1955 in music

Events

• January 1 - RCA
  RCA
  RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
  
   victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89. Other record labels follow RCA's lead and begin to drop prices as well.
• January 7 - "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets first appears on the British charts.
• January 8 - Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
  's third Sun Records single, "Milk Cow Blue Boogie" / "You're a Heartbreaker" released.
• January 14 - In New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
  
  , Alan Freed
  Alan Freed
  Albert James Freed , generally known as Alan Freed and also as "Moondog", was an American disc-jockey who became internationally known for promoting African-American rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
  
   produces the first rock and roll
  Rock and roll
  Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
  
   concert.
• February 19 - Dot Records introduces a new singer, Pat Boone
  Pat Boone
  Charles Eugene Boone , known professionally as Pat Boone, is an American singer, actor and writer who was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold over 45 million albums, had 38 Top 40 hits and starred in more than 12 Hollywood movies...
  
  , with an advertisement in Billboard magazine calling him "a great new voice"
• February 26 - For the first time since they were introduced in 1949, 45 rpm discs begin to outsell the old standard 78s
• Kay Starr
  Kay Starr
  Kay Starr is an American jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1950s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".-Life and career:...
  
   leaves Capitol to sign with RCA
• The Patti Page Show premieres on NBC
• The Frankie Laine Show premieres on CBS
• March 15 - Colonel Tom Parker
  Colonel Tom Parker
  "Colonel" Thomas Andrew "Tom" Parker , born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, was a Dutch-born entertainment impresario known best as the manager of Elvis Presley. His management of Presley re-wrote the role of talent manager and was seen as central to the astonishing success of Presley's career...
  
   becomes Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
  's manager
• March 19 - The film Blackboard Jungle
  Blackboard Jungle
  Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 social commentary film about teachers in an inner-city school. It is based on the novel of the same name by Evan Hunter.-Synopsis:...
  
  premieres in New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
  
  . The film features Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
  
  ' "Rock Around the Clock
  Rock Around the Clock
  "Rock Around the Clock" is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers in 1952...
  
  " over the opening credits—the first use of a rock and roll song in a major film. This event causes a groundswell of sales for the recording and is credited with helping to launch in earnest the Rock and Roll Era.
• March 22 - Decca Records signs DJ Alan Freed as an A&R man.
• March 26 - Bill Hayes
  Bill Hayes
  Bill Hayes is an American actor and singer.-Career:Hayes was a singer on the Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca variety show Your Show of Shows in the early 1950s. During the Davy Crockett craze in 1955, three recorded versions of the Ballad of Davy Crockett were in the top 30...
  
   tops the US charts for five weeks with The Ballad of Davy Crockett
  The Ballad of Davy Crockett
  "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" is a song with music by George Bruns and lyrics by Tom W. Blackburn.The first recording of the song was made by Bill Hayes, quickly followed by versions by Fess Parker and Tennessee Ernie Ford , all in 1955...
  
   and starts a (fake) coonskin cap
  Coonskin cap
  A coonskin cap is a hat fashioned from the skin and fur of a raccoon. The original coonskin cap consisted of the entire skin of the raccoon including its head and tail.-Origin:...
  
   craze.
• April 1 - Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
  's fourth Sun Records single: "Baby Let's Play House" / "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" released.
• April 17 - Imperial Records releases "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.-Imperial Records era :...
  
  
• May 13 - First riot at an Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
   concert takes place in Jacksonville, FL
• May 14 - Bo Diddley
  Bo Diddley
  Bo Diddley , born Ellas Otha Bates, was an American rock & roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton...
  
   makes his US R&B chart debut with his single "Bo Diddley
  Bo Diddley (song)
  "Bo Diddley" is a rhythm and blues song first recorded and sung by Bo Diddley at the Universal Recording Studio in Chicago and released on the Chess Records subsidiary, Checker Records in 1955. It became an immediate hit single that stayed on the R&B charts for a total of 18 weeks, 2 of those weeks...
  
  ".
• May 21 - Chuck Berry
  Chuck Berry
  Charles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
  
   records his first single, "Maybelline" for Chess Records
  Chess Records
  Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
  
   in Chicago.
• May 22 - Bridgeport, CT authorities cancel a rock concert to be headlined by Fats Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.-Imperial Records era :...
  
   for fear of a riot breaking out.
• June 4 - "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.-Imperial Records era :...
  
   beings an 11 week stretch on top of the US R&B charts.
• July 6 - Bo Diddley's second single "Diddley Daddy" makes its US R&B chart debut.
• July 9 - "Rock Around the Clock" becomes the first Rock and roll
  Rock and roll
  Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
  
   single to reach Number One on the American charts
• July 23 - Chess Records
  Chess Records
  Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
  
   release debut single by Chuck Berry
  Chuck Berry
  Charles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
  
  , "Maybelline
  Maybelline
  Maybelline is a makeup brand sold worldwide and owned by L'Oréal. Their motto is Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline.-History:...
  
  ". Also that same day Chess releases Muddy Waters
  Muddy Waters
  McKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues". He is also the actual father of blues musicians Big Bill Morganfield and Larry "Mud Morganfield" Williams...
  
  's "Mannish Boy"
• August 17 - Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
  's last Sun Records single - "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" / "Mystery Train
  Mystery Train
  "Mystery Train" is a song written by Junior Parker and Sam Phillips. It was first recorded in Phillip's Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee in 1953. Raymond Hill and Matt Murphy were in the backing band with Bill Johnson on piano, Pat Hare on guitar,...
  
  " - released.
• August 19 - WINS radio station in New York City adopts policy of not playing white cover versions of black R&B songs.
• August 20 - Chuck Berry
  Chuck Berry
  Charles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
  
  's "Maybelline" reaches #1 on R&B charts, ending 11 week reign of "Ain't That a Shame" by Fats Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.-Imperial Records era :...
  
  .
• August 31 - Sidney Turner of London fined for "creating an abominable noise" for blasting "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" at top volume.
• September 3 - Little Richard
  Little Richard
  Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and recording artist, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s...
  
   records "Tutti Frutti
  Tutti frutti
  Tutti frutti may refer to:In food and drink:*Tutti frutti , a confection containing a variety of chopped fruits and/or flavoursIn music:...
  
  " with significantly cleaned up lyrics (originally "Tutti Frutti, good booty" among other things.
• September 26 - "America's Sweethearts," Eddie Fisher
  Eddie Fisher (singer)
  Edwin Jack Fisher is an American singer and entertainer. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered unwelcome publicity at the time.-Early life:...
  
   and Debbie Reynolds
  Debbie Reynolds
  Debbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is also a collector of movie memorabilia. Reynolds was also an MGM contract star.-Early life:...
  
   marry.
• October 15 - Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
   plays concert in Lubbock, Texas. Opening act is local duo Buddy and Bob. Buddy is future rock star Buddy Holly
  Buddy Holly
  Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
  
  .
• November 12 - Billboard magazine DJ poll names Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
   as the most promising new country/western singer.
• November 20 - Bo Diddley makes his debut TV appearance on Ed Sullivan
  Ed Sullivan
  Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of a TV variety show called The Ed Sullivan Show that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s....
  
  's "Toast Of The Town" show on CBS
  CBS
  CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
  
  .
• November 22 - Colonel Tom Parker signs Elvis Presley
  Elvis Presley
  Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or The King....
  
   to RCA Records
  RCA Records
  RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1983 and a partner from 1983 to 1986.-The RCA family of labels:RCA is the name of three different co-owned record...
  
  .
• November 26 - "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford
  Tennessee Ernie Ford
  Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country & western, pop and gospel musical genres.- Early years :...
  
   tops the Billboard pop charts.
• December 15 - Sun Records releases "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
  
  .
• Paul Simon
  Paul Simon
  Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter. He entered the public consciousness in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, along with longtime artistic partner Art Garfunkel. Simon solely wrote most of duo's songs, including such memorable songs as "The Sound of Silence", "The Boxer",...
  
   and Art Garfunkel
  Art Garfunkel
  Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer, poet and actor, best known as half of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel.-Early life and career:...
  
  's musical careers begin as they copyright a song, "The Girl For Me," with the Library of Congress
  Library of Congress
  The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. The head...
  
   and begin singing together as a duo while still in high school in New York, New York.
• Mirella Freni
  Mirella Freni
  Mirella Freni is an Italian opera soprano much admired for the youthful quality of her voice, her phrasing and thoughtful character interpretations and acting skills. Her repertoire encompasses some forty roles, Verdi and Puccini in particular but also Mozart and Tchaikovsky...
  
   makes her debut as Micaela in Carmen at Modena.
• Eddie Cochran
  Eddie Cochran
  Raymond Edward "Eddie" Cochran was an American rock and roll musician and an important influence on popular music during the late 1950s, early 1960s.- Early life and career :...
  
  's musical career begins.
• Al Green
  Al Green
  Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer who was popular in the 1970s, and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
  
  's musical career begins at the age of nine.
• Clyde McPhatter
  Clyde McPhatter
  Clyde McPhatter was an American R&B singer.-Life and career:McPhatter was raised in a religious Baptist family, and formed a gospel group in 1945 after his family moved to New Jersey...
  
   launches a solo career
• Renato Carosone
  Renato Carosone
  Renato Carosone was among the greatest figures of Italian music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He was also a modern performer of the so-called canzone napoletana, Naples' song tradition.-Beginnings:...
  
   and Nicola Salerno
  Nicola Salerno
  Nicola Salerno, also known as Nisa was an Italian lyricist. He formed a famous songwriting duo with Renato Carosone.-Career:Nicola Salerno was born in Naples....
  
   meet and start their songwriting partnership
• Italian singers Natalino Otto
  Natalino Otto
  Natalino Otto, stage name of Natale Codognotto was an Italian singer. He started the swing genre in Italy.-Early years:Natalino Otto was born at Cogoleto, province of Genoa, in northern Italy....
  
   and Flo Sandon's
  Flo Sandon's
  Mammola Sandon, known by the stage name of Flo Sandon's , was an Italian singer who was popular in the post-WWII years. She won the Sanremo Music Festival in 1953 with the song "Viale d'autunno".-Career:...
  
   wed.
• The Coasters
  The Coasters
  The Coasters are an American Rhythm and Blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood," their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
  
   are formed.
• Shivkumar Sharma
  Shivkumar Sharma
  Shivkumar Sharma is an Indian santoor player. The santoor is a folk instrument from the valley of Kashmir.-Early life and background:...
  
   gives his first public performance in Bombay.

Albums released

• At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1
  At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1
  At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 is a 1955 live album release by jazz drummer Art Blakey for Blue Note Records. It featured the first incarnation of the Jazz Messengers, Blakey's career-spanning band, and is the first of two volumes recorded on November 23, 1955 at Cafe Bohemia, a famous night club in...
  
  - The Jazz Messengers
  Art Blakey
  Arthur Blakey , born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, he was an American jazz drummer and bandleader....
  
  
• At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2
  At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2
  At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 is a 1955 live album release by jazz drummer Art Blakey. It was first released by Blue Note Records. This record featured the first incarnation of The Jazz Messengers, Blakey's most endearing band, and was the second of two volumes recorded at Cafe Bohemia, a famous...
  
  - The Jazz Messengers
• Day Dreams
  Day Dreams
  Day Dreams was the title of a Doris Day album released by Columbia Records on June 13, 1955. The catalog number was CL-624. Eight of the twelve tracks had previously been issued as a 10" LP under the title You're My Thrill.-Track listing:...
  
  - Doris Day
  Doris Day
  Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff , known by her stage name Doris Day, is an American singer and actress.With the versatility to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars. Day has 39 movies to her credit, even though she retired from films in...
  
  
• Blue Moods
  Blue Moods
  Blue Moods brings together Miles Davis with Charles Mingus, accompanied by Elvin Jones on drums. The arrangement of "Alone Together" was by Charles Mingus, while the other tracks were arranged by Teddy Charles....
  
  - Miles Davis
  Miles Davis
  Miles Davis III was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer.Widely considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music including cool jazz, hard bop, free jazz...
  
  
• Clifford Brown with Strings
  Clifford Brown with Strings
  Clifford Brown with Strings is a 1955 studio album by trumpeter Clifford Brown. -Track listing:# "Yesterdays" – 2:59# "Laura" – 3:26# "What's New?" – 3:23...
  
  - Clifford Brown
  Clifford Brown
  Clifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...
  
  
• Cloud 7
  Cloud 7 (album)
  -Track listing:Side one#"I Fall in Love Too Easily" - 2:50#"My Baby Just Cares for Me" - 2:21#"My Heart Tells Me" - 4:54...
  
  - Tony Bennett
  Tony Bennett
  Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
  
  
• Concert by the Sea
  Concert by the Sea
  Concert by the Sea is a 1955 live album by Erroll Garner, which was recorded in Carmel, California. The recording also features Eddie Calhoun on bass and Denzil Best on drums, and although it was produced using relatively primitive sound equipment, Garner's inventiveness and musical talent have...
  
  - Erroll Garner
  Erroll Garner
  Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad Misty, has become a jazz standard...
  
  
• Dinner in Caracas
  Dinner in Caracas
  Dinner in Caracas is the name of a 33-RPM LP album by Venezuelan composer/arranger/conductor Aldemaro Romero, released in 1955, under contract with RCA Victor....
  
  - Aldemaro Romero
  Aldemaro Romero
  Aldemaro Romero was a Venezuelan pianist, composer, arranger and orchestral conductor. He was born in Valencia, Carabobo State.-Biography:...
  
  
• Doris Day in Hollywood - Doris Day
  Doris Day
  Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff , known by her stage name Doris Day, is an American singer and actress.With the versatility to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars. Day has 39 movies to her credit, even though she retired from films in...
  
  
• Eddie Fisher Sings Academy Award Winning Songs - Eddie Fisher
  Eddie Fisher (singer)
  Edwin Jack Fisher is an American singer and entertainer. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered unwelcome publicity at the time.-Early life:...
  
  
• Especially for You... - Teresa Brewer
  Teresa Brewer
  Teresa Brewer was an American pop singer, incorporating country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of the 1950s, recording nearly 600 songs. Born Theresa Breuer in Toledo, Ohio, Brewer died of a neuromuscular disease at her home in...
  
  
• Four Brothers - The Ames Brothers
• Happy Holiday
  Happy Holiday (Jo Stafford album)
  Happy Holiday is a 1955 album of Christmas songs and carols by Jo Stafford.- Track listing :# "Happy Holiday" # "Winter Weather" # "The Christmas Song" # "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" # "Toyland"# "March of the Toys"...
  
  - Jo Stafford
  Jo Stafford
  Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
  
  
• The Hi-Lo's, I Presume - The Hi-Lo’s
• I Cry for You - Johnnie Ray
  Johnnie Ray
  John Alvin Ray was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor of what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage persona.-Early life:Ray was born in Hopewell, Oregon,...
  
  
• I Love You - Eddie Fisher
  Eddie Fisher (singer)
  Edwin Jack Fisher is an American singer and entertainer. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered unwelcome publicity at the time.-Early life:...
  
  
• I'm in the Mood for Love
  I'm in the Mood for Love (Eddie Fisher album)
  I'm in the Mood for Love is the name of a 1952 album by Eddie Fisher, reissued in 1955, featuring the song of the same name. It was issued as a 10-inch long-playing record by RCA Victor Records.-Track listing:...
  
  - Eddie Fisher
  Eddie Fisher (singer)
  Edwin Jack Fisher is an American singer and entertainer. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered unwelcome publicity at the time.-Early life:...
  
  
• In a Blue Mood - Kay Starr
  Kay Starr
  Kay Starr is an American jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1950s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".-Life and career:...
  
  
• In the Land of Hi-Fi
  In the Land of Hi-Fi (Sarah Vaughan album)
  In the Land of Hi-Fi is a 1955 album by the American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan. It was recorded on October 26 and 27 1955, in New York City.-Track listing:#"Over the Rainbow" – 3:30...
  
  - Sarah Vaughan
  Sarah Vaughan
  Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century". She had a contralto vocal range....
  
  
• In the Wee Small Hours
  In the Wee Small Hours
  In the Wee Small Hours is an album by Frank Sinatra with arrangements by Nelson Riddle, released in 1955. It is with this album that Sinatra perfected the concept album, fully realizing the ideas he had been grappling with in record presentation going all the way back to The Voice from 1946...
  
  - Frank Sinatra
  Frank Sinatra
  Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
  
  
• Jazz Spectacular
  Jazz Spectacular
  Jazz Spectacular was Frankie Laine's 15th 12" long-play album, recorded and originally released in 1955. This is a Franke Laine theme album, the theme being Jazz, recorded with Jazz trumpeter Buck Clayton, pianist Sir Charles Thompson, tenor-saxophonist Budd Johnson, trombonist Urbie Green and...
  
  - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
   & Buck Clayton
  Buck Clayton
  Buck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player, fondly remembered for being a leading member of Count Basie’s 'Old Testament' orchestra and leader of mainstream orientated jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
  
  
• Julie Is Her Name
  Julie Is Her Name
  "Julie Is Her Name" was the first LP album by Julie London, released by Liberty Records in December, 1955, under catalog numbers LRP-3006, in monaural form. It was subsequently reprocessed to produce a stereophonic album, and this stereophonic version was released on May 25, 1960 as catalog number...
  
  - Julie London
  Julie London
  Gayle Peck , known as Julie London, was an American singer and actress. Best known for her smoky, sensual voice, she was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s...
  
  
• Love Me or Leave Me - Doris Day
  Doris Day
  Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff , known by her stage name Doris Day, is an American singer and actress.With the versatility to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars. Day has 39 movies to her credit, even though she retired from films in...
  
  
• Lovers' Laine - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
  
• Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant
  Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant
  Meet Betty Carter and Ray Bryant is a 1955 album by Betty Carter and Ray Bryant.Some of the tracks featuring Carter are also included on her album Social Call.-Track listing :...
  
  - Betty Carter
  Betty Carter
  Betty Carter was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style...
  
   and Ray Bryant
  Ray Bryant
  Ray Bryant is a American Jazz pianist and composer.Ray Bryant began playing the piano at the age of six, also performing on bass in junior High School...
  
  
• Memory Songs
  Memory Songs
  - Track listing :# Long, Long, Ago # Juanita# In the Gloaming# Last Night# Stars of the Summer Night# Sweet and Low# Love's Old Sweet Song # Now the Day Is Over # Wunderbar# Need You # Whispering Hope...
  
  - Jo Stafford
  Jo Stafford
  Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
  
  
• Miles Davis Volume 1
  Miles Davis Volume 1
  Miles Davis Volume 1 is an album which compiles tracks recorded by Miles Davis for Blue Note Records on 9 May 1952 and 6 March 1954. The music has been issued on a variety of formats over the years - the tracklisting below is that of the 2001 CD reissue containing all the music recorded at the two...
  
  - Miles Davis
• Miles Davis Volume 2
  Miles Davis Volume 2
  Miles Davis Volume 2 is an album which compiles tracks recorded for Blue Note Records on 20 April 1953 by Miles Davis. Tracks 1-6 were originally released on a 10" LP, the tracklisting below is that of the 2001 reissue containing all the music recorded at the session...
  
  - Miles Davis
• Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet
  Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet
  Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet is an album recorded on 15 November 1955 by Miles Davis, for Prestige Records. As the name suggests, it was the first to feature his now-famous "first great quintet"...
  
  - Miles Davis
• The Misty Miss Christy
  The Misty Miss Christy
  The Misty Miss Christy is a 1956 studio album by June Christy. The album sees Christy singing several jazz standards, along with a few less well known tunes, all arranged by Pete Rugolo, who also conducted the orchestra, which actually consisted of different combinations of musicians assembled on...
  
  - June Christy
  June Christy
  June Christy , born Shirley Luster, was an American vocalist, best known for her work in the cool jazz genre. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool...
  
  
• Moments to Remember - The Four Lads
  The Four Lads
  The Four Lads is a popular Canadian male singing quartet. In the '50s, '60s, and '70s, the group earned many gold singles and gold albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Moments to Remember," "Standin' on the Corner," "No, Not Much," "Who Needs You," and "Istanbul."The Four Lads makes...
  
  
• Music Ala Carte - The Crew Cuts
• Musings of Miles
  Musings of Miles
  The Musings of Miles is an album recorded by Miles Davis, for Prestige Records in 1955. The band is presented in a quartet setting - the rhythm section is the nucleus of that of Miles' First Great Quintet, minus Paul Chambers...
  
  - Miles Davis
• Oklahoma!
  Oklahoma! (soundtrack)
  Oklahoma! is the original soundtrack album of the 1955 Academy Award-winning film Oklahoma!, an adaptation of the musical play of the same name. The soundtrack charted #1 on the Billboard Pop Album Chart in 1956 and has been in continual print...
  
  - Original Broadway Cast
• The One, the Only Kay Starr - Kay Starr
  Kay Starr
  Kay Starr is an American jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1950s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".-Life and career:...
  
  
• Quintet/Sextet - Miles Davis
• Rain or Shine
  Rain or Shine (Dick Haymes album)
  Rain Or Shine is an album from Dick Haymes. Released in 1955 and with musical direction by Ian Bernard plus Johnny Mandel on Love Is Here To Stay and Come Rain Or Come Shine.-Track listing:-Recording musicians:*Dick Haymes...
  
  - Dick Haymes
  Dick Haymes
  Dick Haymes was an Argentine actor and one of the most popular male vocalists of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was the older brother of Bob Haymes, an actor, television host and songwriter.-Biography:...
  
  
• Rock Around the Clock
  Rock Around the Clock (album)
  Rock Around the Clock was the third album of rock and roll music by Bill Haley and His Comets'. Released by Decca Records in December 1955 it was, like the two albums that preceded it, a compilation album of previously issued singles. Most of album's contents were in fact previously issued by Decca...
  
  - Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
  
  
• Romance on the Range
  Romance on the Range (album)
  Romance on the Range was a 1955 Patti Page LP, issued by Mercury Records as catalog number MG-20076....
  
  - Patti Page
  Patti Page
  Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music...
  
  
• Satch Plays Fats - Louis Armstrong
  Louis Armstrong
  Louis Daniel Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
  
  
• Shake, Rattle and Roll - Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
  
  
• Shostakovitch: Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93. Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York
  New York Philharmonic
  The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
  
  , Dimitri Mitropoulos, condector. 12-inch LP. Columbia Masterworks ML 4959.
• So Smooth
  So Smooth
  So Smooth was Perry Como's first RCA Victor 12" long-play album, recorded and originally released in 1955. This was also Perry's first album recorded at Webster Hall in New York City, and his first album with the Ray Charles Singers who would support him generally throughout the remainder of his...
  
  - Perry Como
  Perry Como
  Pierino "Perry" Como was an Italian-American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943. "Mr...
  
  
• Soft and Sentimental
  Soft and Sentimental
  - Track listing :# September in the Rain # Early Autumn# I'm Always Chasing Rainbows # Don't Worry 'bout Me# Smoking My Sad Cigarette # Love Is Here to Stay- External links :* at AllMusic...
  
  - Jo Stafford
  Jo Stafford
  Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
  
  
• Songs of Scotland
  Songs of Scotland
  Songs of Scotland is a 1955 album by Jo Stafford. It was released on January 1 1955 on the Corinthian label and features Stafford backed by the Paul Weston Orchestra...
  
  - Jo Stafford
• Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues
  Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues
  Songs from Pete Kelly's Blues is a 1955 soundtrack album by Peggy Lee featuring tracks by Ella Fitzgerald, and several jazz instrumentals.It is the soundtrack to the 1955 film Pete Kelly's Blues, which starred Lee and Fitzgerald....
  
  - Ella Fitzgerald
  Ella Fitzgerald
  Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as "Lady Ella", and the "First Lady of Song", was an American jazz vocalist....
  
  , Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress. She first came to prominence in the 1940s with her #1 hits Somebody Is Taking Your Place and Mañana, having a string of successful albums and top 10 hits in three consecutive decades...
  
  
• Study in Brown
  Study in Brown
  Study in Brown is a Clifford Brown and Max Roach album. The album was recorded in New York City. The first and last songs are covers/interpretations, but the album is primarily songs by Brown or other personnel involved in it....
  
  - Clifford Brown
  Clifford Brown
  Clifford Brown , aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter. He died aged 25, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings...
  
   and Max Roach
  Max Roach
  Maxwell Lemuel Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history...
  
  
• Swingin' Down Yonder
  Swingin' Down Yonder
  Swingin' Down Yonder is the first full-length, 12-inch album recorded by Dean Martin for Capitol Records during three sessions in September & October 1954 and February 1955...
  
  - Dean Martin
  Dean Martin
  Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The...
  
  
• Thelonious Monk plays the Music of Duke Ellington
  Thelonious Monk Plays the Music of Duke Ellington
  Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington is a 1955 album by Thelonious Monk, comprising his recordings of well-known songs by Duke Ellington. It was Monk's first album to be released by Riverside Records. Playing with Monk are bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Kenny Clarke.The concept of the album...
  
  - Thelonious Monk
  Thelonious Monk
  Thelonious Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer who, according to The Penguin Guide to Jazz, was "one of the giants of American music"...
  
  
• Voice of our Choice - Guy Mitchell
  Guy Mitchell
  Guy Mitchell was a American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia. As an international recording star of the 1950s he achieved record sales in excess of 44 million units and this included six million-selling singles.In the fall of 1957, Mitchell starred in his own ABC...
  
  

Biggest hit singles

US No. 1 hit singles

Top hits on record

• "Ain't That A Shame
  Ain't That a Shame
  "Ain't That a Shame" is a song by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Imperial Records and released in 1955. The original recording was a regional hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached #1 on the "Black Singles" chart and #10 on the...
  
  " - Pat Boone
  Pat Boone
  Charles Eugene Boone , known professionally as Pat Boone, is an American singer, actor and writer who was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold over 45 million albums, had 38 Top 40 hits and starred in more than 12 Hollywood movies...
  
  
• "Arrivederci Roma
  Arrivederci Roma
  "Arrivederci Roma" is a popular song. Arrivederci is the Italian equivalent of the French Au revoir, the German Aufwiedersehen or the Dutch "Tot ziens" it means "goodbye" or, literally, "until see again"....
  
  " - Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs was an American singer, most popular in the 1950s.-Early life:Gibbs was born Frieda Lipschitz in Worcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish descent...
  
  
• "Band Of Gold
  Band of Gold (1955 song)
  "Band of Gold" is a popular song with music by Jack Taylor and lyrics by Bob Musel. It was published in 1955.The biggest hit version was recorded by Don Cherry in 1955. This version reached the Top 5 in the United States...
  
  " - Don Cherry
  Don Cherry (singer/golfer)
  Donald Ross Cherry is an American singer of traditional pop music, best known for his 1955 hit, "Band of Gold"; and a former amateur and professional golfer.-Biography:...
  
  
• "A Blossom Fell
  A Blossom Fell
  "A Blossom Fell" is a popular song.It was written by Howard Barnes, Harold Cornelius, and Dominic John and published in 1954.The best-known version was recorded by Nat King Cole. The recording was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 3095...
  
  " - Nat King Cole
  Nat King Cole
  Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz...
  
  
• "The Crazy Otto Medley
  The Crazy Otto Medley
  "The Crazy Otto Medley" is a 1955 ragtime recording made by pianist Johnny Maddox.The song is actually a medley of several pieces of music originally recorded by the German comic performer Fritz Schulz-Reichel under the pseudonym of Otto der Schrage. The opening song is "Ivory Rag" by Lou Busch and...
  
  " - Johnny Maddox
  Johnny Maddox
  Johnny Maddox is a ragtime pianist and collector of ragtime memorabilia.His interest in the era of ragtime and blues was fueled by his Aunt Zula Cothron. She played ragtime piano at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, and taught Johnny to play...
  
  
• "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" – Perez Prado
  Perez Prado
  Perez Prado was a Cuban/Mexican bandleader and composer. He is commonly referred to as the "King of the Mambo"...
  
  
• "Cool Water
  Cool Water
  "Cool Water" is a song written in 1936 by Bob Nolan. It is about a man and his mule, Dan, and a mirage in the desert.-Original version:The best-selling recorded version was done by Vaughn Monroe and The Sons of the Pioneers in 1948. The recording was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number...
  
  " - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
  
• "Croce Di Oro
  Croce di Oro
  "Croce di Oro" is a popular song, written by James "Kim" Gannon.It was popularized by Patti Page in 1955.The Page recording was released by Mercury Records as catalog number 70713. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on November 12, 1955...
  
  " - Patti Page
  Patti Page
  Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music...
  
  
• "Cry Me a River" - Julie London
  Julie London
  Gayle Peck , known as Julie London, was an American singer and actress. Best known for her smoky, sensual voice, she was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s...
  
  
• "Dance With Me, Henry
  Dance With Me, Henry
  Dance With Me, Henry may refer to:*"The Wallflower ", better known by its alternate titles, "Dance with me, Henry" as sung in a pop cover version under that title by Georgia Gibbs and "Roll with Me, Henry", the original rhythm and blues version by Etta James* Dance With Me, Henry, a 1956 Abbott and...
  
  " - Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs was an American singer, most popular in the 1950s.-Early life:Gibbs was born Frieda Lipschitz in Worcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish descent...
  
  
• "Danger! Heartbreak Ahead" - Jaye P. Morgan
  Jaye P. Morgan
  Jaye P. Morgan is a retired popular American singer and game show panelist.-Early life:Morgan was born in Mancos, Colorado, but her family moved to California by the time she was in high school...
  
  
• "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
  Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
  "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" is a popular song with words and music by Anna Sosenko in 1935.It was introduced in the film Love and Hisses by Hildegarde and charted by Hildegarde at # 21 in 1943....
  
  " - Nat King Cole
  Nat King Cole
  Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat "King" Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz...
  
  
• "Earth Angel
  Earth Angel
  "Earth Angel " is an American Doo Wop song, originally released by The Penguins in 1954 on the Dootone label , as the B-side to "Hey Señorita". The song became a major hit for The Crew-Cuts in 1955, reaching the Billboard charts on January 29, 1955...
  
  " - The Crew Cuts
• "Gum Drop
  Gum Drop
  For the candy, see gumdrop. For the CSI episode, see Gum Drops. For the children's stories by Val Biro, see Gumdrop ."Gum Drop" is a popular song written by Rudy Toombs....
  
  " - The Crew Cuts
• "The Great Pretender
  The Great Pretender
  "The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were created by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and management...
  
  " - The Platters
  The Platters
  The Platters were a successful vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition, and the burgeoning new genre...
  
  
• "Hawkeye" - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
  
• "He
  He (song)
  "He" is a song about God, written in 1955, which made the popular music charts in that year.The music was written by Jack Mullan, the lyrics by Jack Richards....
  
  ", recorded by
  • Al Hibbler
    Al Hibbler
    Al Hibbler was an American vocalist with several pop hits. He is best known for his million selling recording of "Unchained Melody" . Once described by Duke Ellington as "our major asset", the bandleader was referring to Hibbler's deep-toned, dramatic vocal style, with its heavy vibrato.....
    
    
  • McGuire Sisters
• "Heart" - Eddie Fisher
  Eddie Fisher (singer)
  Edwin Jack Fisher is an American singer and entertainer. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered unwelcome publicity at the time.-Early life:...
  
  
• "How Important Can It Be?
  How Important Can It Be?
  "How Important Can It Be?" is a popular song written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss and published in 1955.It was popularized in 1955 by Joni James. There is also a successful recording of this song by Sarah Vaughan....
  
  " - Joni James
  Joni James
  Joni James is an American singer of traditional pop music.-Biography:...
  
  
• "Hummingbird
  Hummingbird (song)
  "Hummingbird" is a popular song.It was written by Don Robertson. The song was published in 1955.The best-known version of the song was the recording by Les Paul and Mary Ford . This version reached #7 on the Billboard chart...
  
  ", recorded by
  • Frankie Laine
    Frankie Laine
    Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
    
    
  • Les Paul and Mary Ford
    Les Paul and Mary Ford
    Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife musical team in which Les Paul played the guitar and Mary Ford sang. In 1951 alone, they sold six million records....
    
    
• "I Hear You Knocking
  I Hear You Knocking
  "I Hear You Knocking" is a popular rhythm and blues song with emphatic syncopation, written by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King and published in 1955...
  
  " – Gale Storm
  Gale Storm
  Josephine Owaissa Cottle , better known as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer, who starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show.-Early life:...
  
  
• "I Need You Now
  I Need You Now
  "I Need You Now" can refer to:*"I Need You Now" , a song by Al Jacobs and Jimmie Crane.*"I Need You Now" , a 2009 song by the Swedish singer Agnes Carlsson....
  
  " - Eddie Fisher
  Eddie Fisher (singer)
  Edwin Jack Fisher is an American singer and entertainer. His divorce from his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, to marry his best friend's widow, Elizabeth Taylor, garnered unwelcome publicity at the time.-Early life:...
  
  
• "I Want You To Be My Baby
  I Want You to Be My Baby
  I Want You to Be My Baby is a jump blues song written by Jon Hendricks for Louis Jordan whose recording was an R&B hit in the autumn of 1953.In 1955 "I Want You to Be My Baby" was recorded by Lillian Briggs for whom it reached #18 that autumn; a cover version by veteran pop vocalist Georgia Gibbs...
  
  " - Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs was an American singer, most popular in the 1950s.-Early life:Gibbs was born Frieda Lipschitz in Worcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish descent...
  
  
• "If I Give My Heart to You
  If I Give My Heart to You
  "If I Give My Heart to You" is a popular song written by Jimmy Brewster, Jimmie Crane, and Al Jacobs.The most popular versions of the song were recorded by Doris Day and Denise Lor; both charted in 1954. Anne Shelton recorded a version for the UK market, but it lost out to the Day version, as well...
  
  ", recorded by
  • Doris Day
    Doris Day
    Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff , known by her stage name Doris Day, is an American singer and actress.With the versatility to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars. Day has 39 movies to her credit, even though she retired from films in...
    
    
  • Denise Lor
    Denise Lor
    Denise Lor is an American popular singer and actress.She was a featured artist on Garry Moore's television show.Ms. Lor was married to and subsequently divorced from TV director and singer Jay Martin, with whom she had sons, Ron and Dennis. They had met when she was singing on The Garry Moore...
    
    
• "In The Beginning
  In the Beginning (1954 song)
  "In the Beginning" is a popular song, by Dorcas Cochran, Kay Twomey, Ben Weisman, and Fred Wise.It was recorded by Frankie Laine in December, 1954 and released by Columbia as catalog number 40378, the flip side being "Old Shoes." Although the song did not chart in the United States, it reached #20...
  
  " - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
  
• "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
  It's a Sin to Tell a Lie
  "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" is a 1936 popular song by Billy Mayhew. Originally introduced by Fats Waller, it was revived in 1955 by Somethin' Smith and the Redheads, reaching #7 on the Billboard charts in that year. John Denver tells a story about the song and does a cover in his album, Live at the...
  
  " - Somethin' Smith and the Redheads
  Somethin' Smith and the Redheads
  Somethin' Smith and the Redheads were a vocal group doing mostly pop standards in the 1950s. Their biggest hit single was "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" in 1955, which reached #7 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart....
  
  
• "Let Me Go, Lover" - Joan Weber
  Joan Weber
  Joan Weber was an American popular music singer.Weber was raised in Paulsboro, New Jersey, and married to a young bandleader...
  
  
• "Let's Go Fishin'" - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
   & Jimmy Boyd
  Jimmy Boyd
  Jimmy Boyd was an American singer, musician, and actor.-Early life:Jimmy Boyd was born in an old farmhouse to Winnie and Leslie Boyd. In 1941 his father, Leslie, put his wife and their two sons , on a train bound for Riverside, California for the second time...
  
  
• "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing
  Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (song)
  "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. . The song was publicized first in the movie, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing , winning its own Best Song Academy Award...
  
  " - The Four Aces
  The Four Aces
  The Four Aces is an American male quartet popular since the '50s. Over the last half-century, the group amassed many gold records. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing," "Three Coins in the Fountain," "Stranger in Paradise," "Dream," "Tell Me Why," "Its No...
  
   featuring Al Alberts
  Al Alberts
  Al Alberts was a popular singer and composer.Born Al Albertini in Chester, Pennsylvania, he went to South Philadelphia High School, whose alumni included many others who would become famous in show business, such as Joey Bishop, Buddy Greco, Al Martino, Mario Lanza, Chubby Checker, Jack Klugman,...
  
  
• "Love Me Or Leave Me
  Love Me or Leave Me (song)
  "Love Me or Leave Me" is a U.S. popular song from the 1920s.The music was written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was introduced in the Broadway play, Whoopee!, which opened in December 1928...
  
  " - Doris Day
  Doris Day
  Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff , known by her stage name Doris Day, is an American singer and actress.With the versatility to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars. Day has 39 movies to her credit, even though she retired from films in...
  
  
• "Maybelline" - Chuck Berry
  Chuck Berry
  Charles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
  
  
• "Melody of Love
  Melody of Love
  "Melody of Love" is a popular song. The music was originally written by Hans Engelmann in 1903. The lyrics were added by Tom Glazer in 1954.An instrumental version recorded by Billy Vaughn was the highest-charting version on the Billboard charts in 1955...
  
  " - Billy Vaughn
  Billy Vaughn
  Richard "Billy" Vaughn was a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and orchestra leader.He was born in Glasgow, Kentucky, where his father was a barber who loved music and inspired Billy to teach himself to play the mandolin at age 3, while suffering a case of the measles...
  
  
• "Memories Are Made Of This
  Memories Are Made of This
  "Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955.-History:The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin. It reached #1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks in 1956, and became his biggest hit...
  
  " - Dean Martin
  Dean Martin
  Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The...
  
  
• "Moments to Remember
  Moments to Remember
  "Moments to Remember" is a popular song.The music was written by Robert Allen, the lyrics by Jimmy Arnold. The song was published in 1955.The song was one of a large number of Stillman-Allen compositions that were recorded by The Four Lads, charting in 1955. The recording by The Four Lads was...
  
  " - The Four Lads
  The Four Lads
  The Four Lads is a popular Canadian male singing quartet. In the '50s, '60s, and '70s, the group earned many gold singles and gold albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include "Moments to Remember," "Standin' on the Corner," "No, Not Much," "Who Needs You," and "Istanbul."The Four Lads makes...
  
  
• "My Friend
  My Friend
  "My Friend" is a song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix in New York City in 1968 during the recording sessions for Electric Ladyland. The song was first released in 1971 on the posthumous album The Cry of Love and later appeared on the CD First Rays of the New Rising Sun. It was mixed...
  
  " - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
  
• "Never Look Back" - Doris Day
  Doris Day
  Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff , known by her stage name Doris Day, is an American singer and actress.With the versatility to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars. Day has 39 movies to her credit, even though she retired from films in...
  
  
• "Only You (And You Alone)
  Only You (And You Alone)
  "Only You " is a pop song composed by Buck Ram and Ande Rand. It was recorded most successfully by The Platters in 1955....
  
  " - The Platters
  The Platters
  The Platters were a successful vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition, and the burgeoning new genre...
  
  
• "Playmates
  Playmates (song)
  "Playmates" is a popular song written by Saxie Dowell.Recordings in 1940 were made by Kay Kyser and his orchestra , by Mitchell Ayres and His Fashions In Music , and by Hal Kemp and The Smoothies.The Kay Kyser recording was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 35375...
  
  " - The Fontane Sisters
  The Fontane Sisters
  The Fontane Sisters were a trio from New Milford, New Jersey. Originally they performed with their guitarist brother Frank , but he was killed in World War II...
  
  
• "Rock Around The Clock
  Rock Around the Clock
  "Rock Around the Clock" is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers in 1952...
  
  " - Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets
  Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
  
  
• "Rock And Roll Waltz" - Kay Starr
  Kay Starr
  Kay Starr is an American jazz singer who enjoyed considerable success in the 1950s. She is best remembered for introducing two songs that became #1 hits in the 1950s, "Wheel of Fortune" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz".-Life and career:...
  
  
• "Same Old Saturday Night" - Frank Sinatra
  Frank Sinatra
  Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
  
  
• "Seventeen" - The Fontane Sisters
  The Fontane Sisters
  The Fontane Sisters were a trio from New Milford, New Jersey. Originally they performed with their guitarist brother Frank , but he was killed in World War II...
  
  
• "Sincerely" – McGuire Sisters
• "Sixteen Tons
  Sixteen Tons
  "Sixteen Tons" is a song about the realities of coal mining, first recorded in 1946 by U.S. country singer Merle Travis and released on his box set album Folk Songs of the Hills the following year. A 1955 version recorded by 'Tennessee' Ernie Ford appeared on the b-side of his cover of the Moon...
  
  ", recorded by
  • Tennessee Ernie Ford
    Tennessee Ernie Ford
    Ernest Jennings Ford , better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford, was an American recording artist and television host who enjoyed success in the country & western, pop and gospel musical genres.- Early years :...
    
    
  • Frankie Laine
    Frankie Laine
    Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
    
    
• "Smack Dab In The Middle" - The Mills Brothers
• "Song Of Seventeen" - Petty King
• "Speedo
  Speedo
  Speedo is a manufacturer of swimwear and accessories. The company was started by Alexander MacRae under the name of MacRae Hosiery Manufacturers in Bondi Beach, an eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia....
  
  " - The Cadillacs
  The Cadillacs
  The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York; active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 hit "Speedo," which was instrumental in attracting white audiences to Black rock and roll performers.-History:...
  
  
• "Stars Fell On Alabama
  Stars Fell on Alabama
  "Stars Fell on Alabama" is the title of a 1934 jazz standard composed by Frank Perkins with lyrics by Mitchell Parish.- History :One of the earliest recordings was by the Guy Lombardo orchestra, with his brother Carmen doing a vocal. This version was recorded on August 27, 1934 and issued by Decca...
  
  " - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
   & Buck Clayton
  Buck Clayton
  Buck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player, fondly remembered for being a leading member of Count Basie’s 'Old Testament' orchestra and leader of mainstream orientated jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
  
  
• "Suddenly There's A Valley
  Suddenly There's a Valley
  "Suddenly There's a Valley" is a popular song.It was written by Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones and published in 1955.The song was a major hit for Gogi Grant in 1955. Her recording was issued by Era Records as catalog number 1003 and reached Billboard magazine's Top 10...
  
  " - Gogi Grant
  Gogi Grant
  Gogi Grant is an American popular singer.- Life and career :She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the age of 12, she moved to Los Angeles, California where she attended Venice High School. In California, she won a teenage singing contest and appeared on television talent shows...
  
  
• "Teenage Prayer" – Gale Storm
  Gale Storm
  Josephine Owaissa Cottle , better known as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer, who starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show.-Early life:...
  
  
• "That Old Feeling
  That Old Feeling (song)
  "That Old Feeling" is a popular song.The music was written by Sammy Fain, the lyrics by Lew Brown. The song was published in 1937.The song first appeared in the 1938 movie Vogues of 1938....
  
  ", recorded by
  • Frankie Laine
    Frankie Laine
    Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
    
     & Buck Clayton
    Buck Clayton
    Buck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player, fondly remembered for being a leading member of Count Basie’s 'Old Testament' orchestra and leader of mainstream orientated jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
    
    
  • Patti Page
    Patti Page
    Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music...
    
    
• "That's All I Want from You
  That's All I Want from You
  "That's All I Want from You" is a popular song by Fritz Rotter , published in 1955.The song was recorded by a number of artists, but became a major hit for Jaye P. Morgan, reaching #3 on the Billboard chart in the United States...
  
  " - Jaye P. Morgan
  Jaye P. Morgan
  Jaye P. Morgan is a retired popular American singer and game show panelist.-Early life:Morgan was born in Mancos, Colorado, but her family moved to California by the time she was in high school...
  
  
• "Tweedle Dee
  Tweedle Dee
  "Tweedlee Dee" is a rhythm and blues novelty song with a Latin-influenced riff written by Winfield Scott for LaVern Baker and recorded by her at Atlantic Records studio in New York City in 1954. It was her first hit, reaching #4 on Billboard's R&B chart and #14 on its Pop chart...
  
  " - Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs
  Georgia Gibbs was an American singer, most popular in the 1950s.-Early life:Gibbs was born Frieda Lipschitz in Worcester, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children of Russian Jewish descent...
  
  
• "Unchained Melody
  Unchained Melody
  "Unchained Melody" is a popular song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
  
  ", recorded by
  • Les Baxter
    Les Baxter
    Les Baxter was an American musician and composer.Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer...
    
    
  • Roy Hamilton
    Roy Hamilton
    Roy Hamilton was an American singer who achieved major success in the R&B and pop charts in the 1950s....
    
    
  • Al Hibbler
    Al Hibbler
    Al Hibbler was an American vocalist with several pop hits. He is best known for his million selling recording of "Unchained Melody" . Once described by Duke Ellington as "our major asset", the bandleader was referring to Hibbler's deep-toned, dramatic vocal style, with its heavy vibrato.....
    
    
• "A Woman in Love
  A Woman in Love
  "A Woman In Love" is a popular song. It was written by Frank Loesser and was published in 1955, introduced in Samuel Goldwyn's cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls.....
  
  " - Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine
  Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
  
  
• "The Yellow Rose Of Texas
  The Yellow Rose of Texas
  "The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional folk song which has long been popular in the United States and is considered an unofficial state song of Texas. The actual author is unknown; the original publisher only stated that it was composed and arranged expressly for Charles H. Brown by "J.K."...
  
  " - Mitch Miller
  Mitch Miller
  Mitch Miller is an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive. He was one of the most influential figures in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of Artists & Repertoire at Columbia Records and as a best-selling...
  
   & The Gang
• "You Are My Love
  You Are My Love (1955 song)
  "You Are My Love" is a popular song. It was written by Jimmie Nabbie and was published in 1955.The song was written by request by Nabbie for Joni James, for whom it was a major hit. The song was released by MGM Records as catalog number 12066...
  
  " - Joni James
  Joni James
  Joni James is an American singer of traditional pop music.-Biography:...
  
  

Top R&B and Country Hits on record

• "Ain't That A Shame" - Fats Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.-Imperial Records era :...
  
  
• "Earth Angel" - Penguins
• "Flip, Flop & Fly" - Joe Turner
  Joe Turner
  Joe Turner may refer to:* Big Joe Turner, blues musician* Joe Turner , jazz/stride pianist* Joe Lynn Turner, rock musician* Joe Turner , English footballer...
  
  
• "Tutti Frutti
  Tutti Frutti (song)
  "Tutti Frutti" is a song by Little Richard, which became his first hit record in 1955. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!" and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the models for Rock and...
  
  " - Little Richard
  Little Richard
  Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist and recording artist, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s...
  
  
• "Tweedle Dee
  Tweedle Dee
  "Tweedlee Dee" is a rhythm and blues novelty song with a Latin-influenced riff written by Winfield Scott for LaVern Baker and recorded by her at Atlantic Records studio in New York City in 1954. It was her first hit, reaching #4 on Billboard's R&B chart and #14 on its Pop chart...
  
  " - LaVern Baker
  LaVern Baker
  LaVern Baker was an American rhythm and blues singer.- Background :She was born Delores LaVern Baker in Chicago, Illinois. She is occasionally referred to as Delores Williams because of an early marriage to Eugene Williams; in the late 1940s he was identified in RCA Victor record company files as...
  
  
• "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
  
  

Published popular music

• "Adelaide"     w.m. Frank Loesser
  Frank Loesser
  Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the scores to the Broadway hits Guys And Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the...
  
  
• "Ain't That A Shame
  Ain't That a Shame
  "Ain't That a Shame" is a song by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, recorded in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Imperial Records and released in 1955. The original recording was a regional hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached #1 on the "Black Singles" chart and #10 on the...
  
  "     w.m. Antoine Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.-Imperial Records era :...
  
   & Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew is a musician, band leader, composer, and arranger, prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century.-Overview:...
  
  
• "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby"     w.m. Jimmy Reed
• "All At Once You Love Her"     w. Oscar Hammerstein II
  Oscar Hammerstein II
  Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American writer, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song", and much of his work is part of the unofficial Great...
  
   m. Richard Rodgers
  Richard Rodgers
  Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
  
  
• "Arrivederci Roma
  Arrivederci Roma
  "Arrivederci Roma" is a popular song. Arrivederci is the Italian equivalent of the French Au revoir, the German Aufwiedersehen or the Dutch "Tot ziens" it means "goodbye" or, literally, "until see again"....
  
  "     w. (Eng) Carl Sigman
  Carl Sigman
  Carl Sigman was a major American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
  
   m. Renato Ranucci
• "Ballad Of Davy Crockett"     w. Tom Blackburn m. George Bruns
  George Bruns
  George Bruns was a composer of music for film and television who worked on many Disney films. He was nominated for four Academy Awards for his work.-Career:...
  
  
• "Banana Boat (Day O)"     trad West Indies arr. William Attaway and Irving Burgie (aka Lord Burgess)
• "Band Of Gold
  Band of Gold (1955 song)
  "Band of Gold" is a popular song with music by Jack Taylor and lyrics by Bob Musel. It was published in 1955.The biggest hit version was recorded by Don Cherry in 1955. This version reached the Top 5 in the United States...
  
  "     w. Bob Musel m. Jack Taylor
• "The Bible Tells Me So"     w.m. Dale Evans
  Dale Evans
  Dale Evans was the stage name of Lucille Wood Smith , a writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter. She was the second wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers.- Early life :...
  
  
• "Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots
  Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots
  "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" is a popular song that was a top-ten hit for The Cheers in the fall of 1955. It went to number six on the Billboard Best Selling singles chart...
  
  "     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "Blue Monday"     w.m. Antoine "Fats" Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter.-Imperial Records era :...
  
   & Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew is a musician, band leader, composer, and arranger, prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century.-Overview:...
  
  
• "Blue Star
  Blue Star (song)
  "Blue Star" is a popular song.The theme music of the television series, Medic, was written by Victor Young and copyright on February 17, 1955 under the title "The Medic Theme." A set of lyrics were written by Edward Heyman and with those lyrics and under the new title "Blue Star," a new copyright...
  
  " w. Edward Heyman
  Edward Heyman
  Edward Heyman was an American musician and lyricist, best known for his compositions "Body and Soul", "When I Fall in Love", and "For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed many songs for films.-Biography:...
  
   m. Victor Young
  Victor Young
  Victor Young was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. He was born in Chicago.-Biography:...
  
  
• "Blue Suede Shoes
  Blue Suede Shoes
  "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955. The 12-bar blues is considered one of the first rockabilly records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time....
  
  "     w.m. Carl Perkins
  Carl Perkins
  Carl Lee Perkins was an American "rockabilly" musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee beginning during 1954...
  
  
• "Bo Diddley
  Bo Diddley
  Bo Diddley , born Ellas Otha Bates, was an American rock & roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton...
  
  "     w.m. Ellas McDaniel
  Bo Diddley
  Bo Diddley , born Ellas Otha Bates, was an American rock & roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton...
  
  
• "Charlie Brown
  Charlie Brown (song)
  "Charlie Brown" is a popular Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song that was a top-ten hit for The Coasters in the spring of 1959 . It went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, and was the first of three top-ten hits that year...
  
  "     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "Christmas Alphabet
  Christmas Alphabet
  "Christmas Alphabet" is a 1955 Christmas song, which became a #1 hit in the United Kingdom for the singer Dickie Valentine.It was written by Buddy Kaye and Jules Loman, and produced by Dick Rowe. It first entered the UK charts on 25 November 1955, where it spent seven weeks. Three of those were at...
  
  "     Buddy Kaye, Jules Loman
• "Dance With Me, Henry
  Dance With Me, Henry
  Dance With Me, Henry may refer to:*"The Wallflower ", better known by its alternate titles, "Dance with me, Henry" as sung in a pop cover version under that title by Georgia Gibbs and "Roll with Me, Henry", the original rhythm and blues version by Etta James* Dance With Me, Henry, a 1956 Abbott and...
  
  "     w.m. Johnny Otis
  Johnny Otis
  Johnny Otis is an American blues and rhythm and blues pianist, vibraphonist, drummer, singer, bandleader, and impresario. Otis was one of the most prominent white figures in the history of Rhythm and Blues.-Personal life:Otis was born in Vallejo, California...
  
  , Hank Ballard
  Hank Ballard
  Hank Ballard , born John Henry Kendricks, was a rhythm and blues singer, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters and one of the first proto-rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s...
  
   & Etta James
  Etta James
  Etta James is an American blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll, gospel and jazz singer and songwriter. James is the winner of four Grammys and seventeen Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both...
  
   aka "Wallflower"
• "Domani
  Domani
  "Domani" is a 1955 song written by Ulpio Minucci with lyrics by Tony Velona. The most popular version of the song was recorded by Julius LaRosa, released by Cadence Records as catalog number 1265...
  
  "     w. Tony Velona m. Ulpio Minucci
  Ulpio Minucci
  -Musical career:Minucci wrote a number of popular hits in the 1950s, including "Domani," "A Thousand Thoughts of You," and "Felicia." He was nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work on ABC's Saga of Western Man in 1964 and 1965...
  
  
• "Don't Be Angry
  Don't Be Angry
  "Don't Be Angry" is a popular song written by Nappy Brown, Rose Marie McCoy, and Fred Mendelsohn and published in 1955. Brown released it in 1955, reaching #2 in the Billboard charts....
  
  "     w.m. Nappy Brown, Rose Marie McCoy & Fred Mendelsohn
• "Dreamboat
  Dreamboat
  "Dreamboat" is a popular music song, the words and music to which were written by Jack Hoffman, ....
  
  "     w.m. Jack Hoffman
• "Dungaree Doll"     w. Ben Raleigh m. Sherman Edwards
  Sherman Edwards
  Sherman Edwards was an American songwriter.-Biography:Edwards was born in New York City and raised in Weequahic New Jersey, where he attended Weequahic High School outside of Newark, NJ, then Columbia University in New York where he majored in History. Throughout college, Edwards moonlighted,...
  
  
• "Folsom Prison Blues
  Folsom Prison Blues
  "Folsom Prison Blues" is an American country music song credited to Johnny Cash. The song combines elements from two popular folk genres, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash would continue to use for the rest of his career...
  
  "     w.m. Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash , born J. R. Cash, was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
  
  
• "Forever Darling" w. Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
   m. Bronislau Kaper. Introduced by Desi Arnaz
  Desi Arnaz
  Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-American musician, actor and television producer. He gained international renown for leading a Latino music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra...
  
   in the 1956 film Forever, Darling
  Forever, Darling
  Forever, Darling is a American romantic comedy film with fantasy overtones, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, and James Mason, and directed by Alexander Hall...
  
  
• "The Great Pretender
  The Great Pretender
  "The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were created by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and management...
  
  "     w.m. Buck Ram
  Buck Ram
  Buck Ram was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger....
  
  
• "Hallelujah I Love Her So
  Hallelujah I Love Her So
  "Hallelujah I Love Her So" is a rhythm and blues single written by Jerry Reed and released by American singer Ray Charles in 1956 on the Atlantic label....
  
  "     w.m. Ray Charles
  Ray Charles
  Ray Charles Robinson , known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of...
  
  
• "He
  He (song)
  "He" is a song about God, written in 1955, which made the popular music charts in that year.The music was written by Jack Mullan, the lyrics by Jack Richards....
  
  "     w. Jack Mullan m. Jack Richards
• "He's a Tramp" w.m. Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress. She first came to prominence in the 1940s with her #1 hits Somebody Is Taking Your Place and Mañana, having a string of successful albums and top 10 hits in three consecutive decades...
  
   and Sonny Burke
  Sonny Burke
  Sonny Burke was a big band leader. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke Ambassadors....
  
  . Introduced by Peggy Lee in the animated film Lady and the Tramp
  Lady and the Tramp
  Lady and the Tramp is a American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
  
  
• "Heart"     w.m. Richard Adler
  Richard Adler
  Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...
  
   & Jerry Ross
  Jerry Ross (composer)
  Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956 respectively in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.-Biography:Ross was born...
  
  
• "Hey, Mister Banjo"     w.m. Freddy Morgan & Norman Malkin
• "I Hear You Knocking
  I Hear You Knocking
  "I Hear You Knocking" is a popular rhythm and blues song with emphatic syncopation, written by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King and published in 1955...
  
  "     w.m. Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew is a musician, band leader, composer, and arranger, prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century.-Overview:...
  
   & Pearl King
• "I Never Has Seen Snow"     w. Truman Capote
  Truman Capote
  Truman Garcia Capote , born Truman Streckfus Persons, was an American writer, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel"...
  
   & Harold Arlen
  Harold Arlen
  Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music.Having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to being the composer of The Wizard of Oz, Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook.His 1938 song "Over the Rainbow”...
  
   m. Harold Arlen
  Harold Arlen
  Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music.Having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to being the composer of The Wizard of Oz, Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook.His 1938 song "Over the Rainbow”...
  
  
• "I'll Never Stop Loving You
  I'll Never Stop Loving You (1955 song)
  "I'll Never Stop Loving You" is a popular song.The music was written by Nicholas Brodzsky, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1955....
  
  " w. Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
   m. Nicholas Brodszky. Introduced by Doris Day
  Doris Day
  Doris Mary Anne von Kappelhoff , known by her stage name Doris Day, is an American singer and actress.With the versatility to sing, dance, and play comedy and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars. Day has 39 movies to her credit, even though she retired from films in...
  
   in the film Love Me or Leave Me
  Love Me or Leave Me (film)
  Love Me or Leave Me is a biographical film which tells the life story of Ruth Etting, a singer who rose from dancer to movie star. It stars Doris Day as Etting, James Cagney as Martin "Moe the Gimp" Snyder, and Cameron Mitchell. It was written by Daniel Fuchs and Isobel Lennart...
  
  .
• "I'm In Love Again
  I'm in Love Again
  I'm in Love Again is a 1983 album from Patti LaBelle, her second album on Philadelphia International Records after her departure from Epic Records . The album's original 1983 release was issued on vinyl record and casette tape...
  
  "     w.m. Antoine Domino & Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew
  Dave Bartholomew is a musician, band leader, composer, and arranger, prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century.-Overview:...
  
  
• "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
  In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
  "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" is a 1955 popular song composed by David Mann, with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was introduced as the title track of Frank Sinatra's 1955 album In the Wee Small Hours....
  
  " w. Bob Hilliard m. Dave Mann
• "Innamorata
  Innamorata
  "Innamorata" is a song written in 1955. The music was written by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Jack Brooks.It was written for the 1955 Martin and Lewis film, Artists and Models....
  
  "     w. Jack Brooks m. Harry Warren
  Harry Warren
  Harry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
  
    Introduced by Dean Martin
  Dean Martin
  Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The...
  
   in the film Artists And Models
  Artists and Models
  Artists and Models is a 1955 Paramount musical comedy in VistaVision and marked Martin and Lewis's fourteenth feature together as a team. The film co-stars Dorothy Malone, Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg, and Shirley MacLaine.-Plot:...
  
  
• "It's Almost Tomorrow
  It's Almost Tomorrow
  "It's Almost Tomorrow" is a 1955 popular song with music by Gene Adkinson and lyrics by Wade Buff. The song was actually written in 1953, when Adkinson and Buff were in high school...
  
  "     w. Wade Buff m. Gene Adkinson
• "Jamaica Farewell
  Jamaica Farewell
  "Jamaica Farewell" is a famous calypso about the beauties of the West Indian Islands often believed to be called "Kingston Town" due to its mention in the lyrics....
  
  "     w.m. Lord Burgess
  Lord Burgess
  Irving Louis Burgie, better known as Lord Burgess, is a songwriter, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1926, or on July 28, 1924. His mother was from Barbados and his father was from Virginia....
  
  
• "Jim Dandy
  Jim Dandy
  Jim Dandy may refer to:* Jim Dandy by LaVern Baker, American rhythm and blues singer* James Mangrum, James "Jim Dandy" Mangrum, vocalist for Black Oak Arkansas...
  
  "     w.m. Lincoln Chase
• "Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)
  Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)
  "Ko Ko Mo " is a 1955 popular song written by Forest Gene Wilson, Jake Porter, and Eunice Levy. Wilson and Levy made the first recording of the song. Well-known cover recordings were made by The Crew-Cuts and by Perry Como...
  
  "     w.m. Forest Wilson, Jake Porter & Eunice Levy
• "Learnin' The Blues
  Learnin' the Blues
  "Learnin' the Blues" is a 1955 popular song by Dolores Vicki Silvers. The best-known version of the song was recorded by Frank Sinatra in the 50s, which peaked #2 at the Billboard charts...
  
  "     w.m. Dolores Vicki Silvers
• "Life Could Not Better Be"     w.m. Sylvia Fine
  Sylvia Fine
  Sylvia Fine was a Jewish American lyricist and the wife of the comedian Danny Kaye....
  
   & Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
  . Introduced by Danny Kaye
  Danny Kaye
  Danny Kaye was an American award-winning actor, singer and comedian.-Early years:Born David Daniel Kaminsky to Jewish Ukrainian immigrants in Brooklyn, Kaye became one of the world's best-known comedians...
  
   in the film The Court Jester
  The Court Jester
  The Court Jester is a 1956 comedy film starring Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone, and Angela Lansbury. The movie was co-written, co-directed, and co-produced by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama...
  
  .
• "Little One
  Little One
  "Little One" directs here. For the Elliott Smith song of the same name, see From a Basement on the Hill"Little One" is a song written by Cole Porter for the 1956 film High Society, where it was introduced by Bing Crosby....
  
  "     w.m. Cole Porter
  Cole Porter
  Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate, Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady and Anything Goes, as well as songs like "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!" and "I've Got You Under My Skin"...
  
  
• "Love and Marriage
  Love and Marriage
  "Love and Marriage" is a song with lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen. It is published by Barton Music Corporation .-The Frank Sinatra Versions:...
  
  "     w. Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
   m. James Van Heusen
  James Van Heusen
  Jimmy Van Heusen , was an American composer. He wrote songs for films and television and won four Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and an Emmy.-Biography:...
  
  
• "Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing
  Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (song)
  "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" is a popular song with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. . The song was publicized first in the movie, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing , winning its own Best Song Academy Award...
  
  "     w. Paul Francis Webster
  Paul Francis Webster
  Paul Francis Webster was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Song and was nominated sixteen times for the award.- Biography :...
  
   m. Sammy Fain
  Sammy Fain
  Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process...
  
  
• "Maybelline"     w.m. Chuck Berry
  Chuck Berry
  Charles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
  
  , Russ Frato & Alan Freed
  Alan Freed
  Albert James Freed , generally known as Alan Freed and also as "Moondog", was an American disc-jockey who became internationally known for promoting African-American rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
  
  
• "Memories Are Made Of This
  Memories Are Made of This
  "Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955.-History:The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin. It reached #1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks in 1956, and became his biggest hit...
  
  "     w.m. Terry Gilkyson
  Terry Gilkyson
  Hamilton H. Gilkyson III , better known as Terry Gilkyson, was an American folk singer, composer, and lyricist.-Biography:...
  
  , Rich Dehr & Frank Miller
  Frank Miller (singer)
  Frank Miller is a singer and songwriter. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.With Terry Gilkyson and Richard Dehr, he wrote the song "Marianne." As a group called The Easy Riders, Dehr and Miller accompanied Gilkyson on the best-selling recording of the song in 1956.Subsequently, Frank Miller, Jerry...
  
  
• "Mind If I Make Love To You"     w.m. Cole Porter
  Cole Porter
  Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate, Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady and Anything Goes, as well as songs like "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!" and "I've Got You Under My Skin"...
  
  
• "Moments To Remember
  Moments to Remember
  "Moments to Remember" is a popular song.The music was written by Robert Allen, the lyrics by Jimmy Arnold. The song was published in 1955.The song was one of a large number of Stillman-Allen compositions that were recorded by The Four Lads, charting in 1955. The recording by The Four Lads was...
  
  "     w. Al Stillman
  Al Stillman
  Al Stillman was an American lyricist.Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman. Al Stillman (June 26, 1906 - 1979) was an American lyricist.Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman. Al Stillman (June 26, 1906 - 1979) was an...
  
   m. Robert Allen
• "Mr. Wonderful
  Mr. Wonderful (song)
  "Mr. Wonderful" is a popular song, written in 1955 written by Jerry Bock, George David Weiss, and Larry Holofcener, as the title song of a Broadway musical starring Sammy Davis Jr....
  
  "     w.m. Jerry Bock
  Jerry Bock
  Jerrold Lewis Bock is an American musical theatre composer.-Biography:Born in New Haven, Connecticut and raised in Flushing, New York, Bock studied the piano as a child. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he wrote the musical Big As Life, which toured the state and enjoyed a...
  
  , George David Weiss
  George David Weiss
  George David Weiss is an American songwriter and President of the Songwriters Guild of America.-Career:...
  
   & Larry Holofcener
• "My Boy - Flat Top"     w.m. Boyd Bennett & John Young Jr
• "No, Not Much
  No, Not Much
  "No, Not Much" is a popular song published in 1955. The music was written by Robert Allen, the lyrics by Jimmy Arnold not Al Stillman.The song was one of a large number of Stillman-Allen compositions that were recorded by The Four Lads. The recording by The Four Lads was released by Columbia...
  
  "     w. Al Stillman
  Al Stillman
  Al Stillman was an American lyricist.Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman. Al Stillman (June 26, 1906 - 1979) was an American lyricist.Stillman was born in New York City. His name was originally Albert Silverman. Al Stillman (June 26, 1906 - 1979) was an...
  
   m. Robert Allen
• "Once-A-Year Day"     w.m. Richard Adler
  Richard Adler
  Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...
  
   & Jerry Ross
  Jerry Ross (composer)
  Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956 respectively in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.-Biography:Ross was born...
  
   from the musical The Pajama Game
  The Pajama Game
  The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7-1/2 Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
  
  
• "An Occasional Man" w.m. Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin. Introduced by Gloria DeHaven
  Gloria DeHaven
  Gloria Mildred DeHaven is an American actress and a former MGM contract star.-Early life and career:DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter DeHaven and actress Flora Parker DeHaven, both former vaudeville performers.She began her career as a child actor...
  
   in the film The Girl Rush
• "Paper Roses
  Paper Roses
  "Paper Roses" is a popular song written by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre which was a hit first in 1960 for Anita Bryant and later for Marie Osmond in 1973....
  
  "     w. Janice Torre m. Fred Spielman
• "Pet Me Poppa"     w.m. Frank Loesser
  Frank Loesser
  Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the scores to the Broadway hits Guys And Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the...
  
  
• "Pete Kelly's Blues
  Pete Kelly's Blues (song)
  "Pete Kelly's Blues" is a popular song featured in the movie of the same name. The music was written by Ray Heindorf, the lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was published in 1955....
  
  "     w. Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
   m. Ray Heindorf
  Ray Heindorf
  Ray Heindorf was an American songwriter, composer, conductor, and arranger.Born in Haverstraw, New York, Heindorf worked as a pianist in the movie house in Mechanicville in his early teens. In 1928, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a musical arranger before heading to Hollywood...
  
  
• "Relax-Ay-Voo"     Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
   & Arthur Schwartz
  Arthur Schwartz
  Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
  
  
• "Robin Hood" w.m. Carl Sigman
  Carl Sigman
  Carl Sigman was a major American songwriter.-Biography:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he graduated from law school and passed his Bar exams to practice in the state of New York...
  
  . Theme song of the Television series starring Richard Greene
  Richard Greene
  Richard Marius Joseph Greene was a noted English movie and television actor. A matinee idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, which ran 143 episodes from 1955 to 1960.-Early...
  
  .
• "The Rock And Roll Waltz"     w. Dick Ware m. Shorty Allen
• "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie"     w.m. Bill Haley
  Bill Haley
  Bill Haley was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock"...
  
  
• "Same Old Saturday Night"     w. Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
   m. Frank Reardon
• "See You Later Alligator
  See You Later Alligator
  "See You Later, Alligator" is the title of an iconic rock and roll song of the 1950s....
  
  "     w.m. Robert Guidry
• "Seven-And-A-Half Cents"     w.m. Richard Adler
  Richard Adler
  Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...
  
   & Jerry Ross
  Jerry Ross (composer)
  Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956 respectively in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.-Biography:Ross was born...
  
  
• "The Siamese Cat Song"     w.m. Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress. She first came to prominence in the 1940s with her #1 hits Somebody Is Taking Your Place and Mañana, having a string of successful albums and top 10 hits in three consecutive decades...
  
   & Sonny Burke
  Sonny Burke
  Sonny Burke was a big band leader. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke Ambassadors....
  
  . Introduced by Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee
  Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer and actress. She first came to prominence in the 1940s with her #1 hits Somebody Is Taking Your Place and Mañana, having a string of successful albums and top 10 hits in three consecutive decades...
  
   in the animated film Lady and the Tramp
  Lady and the Tramp
  Lady and the Tramp is a American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
  
  .
• "A Sleepin' Bee
  A Sleepin' Bee
  "A Sleepin' Bee" is a popular song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Arlen and Truman Capote. It was introduced in the musical House of Flowers by Diahann Carroll.The signature line is "When a bee lies sleeping In the palm of your hand ..."...
  
  "     w. Truman Capote
  Truman Capote
  Truman Garcia Capote , born Truman Streckfus Persons, was an American writer, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel"...
  
   & Harold Arlen m. Harold Arlen
  Harold Arlen
  Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music.Having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to being the composer of The Wizard of Oz, Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook.His 1938 song "Over the Rainbow”...
  
  . Introduced in the musical House of Flowers
  House of Flowers (musical)
  House of Flowers is a musical by Harold Arlen and Truman Capote , based on his own novella. This was Capote's only musical, and is the first theatrical production outside of Trinidad and Tobago to feature the new Caribbean instrument - the steel pan.After a Philadelphia tryout, the show opened on...
  
  by Diahann Carroll
  Diahann Carroll
  -Early years:Carroll was born Carol Diahann Johnson in The Bronx, New York, to John Johnson and Mabel Faulk. Her family moved to the Harlem neighborhood of New York City when she was an infant...
  
  , Ada Moore, Dolores Harper and Enid Mosier
• "Smokey Joe's Cafe
  Smokey Joe's Cafe
  Smokey Joe's Cafe is a musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards, including rock and roll, rhythm and blues songs written by songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller...
  
  "     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "Softly, Softly
  Softly, Softly (song)
  "Softly, Softly" is a popular song written in 1955 by Mark Paul and Pierre Dudan, with English lyrics by Paddy Roberts.The most popular version of the song was recorded by Ruby Murray in 1955. Produced by Norrie Paramor, it reached number one in the UK Singles Chart.-References:...
  
  "     Pierre Dudan, Paddy Roberts & Mark Paul
• "Something's Gotta Give
  Something's Gotta Give (song)
  "Something's Gotta Give" is a popular song with words and music by Johnny Mercer in 1954.The song was written by Johnny Mercer and published in 1955...
  
  "     w.m. Johnny Mercer
  Johnny Mercer
  John Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American songwriter and singer. As a songwriter, he is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
  
  . Introduced by Fred Astaire
  Fred Astaire
  Fred Astaire , born Frederick Austerlitz, was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films...
  
   in the musical film
  Musical film
  The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. The songs are usually used to advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but some musical films simply plop the songs in as unrelated "specialties" - as with Carmen Miranda's...
  
   Daddy Long Legs
  Daddy Long Legs (film)
  Daddy Long Legs is a 1955 Hollywood musical comedy film set in France, New York City, and the fictional college town of "Walston" in Massachusetts. It stars Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Fred Clark and Thelma Ritter, with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron...
  
  .
• "Speedoo"     w.m. Esther Navarro
• "Stereophonic Sound
  Stereophonic sound
  Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of sound using two or more independent audio channels through a symmetrical configuration of loudspeakers in such a way as to create the impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing...
  
  "     w.m. Cole Porter
  Cole Porter
  Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate, Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady and Anything Goes, as well as songs like "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!" and "I've Got You Under My Skin"...
  
   from the musical Silk Stockings
  Silk Stockings
  Silk Stockings is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.Loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel story Ninotchka and the 1939 film adaptation it inspired, it focuses on special envoy Nina Yaschenko, who is dispatched from the...
  
  
• "A Story Untold
  A Story Untold
  "A Story Untold" is a song, originally written as a doo-wop song by Leroy Griffin, but adapted to the pop music genre in 1955.The original recording was by Griffin's group, The Nutmegs. The recording peaked at #2 on the R&B chart....
  
  "     Leroy Griffin
• "Suddenly There's A Valley
  Suddenly There's a Valley
  "Suddenly There's a Valley" is a popular song.It was written by Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones and published in 1955.The song was a major hit for Gogi Grant in 1955. Her recording was issued by Era Records as catalog number 1003 and reached Billboard magazine's Top 10...
  
  "     w.m. Chuck Meyer & Biff Jones
• "(Love Is) The Tender Trap
  (Love Is) The Tender Trap
  " The Tender Trap" is a popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn.It was written for the 1955 film The Tender Trap, where it was introduced by Debbie Reynolds and Frank Sinatra, who each sing the song separately. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original...
  
  " w. Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn
  Sammy Cahn was an American lyricist, songwriter and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs, as recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day and many others. He played the piano and violin...
  
   m. James Van Heusen
  James Van Heusen
  Jimmy Van Heusen , was an American composer. He wrote songs for films and television and won four Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and an Emmy.-Biography:...
  
  . Introduced by Frank Sinatra
  Frank Sinatra
  Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
  
   in the film The Tender Trap.
• "Theme From "East Of Eden""     m. Leonard Rosenman
• "Tina Marie
  Tina Marie
  "Tina Marie" is a popular song. It was written by Bob Merrill and was published in 1955.On June 21, 1955, Perry Como recorded the song. This recording was released on a number of singles:...
  
  "     w.m. Bob Merrill
  Bob Merrill
  Bob Merrill was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter.Merrill was born Henry Levan in Atlantic City, New Jersey and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following a stint with the Army during World War II, he moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a dialogue...
  
  
• "Tutti Frutti
  Tutti Frutti (song)
  "Tutti Frutti" is a song by Little Richard, which became his first hit record in 1955. With its opening cry of "A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!" and its hard-driving sound and wild lyrics, it became not only a model for many future Little Richard songs, but also one of the models for Rock and...
  
  "     w.m. Richard Penniman, D. La Bostrie & Joe Lubin
• "Two Lost Souls"     w.m. Richard Adler
  Richard Adler
  Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...
  
   & Jerry Ross
  Jerry Ross (composer)
  Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956 respectively in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.-Biography:Ross was born...
  
  . Introduced by Gwen Verdon
  Gwen Verdon
  Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an American actress and dancer who won 4 Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was considered the best dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
  
   and Stephen Douglass
  Stephen Douglass
  Stephen Douglass is an American actor.Born Stephen Fitch in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Douglass has had a distinguished theatrical career and has appeared occasionally on television. He was the last performer to play Billy Bigelow in the original Broadway production of Carousel and he created the role in...
  
   in the musical Damn Yankees
  Damn Yankees
  Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
  
  
• "Unchained Melody
  Unchained Melody
  "Unchained Melody" is a popular song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....
  
  "     w. Hy Zaret
  Hy Zaret
  Hy Zaret was an American Tin Pan Alley. lyricist and composer best known as the co-author of the 1955 hit "Unchained Melody", one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.-Biography:...
  
   m. Alex North
  Alex North
  Alex North was an American composer who wrote the first jazz-based film score and one of the first modernist scores written in Hollywood, ....
  
  
• "Wake The Town And Tell The People
  Wake the Town and Tell the People
  "Wake the Town and Tell the People" is a popular song with music by Jerry Livingston and lyrics by Sammy Gallop, published in 1955.The biggest selling version was recorded by Mindy Carson in 1955.-Recorded versions:...
  
  "     w. Sammy Gallop m. Jerry Livingston
  Jerry Livingston
  Jerry Livingston was an American songwriter, and dance orchestra pianist.-Biography:...
  
  
• "The Wallflower" (aka "Dance With Me Henry"
  The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)
  "The Wallflower" is a popular song. The song was written as one of several answer songs to "Work With Me Annie" and has the same 12-bar blues melody....
  
  )     w.m. Johnny Otis
  Johnny Otis
  Johnny Otis is an American blues and rhythm and blues pianist, vibraphonist, drummer, singer, bandleader, and impresario. Otis was one of the most prominent white figures in the history of Rhythm and Blues.-Personal life:Otis was born in Vallejo, California...
  
  , Hank Ballard
  Hank Ballard
  Hank Ballard , born John Henry Kendricks, was a rhythm and blues singer, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters and one of the first proto-rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s...
  
   & Etta James
  Etta James
  Etta James is an American blues, soul, R&B, rock & roll, gospel and jazz singer and songwriter. James is the winner of four Grammys and seventeen Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both...
  
  
• "Whatever Lola Wants
  Whatever Lola Wants
  For the 2007 film of the same name, visit Whatever Lola Wants"Whatever Lola Wants" is a popular song, sometimes rendered as "Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets". The music and words were written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross for Gwen Verdon to sing in the 1955 musical play Damn Yankees. The song also...
  
  "     w.m. Richard Adler
  Richard Adler
  Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...
  
   & Jerry Ross
  Jerry Ross (composer)
  Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956 respectively in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.-Biography:Ross was born...
  
  . Introduced by Gwen Verdon
  Gwen Verdon
  Gwenyth Evelyn “Gwen” Verdon was an American actress and dancer who won 4 Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances. With flaming red hair and an endearing quaver in her voice, Verdon was considered the best dancer on Broadway in the 1950s and 1960s...
  
   in the musical Damn Yankees
  Damn Yankees
  Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
  
  . Gwen also performed the song in the 1958
  1958 in music
  -Events:*January 28 - Little Richard begins attending classes at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama*January 29 - Bo Diddley records "Say Man", a #3 R&B hit when it is released in the Fall of 1959....
  
   film version.
• "Why Do Fools Fall In Love?"     w.m. Frankie Lymon
  Frankie Lymon
  Franklin Joseph "Frankie" Lymon was an African American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group, The Teenagers. The group was comprised of five boys, all in their early to mid teens...
  
   & George Goldner
• "A Woman in Love
  A Woman in Love
  "A Woman In Love" is a popular song. It was written by Frank Loesser and was published in 1955, introduced in Samuel Goldwyn's cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls.....
  
  "     w.m. Frank Loesser
  Frank Loesser
  Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the scores to the Broadway hits Guys And Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the...
  
  
• "You Are My Love
  You Are My Love (1955 song)
  "You Are My Love" is a popular song. It was written by Jimmie Nabbie and was published in 1955.The song was written by request by Nabbie for Joni James, for whom it was a major hit. The song was released by MGM Records as catalog number 12066...
  
  " w.m. Jimmie Nabbie
• "You Don't Know Me"     w.m. Cindy Walker
  Cindy Walker
  Cindy Walker was a prolific American songwriter, as well as a singer and dancer. As a songwriter Walker was responsible for a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by many different artists. She adopted a craftsman-like approach to her songwriting, often tailoring particular songs...
  
   & Eddy Arnold
  Eddy Arnold
  Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He created the Nashville sound in the late 1950s, and had 147 songs on the Billboard Magazine music charts, second only to George Jones...
  
  
• "You're Sensational
  You're Sensational
  "You're Sensational" is a song written by Cole Porter for the 1956 film High Society, where it was introduced by Frank Sinatra.-Notable recordings:*Frank Sinatra - High Society *Jack Jones - Dear Heart...
  
  "     w.m. Cole Porter
  Cole Porter
  Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. His works include the musical comedies Kiss Me, Kate, Fifty Million Frenchmen, DuBarry Was a Lady and Anything Goes, as well as songs like "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick out of You", "Well, Did You Evah!" and "I've Got You Under My Skin"...
  
  . Introduced by Frank Sinatra
  Frank Sinatra
  Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, being the idol of the "bobby soxers." His professional career had stalled by the...
  
   in the musical film
  Musical film
  The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. The songs are usually used to advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but some musical films simply plop the songs in as unrelated "specialties" - as with Carmen Miranda's...
  
   High Society

Classical music

• Arthur Bliss
  Arthur Bliss
  Sir Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss, CH, KCVO was a British composer.-Birth, education and WWI:Born to an American father and English mother, Bliss attended Bilton Grange Preparatory School and Rugby before entering Cambridge University...
  
   - Violin Concerto
• Henry Cowell
  Henry Cowell
  Henry Cowell was an American composer, music theorist, pianist, teacher, publisher, and impresario. His contribution to the world of music was summed up by Virgil Thomson, writing in the early 1950s:...
  
   - Symphony No. 12
• George Crumb
  George Crumb
  George Crumb is an American composer of modern and avant-garde music. He is noted as an explorer of unusual timbres and extended technique. Examples include spoken flute and glass marbles poured onto an open piano.-Biography:Crumb was born in Charleston, West Virginia, and began to compose at an...
  
  
  • Diptych for orchestra
  • Sonata for solo cello
• Mario Davidovsky
  Mario Davidovsky
  Mario Davidovsky is an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the US, where he lives today...
  
  
  • Quintet for Clarinet and Strings
  • Suite Sinfonica Para "El Payaso" for orchestra
• Einar Englund - Piano Concerto No. 1
• Ferenc Farkas
  Ferenc Farkas
  Ferenc Farkas was a Hungarian composer.Farkas began his studies in composition at the Budapest Academy of Music , where his teachers were Leo Weiner and Albert Siklós. He later studied with Ottorino Respighi in Rome...
  
   - Bukki Varlatok
• Gerald Finzi
  Gerald Finzi
  Gerald Raphael Finzi was a British composer. Finzi is best-known as a song-writer, but also wrote in other genres...
  
   - Cello Concerto
• Hans Werner Henze
  Hans Werner Henze
  Hans Werner Henze is a German composer well known for his left-wing political convictions. He left Germany for Italy in 1953 because of a perceived intolerance towards his politics and homosexuality...
  
   - Symphony No. 4
• Alan Hovhaness
  Alan Hovhaness
  Alan Hovhaness was an American composer of Armenian and Scottish ancestry.His music is accessible to the lay listener and often evokes a mood of mystery or contemplation...
  
   - Symphony No. 2 Mysterious Mountain
• Witold Lutosławski - Dance Preludes (2nd version for clarinet and chamber group)
• Bohuslav Martinů
  Bohuslav Martinu
  Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Martinů (Martinu) Bohuslav Martinů (Martinu) was a prolific Bohemian Czech composer, who wrote six symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works....
  
  
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh
  • Oboe Concerto
• Darius Milhaud
  Darius Milhaud
  Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six - also known as the Groupe des Six - and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century...
  
  
  • Symphony No. 5
  • Symphony No. 6
• Luigi Nono
  Luigi Nono
  Luigi Nono was an Italian avant-garde composer of classical music and one of the most important composers of the 20th century.- Early years :...
  
  
  • Il Canto Sospeso, for soli, chorus, and orchestra
  • Incontri, for 24 instruments
• Walter Piston
  Walter Piston
  Walter Hamor Piston Jr. was an American composer and music theorist.-Life:Piston was born in Rockland, Maine. His father's father, a sailor named Antonio Pistone, changed his name to Anthony Piston when he came to America from Genoa, Italy. In 1905, Walter Piston Sr. and his family moved to...
  
   - Symphony No. 6
• Edmund Rubbra
  Edmund Rubbra
  Edmund Rubbra was a British composer. He composed both instrumental and vocal works for soloists, chamber groups and full choruses and orchestras. He was highly respected by fellow musicians and was at the peak of his public popularity in the mid-20th century. The most famous of his works are his...
  
   - Piano Concerto
• John Serry, Sr.
  John Serry, Sr.
  John Serry Sr. was an accomplished concert accordionist, arranger, composer, organist and music educator who performed on the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks and elevated the use of the accordion in concert with orchestral ensembles of his era.-Overview:Born Giovanni Serrapica in Brooklyn,...
  
   - American Rhapsody
• Karlheinz Stockhausen
  Karlheinz Stockhausen
  Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries...
  
   – Klavierstücke V–VIII
• Alexandre Tansman
  Alexandre Tansman
  Alexandre Tansman was Polish-born composer and virtuoso pianist. He spent his early years in his native Poland, but lived in France for most of his life...
  
  
  • Concerto for Orchestra
  • Capriccio for Orchestra
• Michael Tippett
  Michael Tippett
  Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was one of the foremost English composers of the 20th century. -Early years:Tippett was born in London of English and Cornish stock...
  
   - Sonata for Four Horns
• Ernst Toch
  Ernst Toch
  Ernst Toch was a composer of classical music and film scores.-Biography:Toch, born in Vienna in the family of a humble Jewish leather dealer when the city was at its 19th-century cultural zenith, sought throughout his life to introduce new approaches to music...
  
   - Symphony No. 3
• Ralph Vaughan Williams
  Ralph Vaughan Williams
  Ralph Vaughan Williams OM was an English composer of symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores...
  
   - Symphony No. 8
• William Walton
  William Walton
  Sir William Turner Walton OM was a British composer and conductor.His style was influenced by the works of Stravinsky and Prokofiev as well as jazz music, and is characterized by rhythmic vitality, bittersweet harmony, sweeping Romantic melody and brilliant orchestration...
  
   - Johannesburg Festival Overture
• Franz Waxman
  Franz Waxman
  Franz Waxman was a Jewish German American composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasie for violin and orchestra, based on musical themes from the Bizet opera Carmen, and for his musical scores for films....
  
   - Sinfonietta for Strings and Timpani
• Iannis Xenakis
  Iannis Xenakis
  Iannis Xenakis was a Greek composer, music theorist and architect. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers...
  
   - Pithoprakta for orchestra

Musical theater

• The Amazing Adele     Philadelphia production
• Ankles Aweigh
  Ankles Aweigh
  Ankles Aweigh is a musical with a book by Guy Bolton and Eddie Davis, lyrics by Dan Shapiro, and music by Sammy Fain.The plot centers on Hollywood starlet Wynne, who violates a clause in her contract by marrying Navy flyer Bill while filming a movie in Sicily...
  
       Broadway production
• Catch A Star     Broadway production
• Damn Yankees
  Damn Yankees
  Damn Yankees is a musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during a time when the New York Yankees dominated Major League...
  
  (Richard Adler
  Richard Adler
  Richard Adler is an American lyricist, composer and producer of several Broadway shows.Born in New York City, Adler had a musical upbringing, his father being a concert pianist. After serving in the navy he began his career as a lyricist, teaming up with Jerry Ross in 1950...
  
   and Jerry Ross
  Jerry Ross (composer)
  Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956 respectively in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.-Biography:Ross was born...
  
  ) - Broadway production
• Kismet
  Kismet (musical)
  Kismet is a musical written in 1953 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and produced by Charles Lederer. The musical was adapted from the book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, based on the play by Edward Knoblock...
  
       London production opened at the Stoll Theatre on April 20 and ran for 648 performances
• The Pajama Game
  The Pajama Game
  The Pajama Game is a musical based on the novel 7-1/2 Cents by Richard Bissell. It features a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story deals with labor troubles in a pajama factory, where worker demands for a seven-and-a-half cents raise are going unheeded...
  
  (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) - London production opened at the Coliseum on October 13 and ran for 501 performances
• Phoenix '55     Broadway production
• Pipe Dream
  Pipe Dream (musical)
  Pipe Dream is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II. Its conception is tied up with unrealized plans by other collaborators to make a stage musical based upon John Steinbeck's best-selling novel Cannery Row...
  
  (Rodgers
  Richard Rodgers
  Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
  
   & Hammerstein
  Oscar Hammerstein II
  Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II was an American writer, theatrical producer, and theatre director of musicals for almost forty years. Hammerstein won eight Tony Awards and was twice awarded an Academy Award for "Best Original Song", and much of his work is part of the unofficial Great...
  
  ) - Broadway production
• Plain and Fancy
  Plain and Fancy
  Plain and Fancy is a musical comedy with a book by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman, lyrics by Arnold Horwitt, and music by Albert Hague. One of the first depictions of an Amish community in American pop culture, it includes a traditional barn-raising and an old-fashioned country...
  
       Broadway production
• Romance in Candlelight London production opened at the Piccadilly Theatre
  Piccadilly Theatre
  The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regents Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, England.Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A...
  
   on September 15 and ran for 53 performances
• Seventh Heaven     Broadway production opened at the ANTA Playhouse on May 26 and ran for 44 performances
• Shoestring Revue     Broadway production
• Silk Stockings
  Silk Stockings
  Silk Stockings is a musical with a book by George S. Kaufman, Leueen MacGrath, and Abe Burrows and music and lyrics by Cole Porter.Loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel story Ninotchka and the 1939 film adaptation it inspired, it focuses on special envoy Nina Yaschenko, who is dispatched from the...
  
       Broadway production
• Wonderful Town
  Wonderful Town
  Wonderful Town is a musical with a book written by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Leonard Bernstein...
  
  (Leonard Bernstein
  Leonard Bernstein
  Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
  
  , Betty Comden
  Betty Comden
  Betty Comden , was one-half of the musical-comedy duo Comden and Green, who provided lyrics, libretti, and screenplays to some of the most beloved and successful Hollywood musicals and Broadway shows of the mid-20th century...
  
   and Adolph Green
  Adolph Green
  Adolph Green was an American lyricist and playwright who, with long-time collaborator Betty Comden, penned the screenplays and songs for some of the most beloved movie musicals, particularly as part of Arthur Freed's production unit at MGM, during the genre's heyday...
  
  ) - London production opened at the Princes Theatre on February 24 and ran for 207 performances

Musical film

Musical film

The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. The songs are usually used to advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but some musical films simply plop the songs in as unrelated "specialties" - as with Carmen Miranda's...

s

• Artists And Models
  Artists and Models
  Artists and Models is a 1955 Paramount musical comedy in VistaVision and marked Martin and Lewis's fourteenth feature together as a team. The film co-stars Dorothy Malone, Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg, and Shirley MacLaine.-Plot:...
  
  released November 7 starring Dean Martin
  Dean Martin
  Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor and comedian. He was one of the best known musical artists of the 1950s and 1960s. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "Mambo Italiano", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That A Kick In The...
  
   and Jerry Lewis
  Jerry Lewis
  Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, film producer, writer, film director, singer and humanitarian. He is best-known for his slapstick humor in stage, screen, television, radio, recording and is also known for his charity fund-raising telethons and position as national chairman for the...
  
  
• As Long as They're Happy starring Jack Buchanan
  Jack Buchanan
  Jack Buchanan was a British theatre and film actor, singer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George Grossmith Jr...
  
  , Janette Scott
  Janette Scott
  Thora Janette Scott is an English actress. She was born in Morecambe, England. She is the daughter of actors Jimmy Scott and Thora Hird. She started her acting career as a child actress, known as Janette Scott, and became a popular leading lady. She wrote her autobiography at the age of 14...
  
  , Jeannie Carson
  Jeannie Carson
  Jeannie Carson is an English comedian and stage actor. Carson has a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.-Career:...
  
  , Jerry Wayne, Diana Dors
  Diana Dors
  Diana Dors was an English actress and sex symbol. She was born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, England and was educated at Colville House in Swindon...
  
   and Joan Sims
  Joan Sims
  Irene Joan Marion Sims was an English actress best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films, and latterly for playing Madge Hardcastle in As Time Goes By.-Early life:...
  
  
• The Benny Goodman Story
  The Benny Goodman Story
  The Benny Goodman Story is a biopic film starring Steve Allen and Donna Reed, directed by Valentine Davies and released by Universal Studios.-References:...
  
  
• Daddy Long Legs
  Daddy Long Legs (film)
  Daddy Long Legs is a 1955 Hollywood musical comedy film set in France, New York City, and the fictional college town of "Walston" in Massachusetts. It stars Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Fred Clark and Thelma Ritter, with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The screenplay was written by Phoebe Ephron...
  
  
• Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
  Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
  Gentlemen Marry Brunettes is a 1955 musical film made by Russ-Field productions, starring Jane Russell and Jeanne Crain, and released by United Artists...
  
  
• The Girl Rush starring Rosalind Russell
  Rosalind Russell
  Rosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Auntie Mame in film...
  
  , Fernando Lamas
  Fernando Lamas
  Fernando Álvaro Lamas was an Argentina-born American actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas. His full birth name was Fernando Álvaro Lamas y de Santos-Early years and career:Lamas was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. By 1942, he was an established movie star in Argentina...
  
  , Eddie Albert
  Eddie Albert
  Edward Albert Heimberger , better known as Eddie Albert, was an American actor, gardener, humanitarian, activist and World War II veteran...
  
   and Gloria DeHaven
  Gloria DeHaven
  Gloria Mildred DeHaven is an American actress and a former MGM contract star.-Early life and career:DeHaven was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actor-director Carter DeHaven and actress Flora Parker DeHaven, both former vaudeville performers.She began her career as a child actor...
  
  .
• It's Always Fair Weather
  It's Always Fair Weather
  It's Always Fair Weather is a 1955 MGM musical film scripted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who also wrote the show's lyrics, scored by André Previn and starring Gene Kelly, Dan Dailey, Cyd Charisse, Michael Kidd, and Dolores Gray. Directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen, the film is about three...
  
  
• Jupiter's Darling
  Jupiter's Darling
  Jupiter's Darling is the twelfth studio album released by the band Heart. The album was a minor success, peaking at number ninety-four on the U.S...
  
  starring Howard Keel
  Howard Keel
  Howard Keel, born Harold Clifford Keel was an American actor and singer. He starred in many film musicals of the 1950s.- Early years :...
  
  , Esther Williams
  Esther Williams
  Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star, notable for her musical films that featured elaborate performances with swimming and diving.-Early years:...
  
  , Marge Champion
  Marge Champion
  Marge Champion is an American dancer choreographer, and pedagogue. In addition, she also worked in film and appeared in a number of television variety shows.-Early years:...
  
   and Gower Champion
  Gower Champion
  Gower Carlyle Champion was an American actor, theatre director, choreographer, and dancer.-Early years:Champion was born in Geneva, Illinois, the son of John W. Champion and Beatrice Carlisle. He was raised in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated from Fairfax High School...
  
  
• King's Rhapsody
  King's Rhapsody
  King's Rhapsody is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall.The musical was first produced at the Palace Theatre, London, on 15 September 1949 and ran for 841 performances, surviving its author, who died in 1951...
  
  starring Anna Neagle
  Anna Neagle
  Dame Anna Neagle, DBE was a popular English stage and motion picture actress and singer.Neagle proved to be a box-office sensation in British films for over 25 years. She was noted for providing glamour and sophistication to war-torn London audiences with her lightweight musicals, comedies and...
  
   and Errol Flynn
  Errol Flynn
  Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian film actor, known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Background and early life:...
  
  

• Kismet
  Kismet (1955 film)
  Kismet is an American musical film in Cinemascope and Eastman Color released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It is the fourth movie version of Kismet -- the first was released in 1920 and the second in 1930 by Warner Brothers-- and the second released by MGM...
  
  
• Lady and the Tramp
  Lady and the Tramp
  Lady and the Tramp is a American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney and released to theaters on June 22, 1955, by Buena Vista Distribution. The fifteenth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was the first animated feature filmed in the CinemaScope widescreen...
  
       Animated feature
• Love Me or Leave Me
  Love Me or Leave Me (film)
  Love Me or Leave Me is a biographical film which tells the life story of Ruth Etting, a singer who rose from dancer to movie star. It stars Doris Day as Etting, James Cagney as Martin "Moe the Gimp" Snyder, and Cameron Mitchell. It was written by Daniel Fuchs and Isobel Lennart...
  
  
• Oklahoma!
  Oklahoma! (film)
  The 1943 musical play Oklahoma!, written by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II , was adapted into a musical film in 1955, starring Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones , Rod Steiger, Charlotte Greenwood, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson, James Whitmore and Eddie Albert...
  
  
• Pete Kelly's Blues
• The Seven Little Foys
  The Seven Little Foys
  The Seven Little Foys is a 1955 film starring Bob Hope as Eddie Foy. James Cagney reprises his role as George M. Cohan for an energetic tabletop dance showdown sequence.-Plot:...
  
  
• A Star Is Born
  A Star Is Born (1954 film)
  A Star Is Born is a 1954 American musical film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay written by Moss Hart was an adaptation of the original 1937 film, which was based on the original screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell...
  
  

Musical television

• Heidi
  Heidi
  Heidi's Years of Wandering and Learning , usually abbreviated Heidi, is a novel about the events in the life of a young girl in her grandfather's care, in the Swiss Alps. It was written as a book "for children and those who love children" as quoted from its subtitle in 1880 by Swiss author Johanna...
  
       television production
• Our Town
  Our Town
  Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled upon several New Hampshire towns in the Mount Monadnock region: Jaffrey, Peterborough, Dublin, and others. Using metatheatrical devices, Wilder sets the play...
  
       television production
• Together With Music     CBS television production by Noel Coward
  Noël Coward
  Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of Richmond upon Thames, London, Coward...
  
  

Births

• January 3 - Helen O'Hara
  Helen O'Hara
  Helen O'Hara is a British musician, formerly a member of the band Dexys Midnight Runners between 1982 and 1987 including performing on songs such as the single Come on Eileen from the Too-Rye-Ay album....
  
  , British musician
• January 8 - Mike Reno
  Mike Reno
  Mike Reno , born January 8, 1955 in New Westminster, British Columbia is a Canadian musician, drummer, and lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He has also fronted other bands, including Moxy....
  
  , Loverboy
  Loverboy
  Loverboy is a Canadian rock group formed in 1980 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Throughout the 1980s, the band accumulated numerous hit songs in Canada and the United States, earning four multi-platinum albums and selling millions of records...
  
  
• January 13 - Fred White
  Fred White (musician)
  Fred White is an American soul, funk, and R&B drummer and percussionist.-Career:White is best known for his tenure with the R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire, which was co-founded by his older brothers Maurice and Verdine White...
  
  , Earth Wind & Fire
• January 13 - Trevor Rabin
  Trevor Rabin
  Trevor Charles Rabin is a South African-born musician, best known as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British progressive rock band Yes from 1983–1994, and since then, as a film composer.- Early years :...
  
  , Yes
  Yes (band)
  Yes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
  
  
• January 17 - Steve Earle
  Steve Earle
  Stephen 'Steve' Fain Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and country music as well as his political views. He is also a published writer, a political activist and has written and directed a play...
  
  
• January 19 - Simon Rattle
  Simon Rattle
  Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE, FRSA, is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
  
  , conductor
• January 26 - Eddie Van Halen
  Eddie Van Halen
  Edward Lodewijkz "Eddie" Van Halen , is a Dutch-born American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. Van Halen is widely known for his rapid guitar playing, tapping, and high frequency feedback...
  
  , musician
• January 27 - Richard Young, Kentucky Headhunters
• February 18 - Riff Regan
  Riff Regan
  Riff Regan was the lead singer with the 1970s punk band London.After London split up in late 1977, he continued to record for MCA Records releasing four solo records. He made his last record, Hard Hearts Don't Cry for CBS Epic in the early 80s, after which he quit the music business and became a...
  
  , real name Miles Tredinnick
  Miles Tredinnick
  Miles Tredinnick is a writer and lead singer with the British rock band London.-Biography:Although he grew up in the Cornish seaside town of Falmouth, Miles Tredinnick was born in Warrington, England at Royal Air Force Padgate where his father Wing Commander Reginald Tredinnick had been...
  
  , lead singer in London
  London (band)
  This article is about the English band London. For the American band with the same name, see London. London were a four piece punk band formed in London in 1976 and were best known for their wild stage act. The line-up was Riff Regan , Steve Voice , Jon Moss and Dave Wight...
  
  .
• February 23 - Howard Jones
  Howard Jones (musician)
  Howard Jones is an English musician. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live Aid"...
  
  
• March 2 - Jay Osmond, The Osmonds
  The Osmonds
  The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers...
  
  
• March 4 - Boon Gould, real name Rowland Charles Gould
  Rowland Charles Gould
  Rowland Charles Gould known as Boon Gould, is an English musician and one of the four founding members of Level 42. He is known for his high-calibre musicianship and "throw away" guitar playing technique. Boon is often cited as one of the most underrated guitarists of all time...
  
  , guitarist (Level 42
  Level 42
  Level 42 is an English pop rock and jazz-funk band which had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s and 1990s.The band gained fame for its high-calibre musicianship — in particular that of Mark King, whose percussive slap-bass guitar technique provided the driving groove of many of the...
  
  )
• March 10 - Bunny DeBarge
  Bunny Debarge
  Etterlene "Bunny" DeBarge is an American soul singer-songwriter, best known as the lone female sibling of the Motown family group DeBarge...
  
  , DeBarge
  DeBarge
  DeBarge was an African American sibling music group, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later gospel. Active as a professional recording group between 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.-Background:Hailing...
  
  
• March 15 - Dee Snider
  Dee Snider
  David Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
  
  , Twisted Sister
  Twisted Sister
  Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from New York City. Their work fuses the shock tactics of Alice Cooper, the rebellious mood of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the extravagant image of glam rock bands such as New York Dolls notably for the makeup...
  
  
• March 28 - Reba McEntire
  Reba McEntire
  Reba Nell McEntire is a Grammy award-winning American country music artist. She began her career in the music industry singing with her siblings on local radio shows and rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma City, which caught the attention of country artist Red...
  
  
• March 31 - Angus Young
  Angus Young
  Angus McKinnon Young is a Scottish-born Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-founder of the hard rock band AC/DC. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other members of AC/DC in 2003...
  
  , AC/DC
  AC/DC
  AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Although the band are commonly classified as hard rock and are considered pioneers of heavy metal, they have always classified their music as "rock and roll".AC/DC underwent several line-up...
  
  
• April 13 - Louis Johnson
  Louis Johnson
  Louis or Lou Johnson may refer to:*Louis A. Johnson , second United States Secretary of Defense, from March 28, 1949 to September 19, 1950...
  
  , The Brothers Johnson
• April 17 - Pete Shelley
  Pete Shelley
  Pete Shelley is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the leader of Buzzcocks. His stage name is a combination of his real first name and the name he would have been given had he been born female.-Biography:Shelley was born to Margaret and John McNeish at 48 Milton Street, Leigh...
  
  , Buzzcocks
  Buzzcocks
  Buzzcocks are an English rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
  
  
• May 9 - Anne Sofie von Otter
• May 12 - Kix Brooks
  Kix Brooks
  Kix Brooks , is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is currently one half of the multi-award winning, American, country music duo Brooks & Dunn...
  
  , Country singer Brooks & Dunn
  Brooks & Dunn
  Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo, consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn. Both Brooks and Dunn had worked as singer-songwriters before the duo's formation, charting singles of their own in the late 1980s...
  
  
• May 20 - Steve George
  Steve George (keyboardist)
  Steve George was the keyboard player for the 1980s band, Mr. Mister. He co-wrote many of the Mr. Mister songs, together with his childhood friend Richard Page....
  
  , Mr. Mister
  Mr. Mister
  Mr. Mister was an American pop rock band of the 1980s. The band's name came from an inside joke about a Weather Report record called Mr. Gone where they referred to each other as "Mister This" or "Mister That", and eventually selected "Mr. Mister." Mr. Mister may be considered as representative of...
  
  
• May 20 - Zbigniew Preisner
  Zbigniew Preisner
  Zbigniew Preisner is one of Poland's leading film score composers, best known for his work with film director Krzysztof Kieślowski.-Life:...
  
  , composer
• May 21 - Stan Lynch
  Stan Lynch
  Stanley "Stan" Lynch is an American songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994.- Early years :...
  
  , Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
• May 28 - John McGeoch
  John McGeoch
  John Alexander McGeoch, , was a Scottish guitarist who played with a number of bands of the post-punk era, including Magazine, Visage, The Armoury Show, Public Image Ltd., and Siouxsie & the Banshees...
  
  , Magazine
  Magazine (band)
  Magazine were an English post-punk group active between 1977 and 1981. Their debut single, "Shot By Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time The band was formed by Howard Devoto after leaving...
  
  , PiL
  PIL
  PIL may refer to:* Carlos Miguel Jiménez Airport , in Pilar, Paraguay* Public Image Ltd., English Band* Poslednja Igra Leptira, former Yugoslav band* Portland Interscholastic League, high school athletic conference in Oregon...
  
  , and Siouxsie & the Banshees
  Siouxsie & the Banshees
  Siouxsie & the Banshees were a British rock band formed in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin, the only constant members....
  
  , (d. 2004)
• May 29 - Pascal Dusapin
  Pascal Dusapin
  Pascal Dusapin , is a French composer born in Nancy. He studied fine art, science and aesthetics at the Sorbonne in Paris. He is one of France's best-known living composers; his works have been performed worldwide....
  
  , French
  France
  France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
  
   composer
• May 30 - Topper Headon
  Topper Headon
  Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon , known as 'Topper' , is a British rock and roll drummer, best known for his membership in the punk rock band, The Clash.Headon is commonly recognized with the best punk rock drummers of the late 1970s and early '80s; Allmusic writes,...
  
  , The Clash
  The Clash
  The Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
  
  
• June 7 - Joey Scarbury
  Joey Scarbury
  Joey Scarbury is an adult contemporary singer best known for his hit song, "Theme from The Greatest American Hero ", in 1981....
  
  
• June 23 - Glenn Danzig
  Glenn Danzig
  Glenn Danzig is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is the founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
  
  , lead singer for Danzig
• June 26 - Mick Jones
  Mick Jones (The Clash)
  Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist and a vocalist for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983...
  
  , The Clash
  The Clash
  The Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
  
  
• June 28 - Thomas Hampson, opera singer
• July 4 - John Waite
  John Waite
  John Waite is a rock singer and musician. He was the lead vocalist for the bands The Babys and Bad English...
  
  
• July 10- Stan Munsey, Shenandoah
  Shenandoah (band)
  Shenandoah is a Grammy Award-winning American country music band founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1985 by Marty Raybon , Ralph Ezell , Stan Thorn , Jim Seales , and Mike McGuire...
  
  
• July 18 - Terry Chambers
  Terry Chambers
  Terry Chambers was the English drummer and a founding member of XTC, appearing on all studio and live albums until his departure during the 1983 sessions for Mummer, on which he played on "Beating of Hearts", "Wonderland", "Love On A Farmboy's Wages" and a B-side, "Toys".He moved to his wife's...
  
  , XTC
  XTC
  XTC were a New Wave/Alternative rock band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. Though the band enjoyed some significant chart success, including the UK hits "Making Plans For Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , they are better known for their long-standing critical success than...
  
  
• July 21 - Howie Epstein
  Howie Epstein
  Howard Norman Epstein , was a musician best known for his work with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early life:...
  
  , Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
• July 25 - Jem Finer
  Jem Finer
  Jeremy "Jem" Finer is an English musician and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Pogues. Primarily a banjoist, he also plays other instruments, including mandola, saxophone, hurdy-gurdy and the guitar...
  
  , The Pogues
  The Pogues
  The Pogues are a band of mixed Irish and English background, playing traditional Irish music with influences from punk rock and jazz, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. They reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, until MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to...
  
  
• August 17 - Colin Moulding
  Colin Moulding
  Colin Ivor Moulding is a bassist, songwriter and vocalist. He is a founding member of the band XTC. Though less prolific than bandmate Andy Partridge, Moulding wrote many of the group's most popular songs, including their first three UK hit singles: "Life Begins At The Hop", "Making Plans For...
  
  , XTC
  XTC
  XTC were a New Wave/Alternative rock band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. Though the band enjoyed some significant chart success, including the UK hits "Making Plans For Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , they are better known for their long-standing critical success than...
  
  
• August 28 - Beres Hammond
  Beres Hammond
  Beres Hammond is a reggae singer from Jamaica who is known in particular for his romantic lovers rock...
  
  , reggae singer
• August 29 - Diamanda Galás
  Diamanda Galás
  Diamanda Galás is a Greek- American-born avant-garde performance artist, vocalist, keyboardist, and composer.Known for her expert piano as well as her distinctive, operatic voice, which has a three and a half octave range, Galás has been described as "capable of the most unnerving vocal terror"...
  
  
• September 3 - Steve Jones
  Steve Jones (musician)
  Stephen Philip Jones is an English rock guitarist and singer, best known for his highly influential work as guitarist and founding member of the punk band Sex Pistols.-Childhood:...
  
  , The Sex Pistols
• September 9 - Ivan Smirnov
• September 13 - Andreas Staier
  Andreas Staier
  Andreas Staier is a German pianist and harpsichordist.-Life:Staier studied piano and harpsichord in the Hochschule für Musik in Hanover, with Kurt Bauer and Erika Haase for piano and from Lajos Rovatkay for harpsichord, and also in Amsterdam. From 1983 until 1986 he was the harpsichord soloist...
  
  , classical harpsichordist and fortepianist
• October 2 - Philip Oakey
  Philip Oakey
  Philip Oakey , is a composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is best known as the lead singer, frontman and co-founder of the famous British synthpop band The Human League. He has also had an extensive solo music career and collaborated with numerous other artists and producers...
  
  , The Human League
  The Human League
  The Human League are a British synthpop band. Formed in Sheffield in 1977, they achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s...
  
  
• October 7 - Yo-Yo Ma
  Yo-Yo Ma
  Yo-Yo Ma is a French-born American virtuoso cellist and composer and winner of multiple Grammy Awards. He is one of the most revered cellists of the 20th and 21st centuries. He is also a highly accomplished musician on the piano, viola, and violin.-Biography:Yo-Yo Ma was born in Paris to Chinese...
  
  , cellist
• October 16 - Leonid Desyatnikov
  Leonid Desyatnikov
  Leonid Arkadievich Desyatnikov is a Russian composer.Desyatnikov graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory in 1978. In recent years he has worked closely with Gidon Kremer. He has written the music to a number of films, including Sunset...
  
  , composer
• October 21:
  • Fred Hersch
    Fred Hersch
    Fred Hersch is a contemporary American jazz pianist who has become a consistent and highly demanded performer on the international jazz scene....
    
    , American jazz pianist
  • Rich Mullins
    Rich Mullins
    Richard Wayne Mullins was an American Christian music singer and songwriter born to John and Neva Mullins in Richmond, Indiana...
    
     (+ 1997)
• October 25 - Matthias Jabs
  Matthias Jabs
  Matthias Jabs is a German guitarist and songwriter. He is a member of the heavy metal band the Scorpions. Before joining the Scorpions, Jabs had played for the bands Lady, Fargo and Deadlock....
  
  , Scorpions
  Scorpions (band)
  The Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, probably best known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and their singles "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel, "Still Loving You", and "Wind of Change"...
  
  
• October 29 - Kevin Dubrow
  Kevin DuBrow
  Kevin DuBrow was an American rock singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot from 1973 until his death in 2007. During Quiet Riot's commercial heyday in the 1980s, DuBrow was known for his on-stage charisma, black-and-white striped microphone stand, gravelly bluesy...
  
  , Quiet Riot
  Quiet Riot
  Quiet Riot was an American heavy metal band whose 1983 US Festival appearance helped to solidify metal's image. They are best known for their hit singles "Cum on Feel the Noize" and "Metal Health." They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the name Mach 1...
  
  
• November 21 - Kyle Gann
  Kyle Gann
  Kyle Eugene Gann is an American professor of music, critic and composer born in Dallas, Texas. As a critic for The Village Voice and other publications he has been a supporter of progressive music including such Downtown movements as postminimalism and totalism...
  
  , composer, teacher and critic
• November 23 - Ludovico Einaudi
  Ludovico Einaudi
  Ludovico Einaudi is an Italian contemporary classical music composer and pianist.-Biography:Born in Turin, Italy, Einaudi's mother played to him on the piano as a child. He began his musical training at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, gaining a diploma in composition. Later, he studied with...
  
  , Italian composer and pianist
• November 30 - Billy Idol
  Billy Idol
  William Michael Albert Broad , better known as Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. He first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X. He then embarked on a successful solo career, aided by a series of stylish music videos, making him one of the first MTV stars...
  
  
• December 6 - Bright Sheng
  Bright Sheng
  Bright Sheng is a Chinese-American composer, conductor, and pianist. He has lived in the United States since 1982 and is on faculty at the University of Michigan. In 1999, the White House commissioned Sheng to compose a piece to honor the Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji at a state dinner hosted by Bill...
  
  , composer
• December 15 - Paul Simonon
  Paul Simonon
  Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. His most recent work is his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007.- Biography :Simonon was born in...
  
  , The Clash
  The Clash
  The Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
  
  
• Date unknown -
  • Susan Addison
    Susan Addison
    Susan Addison is a leading performer of the sackbut and early trombone. Based in the English Midlands, she performs with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, the Gabrieli Consort and Players and the Amsterdam-based Orchestra of the Eighteenth...
    
    , sackbut
    Sackbut
    Sackbut refers to a trombone from the Renaissance and Baroque Eras. 'Sackbut' is often used in recent times to differentiate a historic trombone from a modern one...
    
     player

Deaths

• January 10 - Annette Mills
  Annette Mills
  Annette Mills was an English actress, dancer and broadcaster, and concert pianist.She was born Edith Mabel Mills in Wandsworth, London. She had originally intended to become a concert pianist and organist, before becoming a dancer, subsequently finding fame as an international exhibition dancer...
  
  , partner of "Muffin the Mule" (b. 1894)
• February 14 - Charles Cuvillier
  Charles Cuvillier
  Charles Cuvillier was a French composer of operetta.He was born in Paris and studied with Gabriel Fauré and Jules Massenet...
  
  , composer of operettas
• March 12 - Charlie Parker
  Charlie Parker
  Charles Parker, Jr. was an American jazz saxophonist and composer.Parker, with Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, is often considered one of the most influential of jazz musicians...
  
  , Jazz saxophonist, heart failure
• May 4 - George Enescu
  George Enescu
  George Enescu was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor and teacher.- Biography :...
  
  , composer
• June 19 - Willy Burkhard
  Willy Burkhard
  Willy Burkhard was a Swiss composer.Willy Burkhard was an extremely influential composer of the 20th century. Burkhard was born in the canton of Berne, Switzerland, which is the second largest canton in all of Switzerland....
  
  , composer (b. 1900)
• July 25 - Isaak Dunayevsky
  Isaak Dunayevsky
  Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky was a Soviet composer and conductor, who specialized in light music for operetta and film comedies, frequently working with the film director Grigori Aleksandrov.-Biography:Dunayevsky was born in Lokhvitsa, Poltava in 1900...
  
  , conductor and composer
• August 5 - Carmen Miranda
  Carmen Miranda
  Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha GCIH, better known by the stage name Carmen Miranda was a Portuguese-born Brazilian samba singer and actress popular in the 1940s and 1950s....
  
  , singer
• October 14 - Harry Parr-Davies, composer and songwriter (b. 1914)
• November 11 - Jerry Ross
  Jerry Ross (composer)
  Jerry Ross was an American lyricist and composer whose works with Richard Adler for the musical theater include The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees, winners of Tony Awards in 1955 and 1956 respectively in both the "Best Musical" and "Best Composer and Lyricist" categories.-Biography:Ross was born...
  
  , songwriter
• November 22 - Guy Ropartz, composer and conductor
• November 27 - Arthur Honegger
  Arthur Honegger
  Arthur Honegger was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. He was a member of Les Six...
  
  , composer
• November 30 - Josip Štolcer-Slavenski
  Josip Štolcer-Slavenski
  Josip Štolcer-Slavenski was a Yugoslav composer of Croatian descent and professor at the Music Academy in Belgrade.-Early life:...
  
  , composer
• date unknown
  • Oskar Adler
    Oskar Adler
    Oskar Adler was an Austrian violinist, physician and esoteric savant.A close friend of Arnold Schoenberg from their schooldays, Adler taught him the rudiments of music, gave him his first grounding in philosophy, and played chamber music with him...
    
    , violinist and music critic
  • Bessie Brown
    Bessie Brown
    Bessie Brown , also known as "The Original" Bessie Brown, was a blues and classic jazz, and Cabaret singer. She sometimes recorded under the pseudonyms of Sadie Green, Caroline Lee, and possibly Helen Richards, and should not be confused with her namesake, the Bessie Brown who recorded blues duets...
    
    , blues singer
  • Vernon Isley, original Isley brother, killed in an accident aged 13