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The Ballad Of Davy Crockett by Bill Hayes enters the Popular Singles Chart in the UK at No13. It will peak at No2 during a nine-week run on the chart.
Kenny Baker And Friends record Time's A Wastin', Three Little Words and Blues For John, for Nixa Records in London, UK.
Bill Haley And His Comets, Roy Hamilton, The Platters, LaVern Baker, Bo Diddley, The Drifters, Joe Turner, The 5 Keys, Shirley And Lee, The Turbans and The Red Pysock Rock'n'Roll Orchestra play in the Biggest Rock'n'Roll Show package tour at the National Guard Armory, Washington, DC, USA.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins records the first version of I Put A Spell On You, for Grand Records in the USA, but it will not be a success.
Memories Are Made Of This by Dave King enters the UK popular singles chart at No13. It will peak at No5 during a fifteen-week run on the chart.The Teddy Wilson Trio records Birth Of The Blues, You Took Advantage Of Me, It Had To Be You and other tracks for the album Blues For The Oldest Profession, at Universal Recording Studio, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
US trade magazine Billboard reports that the new Howlin' Wolf single, Smokestack Lightning is selling well in "New Orleans, Memphis, St Louis, Nashville, Atlanta, Durham, and other traditional strongholds of his are reacting enthusiastically. The record is also on the Chicago territorial chart..."
Shirley Caddell [aka Shirley Collie] records Where Did The Sunshine Go?, I Think You're Lying, I'm Gonna Change and I'm Gonna Quit My Crying for ABC Records in New York City, USA.
Saxophone star Earl Bostic records Harlem Nocturne in Los Angeles, California, USA.
The Joytones, one of rock'n'roll's first girl groups, record Gee, What A Boy which will be released in the USA as a single by the New York City-based Rama Records.
The Ink Spots appear on UK tv show Sunday Night At The London Palladium, but are criticised in the music press for relying entirely on old hits.
Vic Lewis And His Orchestra play at The Festival Hall, Kirkby In Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England, UK, Europe.Dizzy Gillespie And His Big Band fly in from Athens, Greece, Europe, to Heathrow Airport, London, England, UK, Europe. Among Gillespie's band is trmpeter/arranger Quincy Jones. Leaving from the same airport earlier that day was Louis Armstrong.
Stephane Grapelly, Ronnie Hilton and Shani Wallace appear on BBCtv's The Tin Pan Alley Show in London, England, UK, Europe.
Que Sera [What Ever Will Be Will Be] by Doris Day enters the Popular Singles Chart in the UK at No20. It will peak at No1 during a run of 22 weeks on the chart.
Bob Birch is born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He will carve out an impressive career as a bass guitar player, notably as a member of Elton John's band.
Elvis Presley plays in the Municipal Auditorium, Orlando, Florida, USA. "He was gone, man, gone," reports Jean Yorhters of the Orlando Sentinel-Star.
British comedy team The Goons (Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe) record a rock'n'roll parody, Bloodnock's Rock And Roll Call, for Decca Records in London.
An article in Billboard magazine in the USA announces that Special Products, Inc., is about to launch its first line of Elvis Presley-endorsed merchandise, including a t-shirt and a line of rock'n'roll costume jewelry. These and future products — blue jeans, charm bracelets, soft drinks, etc. are to be aimed at the teenage market. The company also claims that Elvis will make personal appearances in department stores to plug the merchandise.Fats Domino, Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, The Harptones, Joe Turner, The Cleftones and The Penguins play the first of nine days as part of Alan Freed's Second Anniversary Rock And Roll Show at the Paramount Theater, Brooklyn, New York City.
Hoping to audition for Sun Records, Jerry Lee Lewis travels to Memphis, Tennessee, USA, with his father. As Sun Records' owner Sam Phillips is out of town, Lewis auditions for Jack Clement, an engineer, who advises him to learn some rock and roll.
Purist British skiffle fans are horrified to discover that Skiffle King Lonnie Donegan has dropped the washboard from his new group line-up. "We haven't incorporated a washboard in the new group," he explains, "for the very simple reason that I don't like them."
Screamin' Jay Hawkins records his definitive version of I Put A Spell On You for Columbia Records subsidiary OKeh, in New York City, USA. The song will be included in the Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock'N'Roll.
Brian Robertson, guitarist for Thin Lizzy, is born in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, Europe.
British skiffle king Lonnie Donegan has two UK singles chart entries in one day - Bring A Little Water Sylvie and Dead Or Alive.
Calypsonian Lord Caresser (aka The Caresser) is appearing in The Venus De Milo Room, Mongtreal, Quebec, Canada.Ray Charles plays the fifth 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.
When British rock'n'roll combo Tony Crombie And His Rockets appear on UK tv show Sunday Night At The London Palladium, singers Harry Secombe and Alma Cogan are seen dancing to the music.
UK pop newspaper the NME [New Musical Express] runs a feature entitled 'What Makes Them Do This' - A Psychologist Reports on Rock 'N' Roll.'
Smooth r'n'b pianist Sonny Thompson records Gum Shoe for King Records in New York City, USA, with King Curtis on saxophone.
Teddy Foster And His Orchestra, with vocalist Vince Hill, plays at The Festival Hall, Kirkby In Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England, UK, Europe.More by Jimmy Young peaks at No4 in the Singles Chart in the UK, during a seventeen-week run on the chart.
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.
The David Whitfield Show on Pan-European radio station Radio Luxembourg features David Whitfield, Ronnie Aldrich And The Squadronaires, and Max Jaffa's Strings, from Borough Hall, Greenwich, London, UK. Also on Luxembourg on this evening is Issy Bonn and Billy's Banjo Band, also from Borough Hall, Greenwich.
Louis Armstrong records If I Could Be With You, Body And Soul and other tracks in New York City, USA.
Bryan Johnson, The Stargazers and The Big Ben Banjo Band appear in The Empire Show, from The Civic Theatre, Poplar, UK, on Pan-European radio station Radio Luxembourg. Also on Luxembourg on this evening is The Winifred Atwell Show, from The Town Hall, Stoke Newington, London, UK, featuring Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson, plus Geoff Love And His Music.
Eddy Bond And the Stompers play at the Bethel Springs High School Auditorium, Bethel Springs, Tennessee, supported by Jerry Lee Lewis.
Billboard magazine reports that, with a total of seventeen, Elvis Presley had the most chart records in the USA during 1956. He also hogged the top spot with 25 weeks at No1.
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