| 1960s British Rock and Pop Chronology |
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| Before the Flood: 1950-1955 |
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| January | ||||
| 1 | The Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, Soho, London: Stephen Morgan Fisher. Organist, keyboardist: The Private Eyes, The Beat Circuit, The Soul Survivors, The Love Affair | |||
| 6 | London: Britain recognizes the communist government of China | |||
| 12 | Thames Estuary: British submarine, HMS Truculent sinks after a collision with a Danish tanker killing 60. | |||
| 21 | London: George Orwell (47) dies | |||
| 22 | London: George Formby re-records his hit songs from the 30s (e.g., "When I'm Cleaning Windows") | |||
| 27 | Bradford, Yorkshire: Michael Jackson [Love Affair] | |||
| February | ||||
| 2 | Bloomsbury, London: Steven Richard Hackett. Guitar, vocal: Canterbury Glass, Sarabande, Quiet World, Genesis | |||
| 3 | London: Atomic scientist, Klaus Fuchs arrested for espionage | |||
| 22 | Washington, D.C.: Senate Foreign Relations Committee begins investigating Joseph McCarthy's allegations concerning communists in the State Department | |||
| 23 | Britain: Labour wins general elections | |||
| 26 | Strathaven, Lanarkshire: Music Hall star Harry Lauder dies | |||
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| Other February Artifacts | ||||
| Chicago: Muddy Waters records "Rollin' Stone" | ||||
| March | ||||
| 8 | Moscow: Marshal Voroshilov states that the USSR has atomic bombs | |||
| 12 | Sigginston, Wales: Air crash kills 80 — world's worst air disaster | |||
| 28 | Nashville: Hank Snow records "I'm Moving On" | |||
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| Other March Artifacts | ||||
| Chicago: Muddy Waters records "Rollin' and Tumblin'" | ||||
| April | ||||
| 19 | London:
dock strikes Sir Stafford Cripps forcasts a budget surplus |
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| 24 | British ports: Government deploys troops to load/unload ships | |||
| 27 | London: Britain recognizes the state of Israel | |||
| May | ||||
| 1 | London: End of dock strike | |||
| 7 | Edgware, Middlesex: Stephen ("Steve") John Ellis. Vocals; Love Affair. | |||
| 14 | Leamington Spa, Warkwickshire: Arthur ("Art") Grant. Bass, vocals: The Edgar Broughton Band | |||
| 20 | Warwick, Warkwickshire: Stephen Alexander Broughton. Drums, vocals: The Edgar Broughton Band | |||
| 26 | Britain: End of petrol rationing | |||
| June | ||||
| 6 | Washington: Truman signs $3,121,450,000 Foreign Aid Authorization Bill | |||
| 8 | West Germany: Britain, France, and the US grant right to determine foreign policy | |||
| 17 | New York City: FBI agents question Julius Rosenberg about espionage for the USSR | |||
| 25 | Korea: North Korea invades South Korea | |||
| 27 | New York City: The UN votes to assist South Korea | |||
| 28 | Seoul, Korea: North Korean forces capture the South Korean capital | |||
| 30 | Washington, D.C.: US agrees to give military and economic aid to South Korea | |||
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| Other June Artifacts | ||||
| UK: Josh White begins concert tour | ||||
| July | ||||
| 1 | Churchill warns of World War III | |||
| 25 | London: UK publishes civil defense pamphlet on atomic warfare | |||
| 26 | Korea: Britain, Australia, and New Zealand send troops for United Nations | |||
| August | ||||
| 25 | Washington: Truman deploys Army to seize control of the nation's railroads to thwart a strike | |||
| September | ||||
| 9 | Britain: Soap rationing ends | |||
| 26 | Seoul, South Korea: United Nations troops recapture the South Korean capital from the North Koreans | |||
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| Other September Artifacts | ||||
| London: George Martin meets with Oscar Preuss about becoming his assistant at Parlophone Records | ||||
| October | ||||
| 1 | Korea: UN & South Korean troops cross 38th parallel | |||
| 19 | Pyongyang, North Korea: United Nations forces enter the North Korean capital | |||
| November | ||||
| 1 | Eniwetok, Marshall Islands: The United States secretly explodes the first hydrogen bomb | |||
| 2 | George Bernard Shaw dies | |||
| 4 | Rome: European Cnvention on Human Rights creates the European Court of Human Rights to implement the Genocide Convention. Britain signs the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights. | |||
| 5 | Korea: MacArthur warns that Chinese troops are prepared to the war on the side of N. Korea | |||
| 24 | BBC-TV, CH1: Pet's Parlour debuts featuring Petula Clark and guests. | |||
| 26 | Korea: China enters the Korean conflict, launching a counter-offensive against soldiers from the United Nations | |||
| 27 | New York City: First Beijing representatives arrive at the UN | |||
| 30 | Washington: Truman announces that the US reserves the right to use atomic weapons in the Korean conflict | |||
| December | ||||
| 13 | Washington-London: US-UK announce end of Marshall Plan aid to UK by 1 Jan '51 | |||
| 16 | Washington: Proclamation of state of emergency in the US to combat Communism | |||
| Other 1950 Artifacts | ||||
| Fullerton, California: Fender introduces its Esquire and Broadcaster (later renamed theTelecaster for copyright reasons) electric guitars. These are the first "Spanish" style guitars by Fender, who had already been producing electric "Hawaiian" lap steel guitars. | ||||
| Back to Index | ||||
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| January | ||||
| 2 | London: Britain ends diplomatic relations with Nationalist China | |||
| 3 | Seoul, Korea: Evacuation as North Korean & Chinese troops advance | |||
| February | ||||
| 23 | Britain: Labour wins general election, retaining only a 6-seat majority | |||
| 27 | Washington: Congress ratifies the 22nd Amendment limiting Presidents to 2 terms | |||
| Other February Artifacts | ||||
| Fullerton, California: Fender renames its Broadcaster theTelecaster for copyright reasons. | ||||
| March | ||||
| 6 | London: Ivor Novello Davies (58), dramatist and composer, dies | |||
| 14 | South Korea: UN forces recapture Seoul | |||
| April | ||||
| 5 | New York City: Julius & Ethel Rosenberg convicted of revealing nuclear secrets | |||
| 11 | Washington: Truman announces dismissal of MacArthur | |||
| 16 | English Channel near Alderney: Submarine HMS Affray sinks after its snorkle breaks from metal fatigue | |||
| 22 | Beckemham, Kent: Peter Frampton | |||
| 29 | Cambridge: Ludwig Wittgenstein (62), Austrian-born philosopher, dies | |||
| May | ||||
| 3 | South Bank, London: The Festival of Britain opened | |||
| 12 | Eniwetok Atoll: The first hydrogen bomb was tested | |||
| 18 | New York City: The United Nations moves to its permanent home and out of its temporary headquarters in Lake Success, New York | |||
| 25 | Foreign service officials, Burgess and Maclean, disappear from their posts | |||
| June | ||||
| 7 | London: Burgess and Maclean indicted as spies | |||
| 16 | Portland Harbour: The submarine HMS Sidon sinks after a torpedo explosion | |||
| 21 | Abadan: Iran seizes British refineries | |||
| July | ||||
| 9 | London-Berlin: Formal termination of state of war between Great Britain and Germany | |||
| 13 | Los Angeles: Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Austrian composer, dies | |||
| 20 | Jerusalem: Abdullah (1882-1951), King of Jordan 1946-51, assassinated | |||
| Other July Artifacts | ||||
| London: The Festival of Britain includes a "monster" jazz concert in the Royal Festival Hall. | ||||
| August | ||||
| 16 | Britain: Steel rationing re-imposed | |||
| September | ||||
| 4 | SanFrancisco: President Truman appears in first coast-to-coast American broadcast at the Japanese peace treaty conference | |||
| 8 | London-Tokyo: Britain terminates state of war with Japan | |||
| 48 countries recognize Japan's sovereignty | ||||
| 27 | London: George VI undergoes lung surgery | |||
| Other September Artifacts | ||||
| London: "Big" Bill Broonzy performs a series of concerts | ||||
| October | ||||
| 8 | Montreal: Princess Elizabeth arrives for Canadian tour | |||
| 16 | Suez: British troops occupy strategic points along the canal | |||
| 25 | Britain: Conservatives win national elections | |||
| 27 | London: Winston Churchill returns as Prime Minister | |||
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| Other October Artifacts | ||||
| London: Watson and Crick begin their modelling of the structure of DNA at Cavendish Laboratory | ||||
| November | ||||
| 7 | Britain: Bank lending rate raised from 2% to 2.5% | |||
| 10 | US: Direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins | |||
| 27 | New York-Pyonyang: UN and North Korea announce truce | |||
| 28 | Leicester: Lynton Guest [Love Affair] | |||
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| Other November Artifacts | ||||
| Fullerton, California: Fender introduces its Precision Bass, the first solid-body electric bass | ||||
| December | ||||
| 3 | Suez Zone: British and Egyptian forces clash | |||
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| Other December Artifacts | ||||
| London: Trade in foreign exchange renewed (after 12 years) | ||||
| Cairo: Egypt declares a state of emergency. The Egyptian government recalls their ambassador from the UK. | ||||
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| Other 1951 Artifacts | ||||
| Britain:
Introduction of the General Certificate of Education London: Alfred Hitchcock: Strangers on a Train [Swank Motion Pictures] |
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| Chicago: Muddy Waters records "Honey Bee" | ||||
| Back to Index |
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| January | ||||
| 8 | Washington-London: US and Britain agree on mutual consent before launching a nuclear attack on the USSR | |||
| 21 | Bradford, Yorkshire: Michael "Mick"Jackson. Guitar: Love Affair | |||
| 26 | Southgate, North London: Maurice Bacon. Drums: Love Affair | |||
| February | ||||
| 6 | Sandringham, Norfolk: George VI dies | |||
| 8 | London:
State funeral for George VI Kenya: Elizabeth becomes queen while on international tour |
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| 21 | Britain: End of identity cards | |||
| 26 | London: Churchill announces that Britain has developed its own atomic bomb | |||
| March | ||||
| 25 | US, Britain, and France reject soviet proposal for unified Germany | |||
| April | ||||
| 22 | US, Nevada: first nuclear explosion shown on live network television | |||
| May | ||||
| 2 | London: British Overseas Air Service begins first commercial jet service | |||
| 21 | London: Conservatives win motion to de-nationalize the trucking industry | |||
| July | ||||
| 23 | Cairo: The Free Officers Movement overthrows King Farouk's monarchy and his British advisors, installing Muhammad Naguib first as Prime Minister and then, as President. The new government promises to respect British citizens and their possessions. | |||
| August | ||||
| 13 | Los Angeles: Willie Mae Thornton records Lieber and Stoller's "Hound Dog" | |||
| September | ||||
| 2 | Britain signs treaty controlling the shipment of strategic materials | |||
| 6 | Montreal: Canadian television broadcasting begins | |||
| 8 | New York City: Ernest Hemingway publishes The Old Man and the Sea | |||
| October | ||||
| London: EMI issues records in both 45 and 33 1/3 rpm formats | ||||
| November | ||||
| 1 | Enewetak, Marshall Islands: The US secretly detonates hydrogen bomb | |||
| 4 | London:
Elizabeth II opens parliament Britain secretly detonates its first atomic bomb |
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| 5 | US: Dwight D. Eisenhower elected President of the United States | |||
| 14 | New Musical Express: First British charts. Based on sales at 20 outlets. | |||
| Al
Martino: "Here in My Heart" [RR #1 for 9 weeks] Vera Lynn: "Forget Me Not" [Decca F 9985, chrts, RR #5] Max Bygraves: "Cowpuncher's Cantata" [HMV B 10250, chrts, RR #6] Ray Martin: "Blue Tango" [Columbia DB 3051, chrts, RR #8] Vera Lynn: "Homing Waltz" [Decca F 9959, chrts, RR #9] Vera Lynn: "Auf Wiedersehen" [Decca F 9927, chrts, RR #10] |
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| December | ||||
| 5-8 | London: Dense fog/smog stops traffic and kills about 4,000 people | |||
| 12 | Winifred Atwell: "Britannia Rag" [Decca F 10015, chrts, RR #11] | |||
| 19 | Mantovani:
"White Christmas" [Decca F 10017, chrts, RR #6] Tony Brent: "Walkin' to Missouri" [Columbia DB 3147, chrts, RR #9] |
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| 29 | New Orleans, USA: Ken Colyer arrested for overstaying his visitor's visa. He had been writing to Melody Maker and reporting for the BBC. | |||
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| Other 1952 Artifacts | ||||
| Lonnie Johnson visits Britain for performances | ||||
| Kalamazoo:
Gibson introduces its Les Paul electric guitar Chicago: Muddy Waters records "She Moves Me" (US R&B #10) |
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| Back to Index |
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| January | ||||
| 1 | Canton, Ohio: Hank Williams dies of a drug and alcohol overdose en route to a concert | |||
| 2 | Tony Brent: "Make It Soon" [Columbia DB 3187, chrts, RR #9] | |||
| 7 | Tony Brent: "Walkin' to Missouri" [Columbia DB 3147, rechrts, RR #7] | |||
| Washington: Harry Truman confirms the development of a hydrogen bomb | ||||
| 9 | Winifred
Atwell: "Britannia Rag" [Decca F 10015, rechrts, RR #5] Jimmy Young: "Faith Can Move Mountains" [Decca F 9986, chrts, RR #11] |
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| 16 | Jo
Stafford: "You Belong to Me" [RR #1 for 1 week] Ted Heath: "Vanessa" [Decca F 9983, chrts, RR #11] |
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| 20 | Washington: Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the USA | |||
| 23 | Kay Starr: "Comes A-Long A-Love" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 30 | Eddie Fisher: "Outside of Heaven" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 31 | Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex Counties: Widespread flooding from a storm kills 307. | |||
| February | ||||
| 1 | Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK: Continued widespread flooding from a storm kills 1,835 in Holland and another 28 in Belgium in addition to British losses. | |||
| 4 | Britain: End of sweets rationing | |||
| 6 | Perry Como: "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" [RR #1 for 5 weeks] | |||
| 12 | Britain and Egypt sign agreement providing independence of Sudan in 1956 | |||
| 13 | The Stargazers: "Broken Wings" [Decca F 10047, chrts, RR #1] | |||
| 20 | Dickie Valentine: "Broken Wings" [Decca F 9954, chrts, RR #12] | |||
| 28 | London: Watson and Crick piece together the structure of DNA | |||
| March | ||||
| 5 | Moscow: Marshal Stalin dies | |||
| 6 | Moscow: Malenkov named Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR | |||
| 13 | Guy
Mitchell : "She Wears Red Feathers" [RR #1 for 4 weeks] Lita Roza: "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" [Deca F 10070, chrts, RR #1] Dickie Valentine: "All the Time and Everywhere" [Decca F 10038, chrts, RR #9] |
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| 24 | London: Queen Mary dies | |||
| 31 | New York City: Dag Hammarskjöld endorsed as Secretary General of the UN by the Security Council | |||
| April | ||||
| 3 | Frank Chacksfield's Tunesmiths, featuring Jack Jordan, clavioline: "Little Red Monkey" [Parlophone R 3658, chrts, RR #10] | |||
| 7 | New York City: UN General Assembly elects Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden, secretary-general | |||
| 8 | London: A Central Line Underground train collides with another train near the Stratford Station, killing 11. | |||
| 10 | The
Stargazers: "Broken Wings" [RR #1 for 1 week] Johnston Brothers: "Oh Happy Day" [Decca F 10171, chrts, RR #4] |
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| 17 | Lita Roza : "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 24 | Frankie Lane: "I Believe" [RR #1 for 9 weeks] | |||
| London: Winston Churchill knighted | ||||
| 27 | London: House of Commons passes bill denationalizing the trucking industry | |||
| May | ||||
| 1 | Billy Cotton and His Band, with Doreen Stephens: "In a Golden Coach" [Decca F 10058, chrts, RR #3] | |||
| 5 | UK: End of iron and steel rationing | |||
| 8 | UK: Labour gains seats in municipal elections | |||
| 15 | Muriel
Smith: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" [Philips PB 122, chrts, RR #3] Winifred Atwell: "Coronation Rag" [Decca F 10110, chrts, RR #5] |
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| 22 | Frank Chacksfield: "Terry's Theme from 'Limelight'" [Decca F 10106, chrts, RR #2] | |||
| 25 | Frenchman Flat, Nevada: US successfully tests first atomic artillery shell | |||
| 29 | Mantovani: "Moulin Rouge" [Decca F 10094, chrts, RR #1] | |||
| Mount Everest, Nepal: Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensing Norkay of Nepal reach the summit | ||||
| June | ||||
| 2 | London: Coronation of Elizabeth (first televised coronation) | |||
| 5 | Dickie
Valentine: "In a Golden Coach" [Decca F 10038, chrts, RR #7] Dorothy Squires: "I'm Walking behind You" [Polygon P 1068, chrts, RR #12] |
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| 15 | Vera Lynn: "Windsor Waltz" [Decca F 10092, chrts, RR #11] | |||
| 17 | East Berlin: Demonstrations against soviet-backed government | |||
| 19 | New York: The execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg | |||
| 26 | Eddie Fisher (featuring Sally Sweetland): "I'm Walking behind You" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 28 | New York City: Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters record "Money Honey" | |||
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| Other June Artifiacts | ||||
| Memphis: Truck driver Elvis Presley records a demo at the Memphis Recording Service | ||||
| July | ||||
| 2 | Heyford: USAF bomber crashes | |||
| 3 | Frankie
Laine: "I Believe" [RR #1 for 6 weeks] Ted Heath: "Hot Toddy" [Decca F 10093, chrts, RR #6] |
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| 18 | BBC-TV: The Quartermass Experiment debuts, a science fiction series about British scientists investigating alien contact | |||
| 26 | Cuba: Fidel Castro attempts a revolution | |||
| 27 | Korea: armistice agreement | |||
| August | ||||
| 8 | The United States and South Korea sign a mutual security pact | |||
| 12 | Kazakhstan: The Soviet Union secretly tests its first hydrogen bomb | |||
| 14 | Mantovani: "Moulin Rouge" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 21 | Frankie
Laine: "I Believe" [RR #1 for 3 weeks] Jimmy Young: "Eternally" [Decca F 10130, chrts, RR #8] |
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| 25 | Winifred Atwell: "Flirtation Waltz" [Decca F 10161, chrts, RR #10] | |||
| September | ||||
| 11 | Guy Mitchell: "Look at that Girl" [RR #1 for 6 weeks] | |||
| 12 | UK: End of sugar rationing | |||
| 25 | Winifred Atwell: "Flirtation Waltz" [Decca F 10161, chrts, RR #10] | |||
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| Other September Artifacts | ||||
| Moscow: Kruschev appointed 1st Secretary of the Central Committee | ||||
| October | ||||
| 2 | David Whitfield: "Bridge of Sighs" [Decca F 10129, chrts, RR #9] | |||
| 16 | David Whitfield: "Answer Me" [Decca F 10192, chrts, RR #1] | |||
| 23 | Frankie
Lane: "Hey Joe" [RR #1 for 2 weeks] Mantovani: "Swedish Rhaspsody" [Decca F 10168, chrts, RR #2] Ted Heath: "Dragnet" [Decca F 10176, chrts, RR #9] |
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| November | ||||
| 6 | David Whitfield: "Answer Me" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 9 | London:
Britain condemns Israel for Palestinian massacre New York City: Author-poet Dylan Thomas (39) dies |
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| 13 | Frankie Lane: "Answer Me" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 20 | Lee Lawrence: "Crying in the Chapel" [Decca F 10177, chrts, RR #7] | |||
| 21 | London: Weiner, Oakley and Clark release their article, "The Solution of the Piltdown Problem," officially announcing the Piltdown Man forgery. The journal, Nature publishes the article the next week. | |||
| 23 | Elizabeth and Phillip begin world tour | |||
| 27 | The Beverley Sisters: "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" [Philips PB 188, chrts, RR #6] | |||
| December | ||||
| 4 | Winifred
Atwell: "Let's Have a Party" [Philips PB 213, chrts, RR #2] Ray Martin: "Swedish Rhapsody" [Columbia DB 3346, chrts, RR #4] |
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| 5 | London-Tehran: Britain and Iran resume diplomatic relations | |||
| 10 | Stockholm: Churchill wins Nobel Prize for Literature | |||
| 11 | Frankie
Lane: "Answer Me" [shared RR #1 for 1 week] David Whitfield: "Answer Me" [shared RR #1 for 1 week] David Whitfield: "Rags to Riches" [Decca F 10207, chrts, RR #3] Joan Regan: "Ricochet" [Decca F 10193, chrts, RR #8] |
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| 18 | Frankie
Lane: "Answer Me" [RR #1 for 1 week] Eddie Calvert: "Oh Mein Papa" [Columbia DB 3337, chrts, RR #1] Billy Cotton and His Band, with the Mills Girls and the Bandits: "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" [Decca F 10206, chrts, RR #11] |
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| Other 1953 Artifacts | ||||
| RCA choses not to renew its distribution agreement with EMI. Decca and RCA reach a separate agreement. | ||||
| Aldous
Huxley experiments with mescaline Ian Fleming publishes his first Bond book, Casino Royale |
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| The first commercial 2 and 3-track stereo tape machines | ||||
| Back to Index |
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| January | ||||
| 4 | Memphis: Elvis Presley meets Sam Phillips | |||
| 8 | Eddie Calvert: "Oh Mein Papa" [RR #1 for 9 weeks] | |||
| 15 | Ken MacKintosh: "The Creep" [HMV BD 1295, chrts, RR #10] | |||
| 21 | Connecticut, US: The US launches the 1st nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus | |||
| 23 | Billie Holiday begins her first European tour | |||
| 29 | Frankie Vaughan: "Istanbul" [HMV B 10599, chrts, RR #11] | |||
| February | ||||
| 12 | Frank
Chacksfield: "Ebb Tide" [Decca F 10122, chrts, RR #9] Ted Heath: "Skin Deep" [Decca F 10246, chrts, RR #9] |
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| 15 | Joe Turner records "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" | |||
| 19 | The Stargazers:
"I See the Moon" [Decca F 10213, chrts, RR #1] Norman Wisdom: "Don't Laugh at Me" [Columbia DB 3133, chrts, RR #3] David Whitfield: "The Book" [Decca F 10242, chrts, RR #5] |
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| 25 | Egypt: Nasser assumes full powers of Prime Minister | |||
| March | ||||
| 1 | Washington: US Atomic Energy Commission announces explosion of a hydrogen bomb | |||
| 12 | The Stargazers: "I See the Moon" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 19 | Alma Cogan: "Bell Bottom Blues" [HMV B 10653, chrts, RR #4] | |||
| 25 | Indiana: RCA begins manufacturing color television sets | |||
| April | ||||
| 9 | The Stargazers: "Happy Wanderer" [Decca F 10259, chrts, RR #12] | |||
| 12 | New York: Bill Haley and His Comets record "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" | |||
| 16 | Doris
Day: "Secret Love" [RR #1 for 1 week] Ruby Wright: "Bimbo" [Parlophone R 3816, chrts, RR #7] |
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| 23 | The Stargazers: "I See the Moon" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 30 | Johnnie
Ray: "Such a Night" [RR #1 for 1 week] Billy Cotton and His Band, with the Bandits: "Friends and Neighbours" [Decca F 10299, chrts, RR #3] |
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| May | ||||
| 6 | Oxford: Roger Bannister breaks the four-minute mile with 3:59.4 | |||
| 7 | Doris Day: "Secret Love" [RR #1 for 8 weeks] | |||
| 14 | Joan
Regan: "Someone Else's Roses" [Decca F 10257, chrts, RR #5] Max Bygraves: "Heart of My Heart" [HMV B 10654, chrts, RR #7] |
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| 17 | Washington: US Supreme Court rules in "Brown versus Board of Education of Topeka" that racially segregated public schools are inherently unequal | |||
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| Other May Events | ||||
| Kingsway Hall Studios, London: Decca makes its first stereo recordings | ||||
| June | ||||
| 7 | New York: Bill Haley and His Comets record "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" | |||
| 9 | Washington, D.C.: Joseph Welch, special counsel for the US Army, asks Senator Joseph McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" after McCarthy accused a young assistant of Welch of being a communist. The audience applauded. This event marks the beginning of McCarthy's decline. | |||
| 11 | Petula Clark: "The Little Shoemaker" [Polygon P 1117, chrts, RR #7] | |||
| 18 | David Whitfield and chorus with the Mantovani Orchestra: "Cara Mia" [Decca F 10327, chrts, RR #1] | |||
| July | ||||
| 2 | David Whitfield and chorus with the Mantovani Orchestra: "Cara Mia" [RR #1 for 10 weeks] | |||
| 5 | Memphis: Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black record three songs for Sam Phillips | |||
| 7 | Memphis: Elvis Presley makes his radio debut on station WHBQ with "That's All Right (Mama)" | |||
| 13 | Decca, West Hampstead, London: Lonnie Donegan records "Rock Island Line" and "John Henry" during a break in a recording session with Chris Barber's band. Barber plays bass and Beryl Bryden plays washboard. Decca will release the recording as part of Barber's New Orleans Joys LP. They will later release "Rock Island Line" as a single in December 1955. | |||
| 19 | London: J. R. R. Tolkein publishes the first volume of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. | |||
| 23 | Winifred Atwell: "Rachmaninoff's 18th Variation on a Theme by Paganini (The Story of Three Loves)" [Philips PB 234, chrts, RR #9] | |||
| 30 | London: Royal assent confirms the Television Act 1954 passed by Parliament permitting the creation of an independent commercial television network and the Independent Television Authority to regulate broadcasting. | |||
| August | ||||
| 11 | Vietnam: The French government and the Communist Vietminh begin a formal peace Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting and recognizing North Vietnam | |||
| 24 | London: Parliament appoints a committee to examine the laws governing homosexuality and prostitution | |||
| The "Communist Control Act" goes into effect, banning the Communist Party in the United States | ||||
| 27 | Alma Cogan: "Little Things Mean a Lot" [HMV B 10717, chrts, RR #11] | |||
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| Other August Artifacts | ||||
| Elvis Presley, "Blue Moon of Kentucky" / "That's All Right Mama" [US release; recorded 5 July; UK release in 11/56] | ||||
| September | ||||
| 4 | Sea of Japan: USSR shoots down US surveillance aircraft | |||
| 10 | Kitty
Kallen: "Little Things Mean a Lot" [RR #1 for 1 week] Max Bygraves: "Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea" [HMV B 10734, chrts, RR #7] |
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| 17 | Frank Sinatra: "Three Coins in the Fountain" [RR #1 for 3 weeks] | |||
| 24 | Ronnie Harris: "Story of Tina" [Columbia DB 3499, chrts, RR #12] | |||
| October | ||||
| 1 | Joan Regan: "If I Give My Heart to You" [Decca F 10373, chrts, RR #3] | |||
| 8 | Don Cornell: "Hold My Hand" [RR #1 for 4 weeks] | |||
| 15 | Vera
Lynn: "My Son, My Son" [Decca F 10372, chrts, RR #1] Billie Anthony: "This Ole House" [Columbia DB 3519, chrts, RR #4] |
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| 18 | Industrial Development Engineering Associates, Indianapolis, Indiana: first commercial transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, announced. Available for sale in November for $49.95. | |||
| 30 | Royal Festival Hall, London: N.J.F. Traditional Jazz Concert. Lonnie Donegan performs of "I Don't Care Where They Bury My Body" and "Digging My Potatoes" with Chris Barber, Pat Halcox, Jim Bray, and Ron Bowden. | |||
| Elvis Presley: "Good Rockin' Tonight" / "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine" [US release] | ||||
| November | ||||
| 5 | Vera
Lynn: "My Son, My Son" [RR #1 for 2 weeks] Joan Regan and the Johnston Brothers: "Wait for Me, Darling" [Decca F 10362, chrts, RR #18] Dickie Valentine: "Endless" [Decca F 10346, chrts, RR #19] |
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| 12 | David Whitfield: "Santo Natale" [Decca F 10399, chrts, RR #2] | |||
| 18 | Ray Charles: "I Got a Woman" [recording made] | |||
| 19 | Don Cornell: "Hold My Hand" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 26 | Rosemary
Clooney : "Hold My Hand" [RR #1 for 1 week] Winifred Atwell: "Let's Have Another Party" [Philips PB 268, chrts, RR #1] Ronnie Hilton: "I Still Believe" [HMV B 10785, chrts, RR #3] |
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| December | ||||
| 2 | Washington: US Senate votes to condemn Joseph McCarthy | |||
| 3 | Winifred
Atwell: "Let's Have Another Party" [RR #1 for 5 weeks] Ruby Murray: "Heartbeat" [Columbia DB 3542, chrts, RR #3] Alma Cogan: "I Can't Tell a Waltz from a Tango" [HMV B 10786, chrts, RR #6] |
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| 10 | Big Ben
Banjo Band: "Let's Get Together No. 1" [Columbia DB 3549, chrts, RR #6] Ronnie Hilton: "Veni Vidi Vici" [HMV B 10785, chrts, RR #12] |
|||
| 17 | Dickie
Valentine with the Stargazers: "Finger of Suspicion" [Decca F 10394, chrts,
RR #1] Bill Haley and His Comets: "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" [Brunswick 05338, charts, UK #4] Dickie Valentine: "Mr Sandman" [Decca F 10415, chrts, RR #5] |
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|
|
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| Other 1954 Artifacts | ||||
| End
of rationing Ian Fleming publishes Live and Let Die |
||||
| Brooklyn,
NY: Gretsch introduces its Duo-Jet electric guitar Fullerton, California: Fender introduces its Stratocaster electric guitar Corinth, Mississippi: Wurlizer introduces its Model 100 electric piano Chicago: Muddy Waters records "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" (US R&B #8), "I Just Wanna Make Love to You" (US R&B #4), "I'm Ready" (US R&B #5), and "Got My Mojo Working" |
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| Back to Index |
|
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| January | ||||
| 7 | Dickie
Valentine with the Stargazers: "Finger of Suspicion" [RR #1 for 1 week] Bill Haley and His Comets: "Rock Around the Clock" [Brunswick 05317, first chart entry] |
|||
| 14 | Rosemary Clooney: "Mambo Italiano" [RR #1 for 1 week] | |||
| 19 | Dickie Valentine: "Finger of Suspicion" [RR #1 for 2 weeks] | |||
| Washington: Dwight D. Eisenhower makes first televised presidential press conference | ||||
| 21 | Suzi
Miller and the Johnston Brothers: "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" [Decca
F 10389, chrts, RR #14] Max Bygraves: "Mr. Sandman" [HMV B 10801, chrts, RR #16] |
|||
| NME: EMI purchases Capitol Records | ||||
| 28 | Ruby
Murray: "Softly, Softly" [Columbia DB 3558, chrts, RR #1] Frankie Vaughan: "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" [HMV B 10783, chrts, RR #12] |
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|
|
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| Other January Artifacts | ||||
| Elvis Presley: "Milk Cow Blues Boogie" [US release] | ||||
| February | ||||
| 4 | Rosemary
Clooney: "Mambo Italiano" [RR #1 for 1 week] Ruby Murray: "Happy Days and Lonely Nights" [Columbia DB 3577, chrts, RR #5] |
|||
| NME: circulation exceeds 100,000 | ||||
| 11 | Ray Burns:
"Mobile" [Columbia DB 3563, chrts, RR #4] David Whitfield with chorus and the Mantovani Orchestra: "Beyond the Stars" [Decca F 10458, RR #8] Mantovani and his Orchestra: "Lonely Ballerina" [Decca F 10395, chrts, RR #16] |
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| 17 | London: Britain announces ability to make hydrogen bombs | |||
| 18 | Ruby
Murray: "Softly, Softly" [RR #1 for 3 weeks] Dickie Valentine: "A Blossom Fell" [Decca F 10430, chrts, RR #9] Petula Clark: "Majorca" [Polygon P 1146, chrts, RR #12] |
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| 25 | NME: Pye and Polygon announce merger | |||
| March | ||||
| 1 | London: Churchill informs the House of Commons of the USSR's hydrogen bomb | |||
| 3 | Washington: US confirms immediate retaliation if USSR launches a nuclear attack against Britain | |||
| 4 | Ruby
Murray: "Let Me Go, Lover" [Columbia DB 3577, chrts, RR #1] The Stargazers: "Somebody" [Decca F 10437, chrts RR #20] |
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| 11 | Tennessee
Ernie Ford: "Give Me Your Word" [RR #1 for 7 weeks] Ronnie Hilton: "A Blossom Fell" [HMV B 10808, chrts, RR #10] |
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| 18 | Ruby Murray with Anne Warren: "If Anyone Finds This, I Love You" [Columbia DB 3580, chrts, RR #4] | |||
| 25 | Joan Regan: "Prize of Gold" [Decca F 10432, chrts, RR #6] | |||
| April | ||||
| 4 | Glasgow: Johnny Ray opens his British tour | |||
| 5 | London: Churchill resigns as PM | |||
| 6 | London: Sir Anthony Eden becomes PM | |||
| 8 | Eddie Calvert: "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" [Columbia DB 3581, chrts, RR #1] | |||
| 15 | Bill Haley and His Comets: "Mambo Rock" [Brunswick 05405, charts, UK #17] | |||
| 18 | Princeton, New Jersey: Albert Einstein dies | |||
| 19 | London: Britain announces reductions in the basic income tax rate | |||
| 22 | Frankie Vaughan: "Tweedle Dee" [Philips PB 423, chrts, RR #17] | |||
| 29 | Perez Prado: "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" [RR #1 for 2 weeks] | |||
| NME: Decca acquires the Essex, Bethlehem, and Marquee labels | ||||
| May | ||||
| 5 | West Germany a sovereign state | |||
| 6 | Jimmy
Young: "Unchained Melody" [Decca F 10502, chrts, RR #1] Joan Regan: "Open Up Your Heart" [Decca F 10474, chrts, RR #19] |
|||
| 11 | Tony Bennett: "Stranger in Paradise" [RR #1 for 2 weeks] | |||
| 13 | Eddie Calvert: "Stranger in Paradise" [Columbia DB 3594, chrts, RR #14] | |||
| 14 | Warsaw, Polland: 8 Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, sign the "Warsaw Pact" ("Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance") | |||
| 19 | Pye-Nixa, Marble Arch, London: Lonnie Donegan records "Midnight Special," "New Burying Ground," "Worried Man Blues," and "When the Sun Goes Down" with Dick "Cisco" Bishop, Chris Barber, Pete Korrison, Jim Bray, and Bob Watson. | |||
| 23 | National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers go on strike | |||
| Elvis Presley: "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone"/"Baby Let's Play House" [US release] | ||||
| 27 | Eddie
Calvert: "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" [RR #1 for 2 weeks] Alma Cogan: "Dreamboat" [HMV B 10872, chrts, RR #1] David Whitfield: "Mama" [Decca F 10515, chrts, RR #12] Cyril Stapleton: "Elephant Tango" [Decca F 10488, chrts, RR #19] |
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| June | ||||
| 3 | Dickie
Valentine: "I Wonder" [Decca F 10493, chrts, RR #4] Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson: "Sing It with Joe" [Polygon P 1167, chrts, RR #14] The Stargazers: "Crazy Otto Rag" [Decca F 10523, chrts, RR #18] |
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| 22 | Kalamazoo, Michigan: Gibson and inventor Seth Lover file a patent for the PAF (humbucker) pickups. | |||
| 24 | Jimmy Young: "Unchained Melody" [RR #1 for 3 weeks] | |||
| July | ||||
| 1 | Ruby
Murray: "Evermore" [Columbia DB 3617, chrts, RR #3] Malcolm Vahghan: "Every Day of My Life" [HMV B 10874, chrts, RR #5] |
|||
| 8 | David Whitfield: "Ev'rywhere" [Decca F 10515, chrts, RR #3] | |||
| 9 | Bertrand Russell and 9 scientists urge banning the bomb | |||
| 15 | Alma Cogan: "Dreamboat" [RR #1 for 3 weeks] | |||
| 18 | Anaheim, California: Disneyland opens | |||
| 29 | Slim
Whitman: "Rose Marie" [RR #1 for 11 weeks] Eddie Calvert: "John and Julie" [Columbia DB 3624, chrts, RR #6] |
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|
|
||||
| Other July Artifacts | ||||
| Chess Records, Chicago: Chuck Berry records "Maybellene" | ||||
| August | ||||
| 26 | Ray Burns
with the Coronets: "That's How a Love Song Was Born" [Columbia DB 3640,
chrts, RR #14] Ronnie Hilton: "Stars Shine in Your Eyes" [HMV B 10901, chrts, RR #13] |
|||
| 28 | Money, Mississippi: Emmett Till is abducted from his uncle's home after he had allegedly whistled at a white woman; authorities find his body three days later | |||
|
|
||||
| Other August Artifacts | ||||
| Elvis Presley: "Mystery Train" [US release] | ||||
| September | ||||
| 2 | Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson: "Sing It Again with Joe" [Polygon P 1184, chrts, RR #18] | |||
| 9 | The Stargazers: "Close the Door" [Decca F 10594, chrts, RR #6] | |||
| London: Britain announces home rule for Cyprus | ||||
| 14 |
New Orleans: Little Richard records "Tutti Frutti" Fats Domino: "Ain't That a Shame" [US release; enters UK charts on 25 January 1957] |
|||
| 16 | Jimmy Young: "The Man from Laramie" [Decca F 10597, chrts, RR #1] | |||
| 22 | London: Associated-Rediffusion begins local broadcasting | |||
| 23 | Cyril
Stapleton Orchestra featuring Julie Dawn: "Blue Star (The Medic Theme)"
[Decca F 10559, chrts, RR #2] Alma Cogan: "Banjo's Back in Town" [HMV B 10917, chrts, RR #17] |
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| 24 | London: Associated Television Network Limited (ATV) begins local broadcasting | |||
|
|
||||
| Other September Artifacts | ||||
| City of London becomes "smokeless zone" | ||||
| October | ||||
| 7 | The Johnston
Brothers : "Hernando's Hideaway" [Decca F 10608, chrts, RR #1] Lita Roza: "Hey There" [Decca F 10611, chrts, RR #17] |
|||
| 13 | San Francisco: Alan Ginsberg and other "Beat" poets read works at the Six Gallery | |||
| 14 | Slim
Whitman: "Rose Marie" [RR #1 for 11 weeks] Bill Haley and His Comets: "Rock around the Clock" [Brunswick 05317, re-enters charts, UK #1] Ruby Murray: "I'll Come When You Call" [Columbia DB 3643, chrts, RR #6] Alma Cogan: "Go on By" [HMV B 10917, chrts, RR #16] |
|||
| NME: Ban on US-UK band exchanges lifted | ||||
| 21 | Gary
Miller: "Yellow Rose of Texas" [Nixa N 15004, chrts, RR #13] The Central Band of the Royal Air Force, Conductor W/Cdr. A.E. Sims, O.B.E.: "The Dambusters March" [HMV B 10877, charts, UK #18] |
|||
| November | ||||
| 4 | Winifred
Atwell: "Let's Have a Ding Dong" [Decca F 10634, chrts, RR #3] Don Lang: "Cloudburst" [HMV POP 115, chrts, RR #16] |
|||
| 11 | Johnston
Brothers: "Hernando's Hideaway" [RR #1 for 2 weeks] Ronnie Hilton: "Yellow Rose of Texas" [HMV B 10924, chrts, RR #15] The Stargazers: "Twenty Tiny Fingers" [Decca F 10626, chrts, RR #4] |
|||
| 18 | Max Bygraves: "Meet Me on the Corner" [HMV POP 116, chrts, RR #2] | |||
| 25 | Bill
Haley and His Comets: "Rock around the Clock" [RR #1 for 3 weeks]
Dickie Valentine: "Christmas Alphabet" [Decca F 10628, chrts, RR #1] Petula Clark: "Suddenly There's a Valley" [Pye Nixa N 15013, chrts, RR #7] David Whitfield with chorus and the Mantovani Orchestra: "When You Lose the One You Love" [Decca F 10627, chrts, RR #7 The Coronets: "Twenty Tiny Fingers" [Columbia DB 3671, chrts, RR #20] |
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|
|
||||
| Other November Artifacts | ||||
| King's Road, Chelsea, London: Mary Quant and Alexander Plunket-Greene open their clothing and accessories shop, "Bazaar" | ||||
| December | ||||
| 1 | Montgomery, Alabama: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat | |||
| 2 | Lee Lawrence:
"Suddenly, There's a Valley" [Columbia DB 3681, chrts, RR #14] Frankie Vaughan: "Seventeen" [Philips PB 511, chrts, RR #18] |
|||
| 9 | Harry Secombe: "On with the Motley" [Philips PB 523, chrts, RR #16] | |||
| 16 | Dickie
Valentine: "Christmas Alphabet" [RR #1 for 3 weeks] Dickie Valentine: "Old Pianna Rag" [Decca F 10645, chrts, RR #15] Alma Cogan: "Twenty Tiny Fingers" [HMV POP 129, chrts, RR #17] Anne Shelton: "Arrivederci Darling" [HMV POP 146, chrts, RR #17] |
|||
| 23 | Alma
Cogan: "Never Do a Tango with an Eskimo" [HMV POP 129, chrts, RR #6] Jimmy Shand: "Bluebell Polka" [Parlophone F 3436, chrts, RR #20] Jimmy Young: "Someone on Your Mind" [Deca F 10640, chrts, RR #13] |
|||
| 30 | The Johnston
Brothers: "Join in and Sing Again" [Decca F 10636, chrts, RR #9] Big Ben Banjo Band: "Let's Get Together Again" [Columbia DB 3676, chrts, RR #18] |
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|
|
||||
| Other December Artifacts | ||||
| Decca
releases Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line" / "John Henry"
and "Midnight Special" / "New Burying Ground" |
|
|
|||
| Other 1955 Artifacts | |||
| Chicago:
Lauren Hammond introduces the Hammond B3 electronic organ Switzerland: Studer introduces its A37 and B37 professional studio tape recorders |
|||
| London: Ian Fleming publishes Moonraker | |||
| 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | |||
 |
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|
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| 1960s British Rock and Pop Chronology | |||
| This site is a living document. I welcome corrections and suggestions. Gordon Thompson, Department of Music, Skidmore College | |||
| Copyright © 1995 — 31 May, 2018 ; Gordon Thompson |
