Calendar Search Results: y o u t u b e r
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.
September 9, 1955 Seeburg introduces their latest jukebox, which not only holds a record 100 singles but is also capable of playing the same number of EPs.
September 8, 1955 In an attempt to hide the wrinkles in his suit, Chuck Berry does the duck walk for the first time.More
August 28, 1955 Fourteen-year-old Emmett Till is murdered by two white men in Money, Mississippi, for talking to a white woman. His story later inspires Bob Dylan's "The Death Of Emmett Till" and Emmylou Harris' "My Name Is Emmett Till."
August 18, 1955 Pete Seeger testifies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he is asked if he has performed for communists. Seger replies: "I have sung for Americans of every political persuasion, and I am proud that I never refuse to sing to an audience, no matter what religion or color of their skin, or situation in life. I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody."
July 17, 1955 Disneyland opens in Anaheim, California with a parade broadcast live on ABC. Walt Disney introduces their new group of young performers, the Mouseketeers, who star in the upcoming series The Mickey Mouse Club. Annette Funicello is the breakout star.
July 9, 1955 Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" becomes the first Rock song to hit #1 on the Billboard Pop chart, where it stays for eight weeks. The song was originally released as a the B-side of "Thirteen Women," but became a massive hit after it appeared in the film Blackboard Jungle.More
June 3, 1955 Buddy Holly opens for Elvis Presley at a matinee concert in Lubbock, Texas. After the show, they sign autographs in a promotional appearance at the Johnson-Connelley Pontiac car dealership.
May 28, 1955 "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" has four different versions on the charts, including a #1 hit for Bill Hayes. The other three are by Fess Parker, Walter Schumann and Tennessee Ernie Ford.
May 24, 1955 Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian, welcome their daughter, Rosanne Cash. She grows up to be a country singer like her dad.
May 14, 1955 Les Baxter's "Unchained Melody" hits #1 in America, the first of many renditions of the song to chart. The most enduring version is by The Righteous Brothers, which goes to #4 in 1965 and then to #13 in 1990 after featuring in the movie Ghost.
May 13, 1955 Elvis Presley's performance in Jacksonville, Florida, is the first Presley show at which a riot ensues. After Elvis tells the audience, "Girls, I'll see you backstage," he has some of his clothes ripped off, but escapes unharmed.
May 1, 1955 A St. Louis guitarist named Chuck Berry is signed to Chess Records in Chicago after bluesman Muddy Waters recommends him to the label.
April 28, 1955 Eddie Jobson, violinist and synth player for Curved Air, Roxy Music, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, Jethro Tull and Yes, is born in Billingham, England.
April 17, 1955 Singer/guitarist Pete Shelley is born Peter McNeish in Leigh, Lancashire, England. In 1976 he forms the Buzzcocks, a pioneering band that melds pop and punk, influencing bands like The Smiths, Green Day, and even The Go-Go's.
April 16, 1955 Kool Herc is born in Kingston, Jamaica. Born Clive Campbell, his stage name is based on "Hercules," a nickname he earns for his strength. When he is 12, his family moves to the Bronx, where Herc becomes a DJ, throwing dance parties where MCs talk over extended breakbeats he creates with two turntables, one of the most important developments in hip-hop.
March 31, 1955 Angus Young is born in Glasgow, Scotland. He later moves to Australia and forms AC/DC with his brother Malcolm.
March 30, 1955 Singer/songwriter Randy VanWarmer ("Just When I Needed You Most") is born in Indian Hills, Colorado.
March 25, 1955 The movie Blackboard Jungle is released, giving new exposure to the song "Rock Around The Clock," which is featured in the film. A few months later, the song becomes the first ever #1 rock song.
March 15, 1955 Dee Snider (lead singer of Twisted Sister) is born in Astoria, Queens, New York.More
January 28, 1955 The "Top 10 R&B Show" package tour kicks off its 42-date, 60-day national excursion in New York City, featuring The Clovers, Faye Adams, The Charms, Joe Turner, The Moonglows, Lowell Fulson, and The Bill Doggett Trio.
December 25, 1954 Up-and-coming R&B star Johnny Ace, age 25, is killed when he shoots himself backstage at a concert in Houston, possibly while playing Russian Roulette. His song "Pledging My Love" becomes a hit after his death.
December 17, 1954 Bill Haley and his Comets' "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (originally recorded by Big Joe Turner) becomes the first rock song to hit the UK chart, where it lands at #4.
December 1, 1954 Fred Rose, country music songwriter and publisher, dies in Nashville, Tennessee, in his mid-50's. Started the first Nashville-based music publishing company with Roy Acuff. Among many others, known for writing the songs "Crazy Heart" and "Take These Chains From My Heart" for Hank Williams and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," made famous by Willie Nelson.
November 23, 1954 Singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby is born in Williamsburg, Virginia. He has a string of hits in the late '80s, including "The Valley Road" and the chart-topper "The Way It Is." From 1990-1992 he tours with the Grateful Dead as a keyboard player.
November 22, 1954 Craig Huxley, film and soundtrack producer, is born Craig Hundley in Hollywood, California. He starts his career as a child actor with guest roles on Star Trek, Bewitched, and The Brady Bunch. As a producer and arranger, he works with scores of artists, including Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.
November 19, 1954 While driving from Vegas to Los Angeles, Sammy Davis, Jr. crashes into another car on Route 66 in San Bernardino, California, and three days later, permanently loses use of his left eye. While in the hospital, friend Eddie Cantor tells Davis about the twin struggles of the Jewish and African-Americans, leading Davis to convert to Judaism. (The accident, paradoxically, increased his popularity.)
November 14, 1954 The composer Yanni is born Yiannis Chryssomallis in Kalamata, Greece. He moves to America in 1972 and earns a psychology degree from University of Minnesota, but chooses music instead. His blend of keyboards and orchestral instruments makes him a PBS favorite and a global superstar in the '90s.
October 23, 1954 Elvis Presley's second Sun single, "Blue Moon Of Kentucky," breaks out in Nashville and New Orleans, becoming his first chart hit outside of his native Memphis.
October 10, 1954 Longtime Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth is born in Bloomington, Indiana. Wildly extroverted, he's one of the most flamboyant frontmen in rock and helps the band earn lots of airtime on early MTV. As a solo artist, his hits include the MTV favorites "California Girls" (a Beach Boys cover) and "Just Like Paradise."
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