1956 in music

Events

• January 26 - Buddy Holly's first recording sessions for Decca Records take place in Nashville, Tennessee
• Roy Orbison signs with Sun Records
• January 28 - Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show
• February 3 - Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash record together at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The sessions are later released under the name, the "Million Dollar Quartet"
• March 22 - Carl Perkins is injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Delaware and spends several months in the hospital. Perkins had been on his way to New York City to make an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.
• March 31 - Elvis Presley films a screen test for Paramount Pictures.
• April 3 - Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on The Milton Berle Show
• April 6 - Paramount Pictures signs Elvis Presley to a three picture deal.
• April 7 - The first regularly scheduled nationally broadcast rock & roll show, Rock 'n Roll Dance Party, with Alan Freed as host, premieres on the CBS Radio Network.
• April 10 - Nat King Cole is severely beaten by a group of racial segregationists in Birmingham, Alabama while performing
• May 2 - For the first time in Billboard magazine history, five singles appear in both the pop and R&B Top Ten charts. They are Elvis Presley's "Heatbreak Hotel" (#1 pop, #6 R&B), Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" (#4 pop, #3 R&B), Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" (#9 pop, #1 R&B), the Platters' "Magic Touch" (#10 pop, #7 R&B) and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (#7 pop, #4 R&B). Presley's and Perkins' singles also appeared on the country and western Top Ten chart at #1 and #2 respectively
• May 6 - Elvis Presley appears on the Milton Berle show
• May 24 - First ever Eurovision Song Contest
• July 1 - Elvis Presley appears on the Steve Allen show
• September 9 - Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• December 19 - Breaking the record for the highest number of concurrent singles by a single artist, Elvis Presley holds 9 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Presley would hold the record until 1964 when the Beatles held 14 positions on the chart.
• Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock stars.
• Aretha Franklin's musical career begins
• Gene Vincent's musical career begins
• The Coasters' musical career begins
• Charlie Rich[?]'s musical career begins
• Bobby Darin's musical career begins
• Willie Nelson's musical career begins
• Chrysler Corporation provides an in-car turntable 16-2/3 rpm record player with 7-inch ultramicrogroove records in its luxury model, the "Imperial." The machine was developed by Peter Goldmark[?] - the man who invented the 33-1/3 rpm long playing (LP) record format

Albums Released

• Ella and Louis[?] - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
• Do You Remember When?[?] - McGuire Sisters[?]

Top Hits

• "Don't Be Cruel" - Elvis Presley
• "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps[?]
• "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
• "Ooby Dooby" - Roy Orbison
• "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" - Brenda Lee
• "In The Still Of The Night" - Five Satins[?]
• "Tutti-Frutti" - Little Richard
• "My Pink Cadillac" - Hal Willis[?]
• "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" - The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon[?]
• "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
• "See You Later Alligator" - Bill Haley and His Comets
• "The Great Pretender" - The Platters
• "Roll Over Beethoven" - Chuck Berry
• "Singing The Blues" - Guy Mitchell[?]

Births

• January 4 - Bernard Albrecht/Summer[?], Joy Division, New Order
• January 17 - Paul Young[?]
• January 25 - Andy Cox[?], English Beat[?], Fine Young Cannibals[?]
• January 31 - Johnny Rotten, The Sex Pistols
• February 3 - Lee Renaldo[?], Sonic Youth
• February 13 - Peter Hook[?], Joy Division, New Order
• March 2 - John Cowsill[?], The Cowsills[?]
• June 6 - Kenny G[?]
• June 23 - Glenn Danzig, rock and roll preformer of Danzig
• July 20 - Paul Cook[?], The Sex Pistols
• September 22 - Debby Boone[?]
• September 30 - Basia[?]
• October 2 - Freddie Jackson[?]
• October 23 - Dwight Yoakam
• October 25 - Matthias Jabs[?], The Scorpions
• December 6 - Peter Buck[?], R.E.M.
• December 8 - Warren Cuccurullo[?] of Missing Persons[?], Duran Duran
• Julie Miller, singer

Deaths

• January 5 - Mistinguett
• October 1 - Albert Von Tilzer
• November 26 - Tommy Dorsey

Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1956