US & UK - Links to #1 Albums US & UK

Yearly Photo Galleries: (accesswith the link below or on the leftnavigation from each YearlyTimeline)

- The Year In Pictures Gallery

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(Now & then There's) A Fool Such As I - 195951 The Everly Brothers - Bird Dog - 195852 Dean Martin - That's Amore - 195353 Perez Prado - Patricia - 195854 Don Cornell - Hold My Hand - 195455 Les Paul & Mary Ford - How High the Moon - 195156 The Crickets - That'll Be the Day - 195757 Rosemary Clooney - Mambo Italiano - 195458 Percy Faith The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart)59 Frankie Laine - I Believe - 195360 Gordon Jenkins & The Weavers - Goodnight, Irene - 195061 Les Paul & Mary Ford - Mockin' Bird Hill - 195162 Champs - Tequila - 195863 Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode - 195864 Jimmy Boyd - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - 195265 Percy Faith - Delicado - 195266 Johnnie Ray - Just Walkin' in the Rain - 195667 Four Aces - Three Coins in the Fountain - 195468 Al Hibbler - Unchained Melody - 195569 Perry Como - Wanted - 195470 The Everly Brothers - All I Have to Do is Dream - 195871 Tony Bennett - Because of You - 195172 Conway Twitty - It's Only Make Believe - 195873 Eddie Fisher - I Need You Now - 195474 Eddie Fisher - Oh My Papa (O Mein Papa) - 195475 Kay Starr - Wheel of Fortune - 195276 The Platters - My Prayer - 195677 Mario Lanza - Be My Love - 195178 Debbie Reynolds - Tammy - 195779 Cliff Richard - Living Doll - 195980 Tony Bennett - Rags to Riches - 195381 Johnny Horton - Battle of New Orleans - 195982 Paul Anka - Lonely Boy - 195983 Rosemary Clooney - Half As Much - 195284 The Andrews Sisters - I Can Dream, Can't I? - 195085 Perry Como - If (They Made Me a King) - 195186 Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender - 195687 Billy Eckstine - My Foolish Heart - 195088 Little Richard - Long Tall Sally - 195689 Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On - 195790 Billy Vaughn - Sail Along Silvery Moon - 195891 The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love - 195792 Neil Sedaka - Oh Carol - 195993 Nat King Cole - Pretend - 195394 Four Aces - Mister Sandman - 195595 Tony Bennett - Cold, Cold Heart - 195196 Tommy Edwards - It's All in the Game - 195897 Rosemary Clooney - This Ole House - 195498 Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers Why Do Fools Fall in Love? - 195699 Elvis Presley - (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear - 1957100 Mel Blanc - I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat - 1951

Top 50 Music Artists of the 1950'sBased on Worldwide Sales of Singles and Albums

Scouts from RCA records, looking to sign their own rockand roll performer, buy out the contract of Memphissinger Elvis Presley from regional label Sun Records.

Hot 100 at one time. By 1957 rock and roll artists appearregularly on the popular music charts and by 1959 rockand roll records account for 43% of all records sold.

The end of the decade is marked by tragedy as aFebruary 1959 plane crash takes the lives of rock and rollstars Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.

Fifties Genres / Key Artists:

In April 1956 ElvisPresley tops thePop Charts withhis first RCAsingle release"HeartbreakHotel". By the endof the year hewould be the firstartist ever to havenine singles in the

Rhythm & Blues: Fats Domino,Little Richard, Professor Longhair,Johnny Otis, Hank Ballard, RuthBrown, Big Joe Turner, TheClovers, The Platters, Bo Diddley,Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, LloydPrice, The Dominoes, Bill Black,Johnny Ace, BB King, The Drifters

Pre-Rock / Pop: Doris Day, MitchMiller, Percy Faith, Nat King Cole,Frankie Laine, Rosemary Clooney,Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, PerryComo, Johnny Mathis, EddieFisher, The Four Aces, Patti Page,Rosemary Clooney, Jo Stafford,Kay Starr, Dean Martin, Pat Boone

Folk Revival: Pete Seeger, TheWeavers, The Kingston Trio, GuyMitchell, Odetta, Harry Belafonte,The Brothers Four, Chad MitchellTrio

Doo Wop: The Orioles, TheCharms, The Clovers, ThePenguins, The Crows, The FiveSatins, The Moonglows, The Del-Vikings, The Diamonds, FrankieLymon & The Teenagers

Rock & Roll / Rockabilly: ElvisPresley, Gene Vincent, CarlPerkins, Eddie Cochran, Bill Haley& His Comets, Buddy Holly, TheEverly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis,Johnny Burnette & The Rock n'Roll Trio, Wanda Jackson, RitchieValens, Johnny Cash

Teen Idols: Ricky Nelson,Frankie Avalon, Fabian,Paul Anka, Dion, AnnetteFunicello

26: Sonny Rollins27: Art Blakey28: Johnnie Ray29: Duke Ellington30: Sarah Vaughan31: Mitch Miller32: Hank Williams33: Mantovani34: Bing Crosby35: Rosemary Clooney36: Mario Lanza37: The Everly Brothers38: Guy Mitchell39: Charles Mingus40: Chet Baker41: Paul Anka42: Les Paul & Mary Ford43: Buddy Holly44: Jo Stafford45: Jackie Gleason46: Ray Charles

1: Elvis Presley 2: Frank Sinatra 3: Nat King Cole 4: Miles Davis 5: Perry Como 6: Harry Belafonte 7: Bill Haley & his Comets 8: Johnny Mathis 9: Thelonious Monk10: Frankie Laine11: Doris Day12: Pat Boone13: Fats Domino14: Eddie Fisher15: Ella Fitzgerald16: Patti Page17: Louis Armstrong18: The Platters19: Dean Martin20: Dave Brubeck21: Tony Bennett

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47: Ricky Nelson48: Tennessee Ernie Ford49: Claudio Villa50: Kay StarrJazz: Miles Davis, Dave

Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, EllaFitzgerald, Louis Armstrong,Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, DukeEllington, Sarah Vaughan,Charles Mingus

The lists above are based on worldwide sales. The worldwide salesinformation is from Tsort and uses a formula based on splitting theworld into four regions based on sales, the USA (about 35%), otherEnglish speaking countries (about 20%), the rest of Europe (about25%) and the rest of the world (about 20%). We feel this is the bestmethodology available to show the global impact of a song or album.More detailed chart info is available on the Tsort website. Actual US& UK charts are linked at the bottom of each year timeline on thissite.

22: The Kingston Trio23: Four Aces24: Little Richard25: Chuck Berry

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