Pick a Day

Music History Events: Charts

February 8, 1956 Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" enters the R&B charts.

February 4, 1956 Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" reaches its US chart peak of #17, giving him his first hit. Pat Boone's version of the song outcharts him, making #12 two weeks later.

January 6, 1956 Lonnie Donegan's cover of "Rock Island Line" enters the UK charts, eventually selling over three million copies and kicking off the national skiffle craze.

December 31, 1955 The first version of "Unchained Melody," recorded by Les Baxter, his Chorus and Orchestra, is named the top-selling single of 1955 by Billboard. Baxter's version was featured in the movie Unchained; The Righteous Brothers have a huge hit with the song in 1965.

November 26, 1955 Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock" becomes the first rock and roll record to hit #1 in the UK, thanks to its inclusion in the movie Blackboard Jungle.

November 26, 1955 Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons" hits #1 in America for the first of eight weeks.

November 12, 1955 Billboard begins its "Top 100" chart, with the first #1 listed as "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" by the Four Aces. The magazine wouldn't combine all its pop charts into one until 1959.

October 29, 1955 "Autumn Leaves" by Roger Williams hits #1 in America.

October 8, 1955 The Four Aces' "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing" hits #1.

September 10, 1955 Chuck Berry's first hit, "Maybellene," reaches its peak chart position of #5 in the US.

July 16, 1955 Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on the national charts as "Baby, Let's Play House" enters the Cash Box country charts at #15.

May 28, 1955 "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" has four different versions on the charts, including a #1 hit for Bill Hayes. The other three are by Fess Parker, Walter Schumann and Tennessee Ernie Ford.

April 30, 1955 Perez Prado's "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" hits #1 in America, where it stays for 10 weeks.

March 26, 1955 #1 Billboard hit: Bill Hayes' "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"

February 12, 1955 The McGuire Sisters' "Sincerely" hits #1 in America.

February 5, 1955 The Fontane Sisters' "Hearts of Stone" hits #1 in America for the first of three weeks.

January 1, 1955 Joan Weber's "Let Me Go Lover" hits #1 for the first of four weeks.

December 17, 1954 Bill Haley and his Comets' "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (originally recorded by Big Joe Turner) becomes the first rock song to hit the UK chart, where it lands at #4.

December 4, 1954 The Chordettes' harmony-driven hit "Mr. Sandman" goes to #1 in America and stays for seven weeks. It's one of the last big hits before the start of the Rock Era.

November 6, 1954 Rosemary Clooney's "This Ole House" hits #1.

October 23, 1954 Elvis Presley's second Sun single, "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," breaks out in Nashville and New Orleans, becoming his first chart hit outside of his native Memphis.

October 16, 1954 With the Rock Era yet to arrive, Rosemary Clooney lands the #1 song in America with "Hey There."

September 25, 1954 Rosemary Clooney's "Hey There" hits #1 in America.

August 7, 1954 The Crew-Cuts' cover of "Sh-Boom" hits #1 in America.

July 28, 1954 The Crew-Cuts' cover of "Sh-Boom" hits #1 for the first of nine weeks in the US.

July 24, 1954 The Four Aces' "Three Coins In The Fountain" hits #1.

June 5, 1954 Kitty Kallen's "Little Things Mean A Lot" hits #1.

April 10, 1954 Perry Como's "Wanted" hits #1.

February 13, 1954 Guitar Slim's "The Things That I Used To Do" hits #1 R&B.

January 2, 1954 Eddie Fisher's "Oh! My Pa-Pa" hits #1 in the US.