1957: “Jailhouse Rock” became Elvis Presley’s ninth #1 hit over the last year and a half. 1957: After leaving the Dominoes, Jackie Wilson debuted on the US singles charts as a solo artist with “Reet Petite”. 1961: Bob Dylan had his Carnegie Hall debut, performing for an audience of fifty-three fans. 1963: Motown Records released … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: November 4th →

1955: “The Great Pretender” by The Platters was released. The song was written by their manager and producer, Buck Ram, who had previously been a successful songwriter. The record became the group’s second #1 on the R&B chart and first #1 on the pop charts. 1956: Elvis Presley topped Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores and … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: November 3rd →

1963: Peter, Paul and Mary held the top two spots on the Billboard album chart with their third album, In the Wind, which started its first of five weeks at #1, and the trio’s self-titled first album, which had previously occupied the top spot, at #2. 1963: “In My Room,” originally released as the B-side … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: November 2nd →

1964: The Rolling Stones started their second US tour in support of their second American LP, 12 X 5, at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, California. 1965: “I Hear a Symphony” by the Supremes entered the Billboard Hot 100. Four weeks later it became their sixth #1 single on the pop chart. 1965: Fontella Bass’ biggest … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: October 30th →

1938: Sister Rosetta Tharpe made her first recording—four sides for Decca Records, backed by Lucky Millinder’s jazz orchestra. The first gospel songs ever recorded by Decca, “Rock Me,” “That’s All,” “My Man and I,” and “The Lonesome Road” were instant hits, establishing Tharpe as an overnight sensation and one of the first commercially successful gospel … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: October 31st →

1955: James Brown and the Famous Flames recorded their first demo, performing “Please, Please, Please” at a radio station in Macon, Georgia. The session lead to their signing with King Records, where they re-recorded the song in February the following year, after which it climbed to #6 on the R&B chart. 1960: Elvis Presley released … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: November 1st →

1955: Sam Phillips launched WHER, the first all-girl radio station in the world, in Memphis, TN. Each of the young women who auditioned for the station assumed there would only be one position for a female announcer like many other stations at that time. It wasn’t until a few days before the first broadcast that … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: October 29th →

1957: Elvis Presley made his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, in which Sullivan presented Presley with a gold record for a million copies sold of his single “Love Me Tender.” The following week, the single hit the top of Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores and Most Played by Jockeys charts. 1957: The Everly … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: October 28th →

1957: “Oh, Boy!” by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, with additional backing vocals by the Picks, was released by Brunswick Records. The song made it to #10 in US. 1960: Ben E. King recorded “Spanish Harlem,” “First Taste of Love,” “Young Boy Blues,” as well as “Stand By Me,” a song written by King along … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: October 27th →

1963: The Beatles began their first tour of Sweden playing at the Nya Aulan, Sundstavagen in Karistad. 1964: The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show performing Chuck Berry’s “Around and Around” and closing the show with “Time Is On My Side.” The band’s appearance on the show generated over a million … Continue reading Today in Rock & Roll History: October 25th →