Music History

On the third day of recording sessions at Radio Recorders Studios on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, Elvis Presley worked on songs connected with the Love Me Tender project. He worked from 2:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and the session included recordings of “Ready Teddy”, “First In Line” and “Rip It Up”.

Music for Elvis Presley's new film Love Me Tender was recorded on the soundstage at 20th Century Fox.

Elvis Presley worked on vocal overdubs for the film Love Me Tender at the 20th Century Fox soundstage in Hollywood, including the song “Let Me” and additional parts of “Poor Boy.”

Swedish guitarist, singer and songwriter Roine Stolt was born.

American songwriter, musician and producer Diane Warren was born in Van Nuys, California. She has written more than 80 US Top 20 hits and is known, among other songs, as the writer of “I Don't Want To Miss A Thing” for Aerosmith, “How Do I Live” for LeAnn Rimes, “Un-Break My Heart” for Toni Braxton, “If I Could Turn Back Time” for Cher and “Because You Loved Me” for Céline Dion. She is also the writer of nine songs that reached No. 1 on the charts.

Elvis Presley appeared on the cover of TV Guide for the first time.

Chicago radio station WAIT began a 12-hour marathon of Elvis recordings at 7 a.m., repeatedly broadcasting 33 of his songs. Listeners called the station, and some postponed dentist appointments, laundry, hanging clothes, or even work because of the broadcast. The mother of a six-month-old child said that her otherwise restless baby peacefully fell asleep while listening to Elvis sing.

Soul and R&B singer Freddie Jackson was born in Harlem, New York. He began his professional career in the late 1970s with the California funk group Mystic Merlin. He became known for the hits “Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake),” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” and “Jam Tonight.”

Elvis Presley released “Love Me Tender,” the title song from his first film. It later became his fifth U.S. No. 1 hit.

Elvis Presley was released from filming the movie Love Me Tender because all work required to complete the production had been finished.

The television program Lawrence Welk’s Top Tunes and New Talent premiered.

The Johnny Burnette Trio appeared on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour TV show. Johnny Burnette, Dorsey Burnette and Paul Burlison won three weeks in a row, earning a series of tour dates.

Elvis Presley's “Love Me Tender” entered the Billboard retail-sales chart, where it remained for 19 weeks, including five weeks at number one, and sold more than three million copies. The song was written for his first film, and its melody was adapted from the 1861 song “Aura Lee” from the period of the American Civil War.

Elvis Presley arrived in Dallas by train with actor Nick Adams as part of a short tour organized by promoter Bamford. During the 71st Texas State Fair, he performed at the Cotton Bowl before an audience of 26,500. He was driven onto the playing field in a convertible. His set included "Heartbreak Hotel," "Long Tall Sally," "I Was the One," "Blue Suede Shoes," "I Got a Woman," "Love Me," "Don't Be Cruel," "Love Me Tender" and "Hound Dog." Other performers included Rex Marlowe, Howard & Wanda Bell, Phil Maraquin, Hubert Castle, The Jordanaires and Sherry Davis.

Don’t Knock the Rock, the second film associated with radio disc jockey Alan Freed, premieres in U.S. cinemas. It features Little Richard, Bill Haley and His Comets, and The Treniers. The story follows Freed as he tries to prove to parents that rock ’n’ roll is not harmful to young people.

Elvis Presley performs at the Heart O’ Texas Coliseum in Waco, Texas. His set includes “Heartbreak Hotel,” “I Got a Woman,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Money Honey,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Love Me Tender,” and “Hound Dog.”

Filming began on the movie "Don't Knock the Rock", featuring Bill Haley.

Elvis Presley performed twice at the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas, in the afternoon and evening. According to the source, each show attracted approximately 8,000 people. The set included "Blue Suede Shoes", "Love Me Tender", "Hound Dog", and "Don't Be Cruel".

Elvis Presley's single "Blue Moon" reached number 55 on the US chart.