1955 in music

Table of contents

1 Events
2 Albums released
3 Top hits on record
4 Published popular music
5 Musical theater
6 Musical films
7 Musical television
8 Births
9 Deaths

Events

January 1 - RCA victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LP's from $5.95 to $3.98, EP's from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EP's from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to .89 cents. Other record labels follow RCA's lead and begin to drop prices as well.
January 14 - In New York City, Alan Freed produces the first rock and roll concert.
February 26 - For the first time since they were introduced in 1949, 45 rpm discs begin to outsell the old standard 78s
March 5 - Elvis Presley makes his first television appearance on a program called Louisiana Hayride.
March 7 - Carl Perkins' single "Blue Suede Shoes" enters the R&B charts, marking the first time a Country music artist has made it on the R&B charts.
March 15 - Colonel Tom Parker becomes Elvis Presley's manager
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's musical careers begin as they copyright a song, "The Girl For Me," with the Library of Congress and begin singing together as a duo while still in high school in New York, New York.
Johnny Cash's musical career begins
Patsy Cline's musical career begins
Eddie Cochran's musical career begins
Little Richard's musical career begins
John Coltrane's musical career begins
Al Green's musical career begins
Clyde McPhatter launches a solo career

Albums released

In The Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra
Satch Plays Fats - Louis Armstrong

Top hits on record

"Earth Angel" - Penguins
"Maybelline" - Chuck Berry
"Only You (And You Alone)" - The Platters
"Ain't That A Shame" - Fats Domino
"Ain't That A Shame" - Pat Boone
"I Got A Woman" - Ray Charles
"Tweedlee Dee" - LaVern Baker
"Sixteen Tons" - Tennessee Ernie Ford
"Flip Flop Fly" - Joe Turner
"Let Me Go Lover" - Joan Weber

Published popular music

"Adelaide" w.m. Frank Loesser
"Ain't That A Shame" w.m. Antoine Domino & Dave Bartholomew
"Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" w.m. Jimmy Reed
"All At Once You Love Her" w. Oscar Hammerstein II m. Richard Rodgers
"Arrivederci Roma" w. (Eng) Carl Sigman m. Renato Ranucci
"Ballad Of Davy Crockett" w. Tom Blackburn m. George Bruns
"Banana Boat (Day O)" trad West Indies arr. William Attaway and Irving Burgie (aka Lord Burgess)
"Band Of Gold" w. Bob Musel m. Jack Taylor
"The Bible Tells Me So" w.m. Dale Evans
"Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
"Blue Monday" w.m. Antoine "Fats" Domino & Dave Bartholomew
"Blue Suede Shoes" w.m. Carl Perkins
"Bo Diddley" w.m. Ellas McDaniels
"Charlie Brown" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
"Christmas Alphabet" Buddy Kaye, Jules Loman
"Cry Me A River" w.m. Arthur Hamilton
"Dance With Me Henry" w.m. Johnny Otis, Hank Ballard & Etta James aka "Wallflower"
"Domani" w. Tony Velona m. Ulpio Minucci
"Don't Be Angry" w.m. Nappy Brown, Rose Marie McCoy & Fred Mendelsohn
"Dreamboat" w.m. Jack Hoffman
"Dungaree Doll" w. Ben Raleigh m. Sherman Edwards
"Folsom Prison Blues" w.m. Johnny Cash
"The Great Pretender" w.m. Buck Ram
"Hallelujah I Love Her So" w.m. Ray Charles
"He" w. Jack Mullan m. Jack Richards
"Heart" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
"Hey, Mister Banjo" w.m. Freddy Morgan & Norman Malkin
"I Hear You Knocking" w.m. Dave Bartholomew & Pearl King
"I Never Has Seen Snow" w. Truman Capote & Harold Arlen m. Harold Arlen
"I'm In Love Again" w.m. Antoine Domino & Dave Bartholomew
"In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" w. Bob Hilliard m. Dave Mann
"Innamorata" w. Jack Brooks m. Harry Warren
"It's Almost Tomorrow" w. Wade Buff m. Gene Adkinson
"Jamaica Farewell" w.m. Lord Burgess
"Jim Dandy" w.m. Lincoln Chase
"Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)" w.m. Forest Wilson, Jake Porter & Eunice Levy
"Learnin' The Blues" w.m. Dolores Vicki Silvers
"Life Could Not Better Be" w.m. Sylvia Fine & Sammy Cahn
"Little One" w.m. Cole Porter
"Love And Marriage" w. Sammy Cahn m. James Van Heusen
"Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Sammy Fain
"Maybellene" w.m. Chuck Berry, Russ Frato & Alan Freed
"Memories Are Made Of This" w.m. Terry Gilkyson, Rich Dehr & Frank Miller
"Mind If I Make Love To You" w.m. Cole Porter
"Moments To Remember" w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
"Mr. Wonderful" w.m. Jerry Bock, George David Weiss & Larry Holofcener
"My Boy - Flat Top" w.m. Boyd Bennett & John Young Jr
"No, Not Much" w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
"Once-A-Year Day" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
"Paper Roses" w. Janice Torre m. Fred Spielman
"Pet Me Poppa" w.m. Frank Loesser
"Pete Kelly's Blues" w. Sammy Cahn m. Ray Heindorf
"Relax-Ay-Voo" Sammy Cahn & Arthur Schwartz
"The Rock And Roll Waltz" w. Dick Ware m. Shorty Allen
"Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie" w.m. Bill Haley
"Same Old Saturday Night" w. Sammy Cahn m. Frank Reardon
"See You Later Alligator" w.m. Robert Guidry
"Seven-And-A-Half Cents" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
"The Siamese Cat Song" w.m. Peggy Lee & Sonny Burke
"A Sleepin' Bee" w. Truman Capote & Harold Arlen m. Harold Arlen
"Smokey Joe's Café" w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
"Softly, Softly" Pierre Dudan, Paddy Roberts & Mark Paul
"Something's Gotta Give" w.m. Johnny Mercer
"Speedoo" w.m. Esther Navarro
"Stereophonic Sound" w.m. Cole Porter
"A Story Untold" Leroy Griffin
"Suddenly There's A Valley" w.m. Chuck Meyer & Biff Jones
"The Tender Trap" w. Sammy Cahn m. James Van Heusen
"Theme From "East Of Eden"" m. Leonard Rosenman
"Tina Marie" w.m. Bob Merrill
"Tutti Frutti" w.m. Richard Penniman, D. La Bostrie & Joe Lubin
"Two Lost Souls" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
"Unchained Melody" w. Hy Zaret m. Alex North
"Wake The Town And Tell The People" w. Sammy Gallop m. Jerry Livingston
"The Wallflower" (aka "Dance With Me Henry") w.m. Johnny Otis, Hank Ballard & Etta James
"Whatever Lola Wants" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
"Why Do Fools Fall In Love?" w.m. Frankie Lymon & George Goldner
"A Woman In Love" w.m. Frank Loesser
"You Don't Know Me" w.m. Cindy Walker & Eddy Arnold
"You're Sensational" w.m. Cole Porter