Pick a Day

Music History Events: Recordings

November 1, 1955 James Brown's group The Famous Flames record "Please Please Please" at the radio station WIBB in Macon, Georgia.

October 20, 1955 Harry Belafonte records "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)."

September 28, 1955 Louis Armstrong records "Mack the Knife," a song from the play The Threepenny Opera. Armstrong is the first to chart with a vocal version of the song; in 1959, Bobby Darin takes it to #1.

September 14, 1955 Little Richard records "Tutti Frutti" in New Orleans for Specialty Records. Originally "Tutti Frutti, Good Booty," a female lyricist at the label rewrites it to take out the prurient references.

May 21, 1955 Chuck Berry records his first single, "Maybellene," at Chess Records in Chicago.

March 17, 1955 Sarah Vaughan records "Whatever Lola Wants."

March 15, 1955 Fats Domino records "Ain't That A Shame" at Master Recorders in Los Angeles.

March 2, 1955 Bo Diddley records "Bo Diddley" and "I'm A Man."

December 16, 1954 Bill Hayes records "The Ballad of Davy Crockett."

November 6, 1954 Elvis Presley, who has been playing a radio concert show called the Louisiana Hayride, records a radio commercial for Southern Maid Doughnuts, who sponsors the show. It was the only commercial he ever recorded and was not false advertising: He really did love those hot donuts.

October 20, 1954 LaVern Baker records "Tweedle Dee."

September 24, 1954 Sarah Vaughan records "Make Yourself Comfortable."

August 23, 1954 Perez Prado records "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White."

July 5, 1954 Elvis Presley makes his first professional recording, putting down "That's All Right" at Sun Studio in Memphis.

April 12, 1954 At his first session for Decca Records, Bill Haley records "Rock Around The Clock" and "Thirteen Women" (a post-nuclear song that was originally the A-side of the single).

March 15, 1954 The Chords record "Sh-Boom."

February 15, 1954 Big Joe Turner records one of the first rock songs, "Shake, Rattle And Roll," at Atlantic Records studios in New York.

February 4, 1954 The Drifters record "Bells Of Saint Mary's," "White Christmas," "Honey Love," and "What'cha Gonna Do."

January 7, 1954 Muddy Waters records "Hoochie Coochie Man" at Chess Records in Chicago. It becomes a blues standard, with a feral energy that influences a new sound that's emerging: rock and roll.

January 4, 1954 A young truck driver named Elvis Presley pays to record two songs at the Memphis Recording Service. It's his second visit, and this time MRS head Sam Phillips gets his number and later calls him to record for his Sun label.

December 9, 1953 Frank Sinatra records "Young At Heart."

September 23, 1953 The Spaniels record "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight."

August 12, 1953 The Four Lads record "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)."

July 18, 1953 18-year-old Elvis Presley, a truck driver by trade, stops into Memphis Recording Service (later renamed Sun Studios), and pays $3.98 to record two songs: "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin."

May 17, 1953 During a recording session at Atlantic Records studios in New York, Ray Charles learns that his mother has died. He continues on with the session, recording the song "Sinner's Prayer."

September 17, 1952 Frank Sinatra does his last recording session for Columbia Records. His next musical move is signing to Capitol Records, where he teams up with arranger Nelson Riddle and revives his career with swinging hits like "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Witchcraft."

August 13, 1952 Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton records the original version of "Hound Dog," later popularized by Elvis Presley.

May 3, 1952 Kitty Wells records "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."

October 16, 1951 Johnnie Ray records "Cry."

October 16, 1951 Little Richard records for the first time, laying down tracks at the Atlanta radio station WGST. Four singles from the session are released the next year.