Events

• January 1 - Blue Suede Shoes is released by Carl Perkins on the Sun Records label.
• Cameo-Parkway Records formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Kal Mann & Bernie Lowe.
• Foundation of the Korean piano brand Young Chang.
• 1^st Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music (see [1])
• January 26 - Buddy Holly's first recording sessions for Decca Records take place in Nashville, Tennessee
• Roy Orbison signs with Sun Records
• January 27 - Elvis Presley's Single Heartbreak Hotel / I Was The One was released. It goes on to be Elvis' 1st #1 hit.
• January 28 - Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show
• March 10 - 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 22 - Carl Perkins is injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Delaware and spends several months in the hospital. Perkins had been on his way to New York City to make an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.
• March 31 - Elvis Presley films a screen test for Paramount Pictures.
• April 3 - Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on The Milton Berle Show
• April 6 - Paramount Pictures signs Elvis Presley to a three picture deal.
• April 7 - The first regularly scheduled nationally broadcast rock & roll show, Rock 'n Roll Dance Party, with Alan Freed as host, premieres on the CBS Radio Network.
• April 10 - A group of racial segregationists (followers of Asa Earl Carter) rush the stage at a Nat King Cole concert in Birmingham, Alabama, but are quickly captured.
• May 2 - For the first time in Billboard magazine history, five singles appear in both the pop and R&B Top Ten charts. They are Elvis Presley's "Heatbreak Hotel" (#1 pop, #6 R&B), Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" (#4 pop, #3 R&B), Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" (#9 pop, #1 R&B), the Platters' "Magic Touch" (#10 pop, #7 R&B) and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (#7 pop, #4 R&B). Presley's and Perkins' singles also appeared on the country and western Top Ten chart at #1 and #2 respectively
• May 6 - Elvis Presley appears on the Milton Berle show
• May 24 - First ever Eurovision Song Contest
• Bo Diddley records his song "Who Do You Love".
• June 3 - Fred Diodati replaces Al Alberts as lead singer of The Four Aces.
• June 5 - Elvis Presley introduces his new single, "Hound Dog", on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his suggestive hip movements.
• June 26 - Both trumpeter Clifford Brown and pianist Richie Powell are killed in a car accident.
• July 1 - Elvis Presley appears on the Steve Allen show
• July 9 - Dick Clark hosts American Bandstand for the first time
• September 9 - Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• Nat King Cole becomes the first major black performer to host a variety show on national television. The Nat King Cole Show was first broadcast on November 5, 1956
• December 4 - Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash record together at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The sessions are later released under the name, the "Million Dollar Quartet"
• December 19 - Breaking the record for the highest number of concurrent singles by a single artist, Elvis Presley holds 9 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Presley would hold the record until 1964 when the Beatles held 14 positions on the chart.
• Pierre Gabaye wins the Prix de Rome in the Musical Composition category.
• Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock stars.
• Aretha Franklin gives birth to her first child, at the age of fourteen, interrupting her career as a gospel singer.
• Gene Vincent signs a publishing contract with Bill Lowery.
• The Coasters' recording career begins.
• Bobby Darin's recording career begins
• Dalida's musical career begins on Barclay Records in Europe as (one of) the first biggest "world pop star" and sex symbol and she is the first artist to have her photo on a single in France. 175 000 copies of her big hits "Bambino" are sold in a few weeks.
• Chrysler Corporation provides an in-car turntable 16- rpm record player with 7-inch ultramicrogroove records in its luxury model, the "Imperial". The machine was developed by Peter Carl Goldmark - the man who invented the 33- rpm long playing (LP) record format
• The Everly Brothers make their first recording.

Albums released

• The Ames Brothers - The Ames Brothers
• Ames Brothers Concert - The Ames Brothers
• The Ames Brothers With Hugo Winterhalter - The Ames Brothers & Hugo Winterhalter
• At Basin Street - Clifford Brown and Max Roach
• Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings - Bing Crosby
• Black Coffee - Peggy Lee
• The Boss of the Blues - Big Joe Turner
• Calendar Girl - Julie London
• Calypso - Harry Belafonte
• The Champ - Jimmy Smith
• Chet Baker Sings - Chet Baker
• The Complete Porgy and Bess - Original Broadway Cast
• Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Miles Davis
• Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings - Joe Williams
• Day by Day - Doris Day
• Dinner in Colombia - Aldemaro Romero
• Dinner Music for People Who Aren't Very Hungry - Spike Jones
• Django - Modern Jazz Quartet
• Do You Remember When- - McGuire Sisters
• The East Side - Patti Page
• Ella and Louis - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
• Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook - Ella Fitzgerald
• Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook - Ella Fitzgerald
• Ellington at Newport - Duke Ellington
• Elvis - Elvis Presley
• Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (debut)
• Exactly Like You - The Ames Brothers
• Finger Style Guitar - Chet Atkins
• Flight to Romance - Aldemaro Romero
• Fontessa - Modern Jazz Quartet
• For Musicians Only - Stan Getz
• The Four Aces - The Four Aces
• Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color - Frank Sinatra
• Frankie Laine & The Four Lads - Frankie Laine
• A Girl Named Jo - Jo Stafford
• The Hi-Fi Nightingale - Caterina Valente
• High Society - Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & Celeste Holm
• High Step - Paul Chambers and John Coltrane
• Holding Hands at Midnight - Dinah Shore
• Howdy! - Pat Boone
• Improvisations - Stéphane Grappelli
• In the Land of Hi Fi - Patti Page
• Informal Jazz - Elmo Hope
• Kay Starr Country - Kay Starr
• The Lark in the Morning - Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem
• Latin Kick - Cal Tjader
• Lennie Tristano - Lennie Tristano
• Let There Be Love - Joni James
• Listen To The Hi-Lo's - The Hi-Lo's
• Lonely Girl - Julie London
• Love Songs Sung - Dinah Shore
• Love's Old Sweet Song - The Ames Brothers
• Lullaby Time - Bing Crosby
• Manhattan Tower - Gordon Jenkins
• Manhattan Tower - Patti Page
• Mating Call - Tadd Dameron
• Max Roach Plus Four - Max Roach
• Miles Davis with Horns - Miles Davis
• Music and Memories - Georgia Gibbs
• My Fair Lady - Shelly Manne & His Friends
• New Jazz Conceptions - Bill Evans
• Nursery Days - Woody Guthrie
• Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues - Odetta
• On Hand - The Hi-Lo's
• On the Sunny Side of the Street - The Four Lads
• Page Three - Easy Listening - Patti Page
• Pat Boone - Pat Boone
• Pick Yourself Up with Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day
• Pithecanthropus Erectus - Charles Mingus
• Playboys - Chet Baker and Art Pepper
• Rock 'n' Roll Stage Show - Bill Haley & His Comets
• Rock, Rock, Rock - Various Artists
• 'Round about Midnight - Miles Davis
• Saxophone Colossus - Sonny Rollins
• Shillelaghs and Shamrocks - Bing Crosby
• Singin' And Swingin' - The Mills Brothers
• Ski Trails - Jo Stafford
• Son nom est Dalida - Dalida
• Song Favorites - Georgia Gibbs
• Songs by Kay Starr - Kay Starr
• Songs for Swingin' Lovers - Frank Sinatra
• Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around - Bing Crosby
• Songs of Faith - Aretha Franklin
• Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child - Woody Guthrie
• Squeeze Play - John Serry, Sr.
• Swingin' with Her Nibs - Georgia Gibbs
• Swingin' with Kay Starr - Kay Starr
• Tenor Conclave - Prestige All Stars
• Tenor Madness - Sonny Rollins
• This Is Anita - Anita O'Day
• This Is Sinatra! - Frank Sinatra
• Toshiko - Her Trio, Her Quartet - Toshiko Akiyoshi
• The Toshiko Trio - Toshiko Akiyoshi
• Two For Tonight - Bing Crosby
• Under Glass - The Hi-Lo's
• The Unique Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk
• Venezuelan Fiesta - Aldemaro Romero
• Whims of Chambers - Paul Chambers
• Work Time - Sonny Rollins
• You Go to My Head - Patti Page

Biggest hit singles

The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1956.

#	Artist	Title	Year	Country	Chart Entries
1	Elvis Presley	Hound Dog	1956		US BB 1 - Aug 1956, RYM 1 of 1956, DDD 1 of 1956, UK 2 - Sep 1956, US BB 2 of 1956, POP 2 of 1956, Global 7 (10 M sold) - 1956, US CashBox 15 of 1956, Rolling Stone 19, Acclaimed 52, Europe 57 of the 1950s, Scrobulate 60 of oldies, RIAA 68, Italy 72 of 1956, Party 281 of 1999, WXPN 692
2	Elvis Presley	Heartbreak Hotel	1956		US BB 1 - Mar 1956, UK 2 - May 1956, RYM 2 of 1956, 4 in 2FM list, US CashBox 6 of 1956, Europe 7 of the 1950s, Scrobulate 13 of rock & roll, DDD 15 of 1956, Acclaimed 19, US BB 22 of 1956, POP 22 of 1956, Rolling Stone 45, Italy 49 of 1956, RIAA 87, WXPN 730
3	Elvis Presley	Don't Be Cruel	1956		US BB 1 - Aug 1956, US CashBox 1 of 1956, RYM 1 of 1956, DDD 4 of 1956, Europe 14 of the 1950s, US BB 19 of 1956, POP 19 of 1956, UK 24 - Jun 1978, RIAA 68, Acclaimed 74, Italy 92 of 1958, Rolling Stone 197, WXPN 543
4	The Platters	The Great Pretender	1956		US BB 1 - Dec 1955, Australia 1 for 3 weeks Oct 1955, US CashBox 2 of 1956, UK 5 - Sep 1956, DDD 5 of 1955, RYM 11 of 1955, US BB 17 of 1956, POP 17 of 1956, Italy 31 of 1957, Europe 50 of the 1950s, Scrobulate 68 of oldies, Acclaimed 260, Rolling Stone 351
5	Fats Domino	Blueberry Hill	1956		US BB 2 - Oct 1956, US BB 2 of 1957, Holland 2 - Jun 1976, POP 2 of 1957, Europe 3 of the 1950s, RYM 5 of 1956, UK 6 - Dec 1956, DDD 8 of 1956, France 10 - May 1976, RIAA 18, US CashBox 39 of 1956, Rolling Stone 81, Acclaimed 153

US No. 1 hit singles

These singles reached the top of US Billboard magazine's charts in 1956.

Top hits on record

• "(Heigh, Ho) Addison Road" - The Eisenhowers
• "Ain't Got No Home" - Clarence Frogman Henry
• "All the Way" - Frank Sinatra
• "I Walk the Line" - Johnny Cash
• "Allegheny Moon" - Patti Page
• "And This Is My Beloved" - Mario Lanza
• "Any Way You Want Me" - Elvis Presley
• "Bambino" - Dalida
• "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps
• "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
• "Blueberry Hill" - Fats Domino
• "Can I Steal a Little Love" - Frank Sinatra
• "Che bambola" - Fred Buscaglione(Italy)
• "Don't Be Cruel" - Elvis Presley
• "Don't Forbid Me" - Pat Boone
• "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)" - Pat Boone
• "Glad Rag Doll" - Kay Starr
• "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" - Patience & Prudence
• "The Great Pretender" - The Platters
• "The Green Door" - Jim Lowe
• "Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Happiness Street" recorded by
  • Georgia Gibbs
  • Tony Bennett
• "Heartbreak Hotel" - Elvis Presley
• "Hell Hath No Fury" - Frankie Laine
• "Hey! Jealous Lover" - Frank Sinatra
• "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
• "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know" - Frank Sinatra
• "I Almost Lost My Mind" - Pat Boone
• "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" - Georgia Gibbs
• "I Remember You" - Doris Day
• "I Want to Be Loved" - Johnnie Ray
• "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" - Elvis Presley
• "I Was the One" - Elvis Presley
• "I'll Be Home" - Pat Boone
• "Innamorata" - Dean Martin
• "It's Almost Tomorrow" - The Dream Weavers
• "I've Got You Under My Skin" - Frank Sinatra
• "Ivory Tower" - Cathy Carr
• "Just Walkin' in the Rain" - Johnnie Ray
• "Lonesome Road" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Long Tall Sally" - Little Richard
• "Lotus Blossom" - Johnnie Ray
• "Love Is a Golden Ring" - Frankie Laine & The Easy Riders
• "Love Me Tender" - Elvis Presley
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Mama from the Train" - Patti Page
• "The Man That Got Away" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Memories Are Made Of This" - Dean Martin
• "My Blue Heaven" - Fats Domino
• "My Prayer" - The Platters
• "No, Not Much" - The Four Lads
• "On the Road to Mandalay" - Frankie Laine
• "On the Street Where You Live" - Vic Damone
• "Picnic" - The McGuire Sisters
• "Rock Right" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Roll Over Beethoven" - Chuck Berry
• "See You Later Alligator" - Bill Haley and His Comets
• "Shake a Hand" - Johnnie Ray
• "Singing the Blues" - Guy Mitchell
• "Standing on the Corner" - The Four Lads
• "Suddenly There's a Valley" - Gogi Grant
• "Sweet Old Fashioned Girl" - Teresa Brewer
• "A Tear Fell" - Teresa Brewer
• "Tonight You Belong to Me" - Patience and Prudence
• "Tra La La" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Tutti-Frutti" - Little Richard
• "Walk Hand in Hand" - Tony Martin
• "The Wayward Wind" - Gogi Grant
• "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" - Doris Day
• "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" - The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon
• "Without Him" - Frankie Laine
• "You Don't Know Me" - Jerry Vale

Top R&B and Country hits on record

• "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
• "In the Still of the Night" - Five Satins
• "I've Loved And Lost Again" - Patsy Cline
• "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" - Brenda Lee
• "My Pink Cadillac" - Hal Willis
• "Ooby Dooby" - Roy Orbison
• "I Walk the Line" - Johnny Cash

Published popular music

• "11th Hour Melody"     w. Carl Sigman m. King Palmer
• "Abbondanza"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "After The Lights Go Down Low"     w.m. Alan White & Leroy Lovett
• "Ain't Got No Home"     w.m. Clarence Henry
• "Allegheny Moon"     w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
• "Anastasia"     w. Paul Francis Webster m. Alfred Newman
• "Anyway You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)"     w.m. Aaron Schroeder & Cliff Owens
• "Around the World"     w. Harold Adamson m. Victor Young
• "The Banana Boat Song"     trad arr. Alan Arkin, Bob Carey & Erik Darling
• "Be-Bop-A-Lula"     w.m. Tex Davis & Gene Vincent
• "Bells Are Ringing"     w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne
• "The Best of All Possible Worlds"     w. Richard Wilbur m. Leonard Bernstein
• "Big D"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "The Birds And The Bees"     Mack David, Harry Warren
• "Bloodnock's Rock And Roll Call"     T. Carbone
• "Bluebottle Blues"     Spike Milligan, Carbone
• "Bo Weevil"     w.m. Dave Bartholomew & Antoine "Fats" Domino
• "Boppin' The Blues"     w.m. Carl Perkins & Howard Griffin
• "Born To Be With You"     w.m. Don Robertson
• "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"     Chuck Berry
• "The Bus Stop Song" (aka "A Paper Of Pins")     w.m. Ken Darby
• "Can I Steal A Little Love"     w.m. Phil Tuminello
• "Canadian Sunset"     w. Norman Gimbel m. Eddie Heywood
• "Chain Gang"     w.m. Sol Quasha & Herb Yakus
• "Cindy, Oh Cindy"     w.m. Bob Barron & Burt Long
• "Don't Be Cruel"     w.m. Otis Blackwell & Elvis Presley
• "Don't Forbid Me"     w.m. Charles Singleton
• "Eddie My Love"     A. Collins, M. Davis, S. Ling
• "Fever"     w.m. Eddie Cooley & John Davenport
• "Flying Saucer"     w. Bill Buchanan & Dickie Goodman
• "Fools Fall In Love"     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "Friendly Persuasion"     w. Paul Francis Webster m. Dimitri Tiomkin
• "The Garden of Eden"     w.m. Dennise Haas Norwood
• "Get Me to the Church on Time"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe. Introduced by Stanley Holloway in the musical My Fair Lady and also performed by Holloway in the 1964 film.
• "Glendora"     w.m. Ray Stanley
• "Glitter and Be Gay"     w. Richard Wilbut m. Leonard Bernstein
• "The Gnu"     Michael Flanders & Donald Swann
• "Good Golly, Miss Molly"     w.m. John Marascalco & Robert Blackwell
• "Goodnight My Love"     G. Motola, J. Marascalco
• "The Green Door"     w. Marvin Moore m. Bob Davie
• "Happy To Make Your Acquaintance"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "The Happy Whistler"     m. Don Robertson
• "Heartbreak Hotel"     w.m. Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden & Elvis Presley
• "Hey! Jealous Lover"     w.m. Sammy Cahn, Kay Twomey & Bee Walker
• "High Society Calypso"     w.m. Cole Porter
• "The Hippopotamus"     Michael Flanders & Donald Swann
• "Honky Tonk"     w. Henry Glover m. Bill Doggett, Billy Butler, Shep Shephard & Clifford Scott
• "Hot Diggity"     w. m.(adapt) Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
• "A House With Love In It"     w. Sylvia Dee m. Sid Lippman
• "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know(1)"     w. Carolyn Leigh m. Philip Springer
• "I Could Have Danced All Night"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe. Introduced by Julie Andrews in the musical My Fair Lady. Performed in the 1964 film by Marni Nixon dubbing for Audrey Hepburn.
• "I Dreamed"      w. Marvin Moore m. Charles Grean
• "I Love You, Samantha"     w.m. Cole Porter Introduced by Bing Crosby in the film High Society.
• "I Walk the Line"     w.m. Johnny Cash
• "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"     w. George Mysels m. Ira Kosloff
• "I Was The One"     w.m. Claude Demetrius, Bill Peppers, Hal Blair, Aaron Schroeder
• "If I Had My Druthers"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
• "I'm An Ordinary Man"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe Introduced by Rex Harrison in the musical My Fair Lady
• "I'm Walkin"'     w.m. Antoine "Fats" Domino & Dave Bartholomew
• "I'm Walking Backwards For Christmas"     Spike Milligan, T. Carbone
• "In The Still Of The Nite"     w.m. Fred Parris
• "It Only Hurts For A Little While"     w. Mack David m. Fred Spielman
• "It's Not For Me To Say"     w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
• "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe. Introduced by Rex Harrison in the musical My Fair Lady.
• "Ivory Tower"     w.m. Jack Fulton & Lois Steele
• "Joey, Joey, Joey"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Jubilation T. Cornpone"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul. Introduced by Stubby Kaye in the musical Li'l Abner.
• "Juke Box Baby"     w. Noel Sherman m. Joe Sherman
• "Just In Time"     w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne. Introduced by Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin in the musical Bells Are Ringing
• "Knee Deep In The Blues"     w.m. Melvin Endsley
• "Lay Down Your Arms"     w.(Eng) Paddy Roberts (Swed) Ake Gerhard m. Ake Gerhard & Leon Land
• "Let The Good Times Roll"     w.m. Leonard Lee
• "Long Before I Knew You"     w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne. Introduced by Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin in the musical Bells Are Ringing
• "Long Tall Sally"     w.m. Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman & Robert A. Blackwell
• "Look Homeward Angel"     w.m. Wally Gold
• "Love Me Tender"     w. Elvis Presley & Vera Matson m. George R. Poulton
• "Love Me"     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "Lucky Lips"     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "The Magic Touch"     w.m. Buck Ram
• "Mama From The Train"     w.m. Irving Gordon
• "Mama, Teach Me To Dance"     w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
• "Mangos"     w.m. Sid Wayne & Dee Libbey
• "Maria"     w. Stephen Sondheim m. Leonard Bernstein
• "Marianne"     w.m. Terry Gilkyson, Frank Miller & Richard Dehr
• "Married I Can Always Get"     w.m. Gordon Jenkins
• "Mary's Boy Child"     w.m. Jester Hairston
• "Mind If I Make Love to You-" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Frank Sinatra in the film High Society
• "The Money Tree"     w. Cliff Ferre m. Mark McIntyre
• "Moonlight Gambler"     w. Bob Hilliard m. Philip Springer
• "More"     w. Tom Glazer m. Alex Alstone
• "The Most Happy Fella"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Mutual Admiration Society"     w. Matt Dubey m. Harold Karr. Introduced by Ethel Merman and Virginia Gibson in the musical Happy Hunting
• "My Heart Is So Full Of You"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "My Lucky Charm"     Sammy Cahn & Nicholas Brodszky
• "Namely You"     w. Jo