January 7
Columbia Pictures
begins production on "Rock Around the Clock" featuring the song of the same name
by Bill Haley and His Comets. Alan Freed is also
featured and serves as
a technical consultant. It was also announced that Freed had made a deal with Columbia
Records and WINS to take packaged rock
and roll shows cross
country to appear in local movie theaters.
January 10
Elvis begins his first
recording session for RCA Victor. One of the songs recorded is "Heartbreak
Hotel".
January 26
Buddy Holly's first
professional recording session in Nashville at Bradley's Barn, a studio owned and operated
by Owen Bradley. First single to be released
in April
January 28
Elvis Presley makes
national television debut as a guest on "Stage Show" on the CBS-TV network. The
show is produced by Jackie Gleason and stars The
Dorsey Brothers.
Coasters sign with Atco, an Atlantic Records subsidiary
February 11
The Platters appear on
"The Perry Como Show" on NBC-TV singing "The Great Pretender"
February 18
Carl
Perkins signs a long term contracted with "The Big D Jamboree" a nationwide
radio show.
February 25
Alan Freed is chairman
for Teenagers March for Childhood Nephrosis fund drive. I n New York 11,000 rock and roll
fans turn out in a downpour to
distribute 1/2
million pledge cards. RCA Victor announces that Elvis Presley has six singles among
the company's top selling twenty five records.
March 9
Slippin' and Slidin' the flip side
of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" is picked number on new record on NBC
radio's "National Juke Box Fan Club"
March 10
Eddie Cochran is made a regular
member of Hollywood Jubilee a weekly show at Los Angeles' American Legion Stadium
March 14
Rock Around the Clock is
released. The picture features Bill Haley and His Comets, Alan Freed, The Platters
and Freddy Bell and The Bellboys. Eighty
percent of the movie is music
featuring 17 songs.
March 17
Carl Perkins makes his first
national appearance on Red Foley's "National Jubilee".
March 21
Carl Perkins headlines a show at
Norfolk, VA Auditorium. After the show in route to a March 24 appearance on the
Perry Como Show on NBC-TV,
Perkins injured seriously in
an auto accident in Dover, Delaware, suffering a fractured skull and broken
shoulder. Jay his brother and rhythm guitarist neck is
broken, Carl will be in the
hospital until April 10. Jay will never recover fully.
March 23
Alan Freed stages a three day "Rock
'n' Roll Stage Show" at the State Theater in Hartford. Although Freed denies that
there was a riot, eleven teenagers
were arrested over the weekend.
Dr. Francis J. Braceland of the Institute of Living in Hartford calls rock and roll a "communicable disease with music appealing to adolescent insecurity and driving teenagers to do outlandish things... It's cannibalistic and tribalistic.. Dr. Braceland's remarks prompt a published defense of rock and roll from Freed and three well known bandleaders of another generation, Sammy Kaye, Benny Goodman and Paul Whiteman.
April 1
Elvis has a screen test with producer Hal
Wallis of Paramount Pictures. The result being he is signed to three year contract.
April 3
Elvis Presley guests on The Milton Berle Show"
telecast by NBC-TV from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hancock which is docked at the San
Diego Naval
Station
April 7
The Platters make their first national appearance,
on CBS-TV's "Stage Show"
April 15
Amid increasing reports of a darker side of rock and
roll, Alan Freed guests on CBS-TV to state his views. Eric Sevareid, CBS commentator,
hosts the
discussion which includes interviews with
teenagers and newsreel footage of a Freed sponsored show in Camden, NJ.
April 16
ABC Radio debuts "Rhythm Parade" a a
nationally broadcasted rock and roll show from the Flame Show Bar in Detroit.
April 19
Clyde McPhater is discharged from the Army.
April 23
Elvis Presley opens for two weeks at the New
Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas. His appearance is less then successful
Capitol records auditions for "the next Elvis Presley" Out of more then
200 auditions they sign 21 year old Gene Vincent from Norfolk, Virginia
May 5
After six weeks of recuperation Carl Perkins returns
to the "Big D Jamboree" as a regular.
May 26
Carl Perkins makes a guest appearance on
"The Perry Como Show on NBC-TV. Perkins had been on his way to appear on the
show in March 1955 when
he was involved in an auto accident
June 4
Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps play first live
show in Myrtle Beach, NC
June 5
Elvis Presley appears on ABC-TV's Milton Berle
Show. He performs a bump and grind version of "Hound Dog" which is
estimated to been viewed by 25%
of the American population and brings howls of
protest from critics.
June 8
Clyde McPhatter appears at the Apollo Theater
in New York.
June 30
The Platters appear on CBS-TV's Stage Show.
Alan Freed launches his nationwide radio show aimed directly at teenagers who only want to
hear rhythm and
blue and rock and roll music. The show is
sponsored by Camel cigarettes and is aired on CBS radio 9-9:30.
July 1
Elvis appears on NBC-TVs "The Steve Allen
Show". Aware of the Berle controversy Elvis is dressed in a tuxedo and sings to
a Basset hound.
July 28
Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps make their national television
debut singing "Be-Bop-A-Lula" on the "Perry Como Show" on NBC-TV
August 6
Production begins on
"Rock. Rock, Rock" a rock and roll movie starring Alan Freed, Bill Haley and His
Comets. Also appearing are Frankie Lymon and
the Teenagers, Chuck
Berry, the Flamingos and LaVern Baker.
August 12
The Platters guest on
"The Ed Sullivan Show"
August 22
Elvis Presley begins filming "The
Reno Brothers for 20th Century Fox. The movie will be renamed Love Me Tender
September 2
Fats Domino guests on The Steve Allen Show. Gene Vincent starts first professional
tour.
September 9
Elvis Presley makes first of three appearances on CBS-TV's The Ed Sullivan Show.
September 9
Frankie Lymon and the teenagers are on "Rock 'n' Roll Dance Party on CBS
radio
October 28
Elvis
Presley makes second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan show.
November 21
National release
of Love Me Tender
November 18
Fats Domino sings
Blueberry Hill on CBS-TV's Ed Sullivan Show
Gene Vincent cancels a month long engagement at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas after three weeks due to pains in his leg. The leg had been injured while he was in the Navy. He will remain in the hospital three months.
December 4
Carl
Perkins is finishing a session at the Sun Studios with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison when
Elvis Presley stops by. An impromptu jam session is held.
and it is taped the Million Dollar Quartet.
December 5
Rock,
Rock, Rock opens nationally.