1956

Chuck Berry begins a week of gigs at Mandy's Lounge, Buffalo, New York State.

The Chico Hamilton Quintet records Jonalah, Chrissie, The Wind, Gone Lover [When Your Lover Has Gone] and The Ghost, for Pacific Jazz Records in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Robert B. Rivkin is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He will find success as drummer and record producer Bobby Z, best known as a member of Prince's band.

Frank Sinatra records It Happened In Monterey, I've Got You Under My Skin [written by Cole Porter] and other tracks for Capitol Records in KHJ Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Ray Humphreys And His Orchestra with "Singing Star" Mavis Jones play at Bootle Town Hall, Liverpool, UK.

Rosemary Clooney records I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face and I Could Have Danced All Night, for Columbia Records.

Elvis Presley buys his first house at 1034 Audubon Drive, Memphis, Tennessee, USA, for $29,500. (0r $40,000, depending on which source you believe)

The movie Rock Around The Clock, starring Bill Haley and His Comets, is released to cinemas in the USA.

Marty Robbins releases a new single, Long Tall Sally/Mr Teardrop, on Columbia Records, in the USA.

EMI in the UK runs press ads for Heartbreak Hotel, billing Elvis Presley as 'the King of Western Bop?.

The Ink Spots arrive in the UK to begin a tour.

R'n'b saxophone star Earl Bostic records Harlem Nocturne in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Count Basie And His Orchestra play at The Lagoon, Salt Lake City, USA.

Gene Vincent begins a recording session at Owen Bradley's Nashville, Tennessee, studio, at which he records Be-Bop-A-Lula, Race With The Devil, I Sure Miss You and Woman Love.

Little Richard continues work on recording the tracks Ready Teddy and Heebie-Jeebies at J + M Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

When Bill Haley And The Comets play at The Civic Auditorium, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, English support act The Freddy Randall Band is the target of pickets from the White Citizens Council of Birmingham, Alabama. The pickets parade outside the hall bearing signs which read, 'Down with bebop. Christians will not attend this show. Ask your preacher about jungle music.' (Despite being white, Randall's band is playing jazz and he is known for his associations with many black artists.

Doo-wop/r'n'b combo The El Dorados record Bim Bam Boom for Vee-Jay Records in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Returning to the UK after a tour of the USA, popular bandleader and recording artist Ted Heath confidently predicts that, "Rock'n'roll is mainly performed by coloured artists for coloured people and is therefore unlikely to prove popular here."

Elvis Presley's cover version of the Carl Perkins song Blue Suede Shoes is released in the UK on RCA Records.

John Lee Hooker records Done Got Tired, Stop Talking, Time And A Half, and Lonely Blues, for Vee-Jay Records in Chicago, Illinois.

Roy Orbison plays at the Reo Palm Isle Club, Longview, Texas, USA.

Elvis Presley's cover of the Arthur Crudup song My Baby Left Me enters the Billboard Best-Selling Singles chart in the USA, where it will peak at No31 during a three-week run.

Hot Diggity [Dog Ziggity Boom] by Michael Holliday enters the Popular Singles Chart in the UK at No15. It will peak at No14 during an eight-week run on the chart.

R'n'B quintet The 5 Keys record Wisdom Of A Fool, From the Bottom Of My Heart and Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind, for Capitol Records in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Yana, Eddie Arnold and Cherry Wainer begin a week of shows at The Empire, Glasgow, Scotland.

Bill Haley and His Comets are banned from performing at the Rock And Roll Under The Stars concert in Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. The local authorities claim that, "Rock'n'roll music encourages juvenile delinquency and inspires young females in lewd bathing suits to perform obscene dances on the city's beaches."

Marc Bell, better known as Marky Ramone, drummer of The Ramones, is born in Brooklyn, New York City, USA.

The Chet Baker Quintet record Chippyin', Jumpin' Off A Clef and Extra Mild, at the Forum Theater, Los Angeles.

Eleven year old Brenda Lee has her first-ever recording session, at Bradley's Barn, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, where she records Jambalaya, Bigelow 6-200, Your Cheatin' Heart and Some People. On the same day, Little Richard is recording in Cosimo Matassa's J And M Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, working on Good Golly Miss Molly and other tracks.

Ruth Brown plays the second night in a week of shows at The Palms Club, Hallendale, Florida USA.

Fats Domino, Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers, The Harptones, Joe Turner, The Cleftones and The Penguins play the eighth of nine days as part of Alan Freed's Second Anniversary Rock And Roll Show at the Paramount Theatre, Brooklyn, New York City.

Chet Baker appears on the KABC-tv show Stars Of Jazz, performing Sweet Georgia Brown.

Bill Haley And His Comets are the headline attraction on the opening day of the 10-day long Happy Music Show at The Coliseum, New York City, USA.

Brian Robertson, guitarist for Thin Lizzy and Motorhead, is born in Glasgow, Scotland.

British skiffle king Lonnie Donegan has two UK singles chart entries in one day - Bring A Little Water Sylvie and Dead Or Alive.

Decca Records release Jambalaya, the debut single by eleven-year-old singing sensation, Brenda Lee, in the USA. The song was written by Hank Williams.

Ray Charles plays the third night of a week at The Palms Club, Hallendale, Florida, USA.

Ray Charles plays the final night of a week at The Palms Club, Hallendale, Florida, USA.

Dinah Washington plays the fifth night of a week at The Flame Show Bar, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Chuck Berry, Shirley And Lee, The G-Clefs and Buddy And Ella Johnson, play the sixth night of a week at the Howard Theater, Washington DC, USA.

The Cadillacs, Bo Diddley, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Debutants, The Dells, The Chips, The Schoolboys, Robert And Johnny and The Heartbeats play the first of seven nights as part of Dr Jive's Rhythm'n'Blues Revue at The Apollo Theater, Harlem, New York City, USA.

The Cadillacs, Bo Diddley, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, The Debutants, The Dells, The Chips, The Schoolboys, Robert And Johnny and The Heartbeats play the second of seven nights as part of Dr Jive's Rhythm'n'Blues Revue at The Apollo Theater, Harlem, New York City, USA.

Alma Cogan stars in Sing A Happy Song on Pan-European radio station Radio Luxembourg.

Jazz clarinettist Tony Scott records The Lady Is A Tramp, Just One Of Those Things [written by Cole Porter] and other tracks, in New York City, USA.

American music trade magazine Billboard reports that impresario Norman Granz has recently signed Woody Herman to a new three-year contract, and has also signed a deal with veteran New Orleans jazz trombonist Kid Ory.