Music History

The dance television program The Buddy Deane Show premiered in Baltimore, Maryland. The two-hour rock 'n' roll show allowed viewers to call in and speak with celebrity guests, eventually overwhelming the telephone lines to the point that the telephone company asked Buddy Deane to stop.

Elvis Presley began work on his Christmas album at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, recording “Treat Me Nice,” “My Wish Came True” and “Blue Christmas.” “Treat Me Nice” was later released as the B-side of “Jailhouse Rock” and reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Blue Christmas” became a Christmas classic.

Elvis Presley returned to Radio Recorders studio in Hollywood, where he worked on Christmas songs for his new album and on the single "Don't". During the day, he recorded "My Wish Came True", "White Christmas", "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)", "Silent Night" and "Don't", among others.

American country songwriter Liz Rose was born. She is best known for her collaborations with Taylor Swift, with whom she co-wrote 17 officially released songs, including "Tim McGraw", "You Belong with Me", "Teardrops on My Guitar" and "White Horse". They won a Grammy for Best Country Song for "White Horse" in 2010.

Elvis Presley was at No. 1 on the UK chart with his first soundtrack album, Loving You. The album also reached No. 1 in the US, where it remained at the top for 10 weeks.

Elvis Presley recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood from noon until 8:00 p.m. During the recording session, he recorded “Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem”, “Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)”, “Santa Claus Is Back In Town” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”. On the same day, he also planned to record instrumental tracks with Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D. J. Fontana and suggested joining them as the pianist, but there was ultimately no time for those recordings.

Singer Jermaine Stewart was born. He also performed with Shalamar and The Temptations and worked with Boy George. In 1986, he had the UK hit “We Don't Have To...Take Our Clothes Off” at No. 2. He died of cancer on March 17, 1997.

Margot Chapman of Starland Vocal Band was born. The group had the US No. 1 hit “Afternoon Delight” in 1976, which reached No. 18 in the UK and was one of the best-selling singles of 1976.

Sam Cooke released his debut single “You Send Me” on Keen Records. The song became his biggest hit, reaching No. 1 on both the Billboard R&B and Pop charts and selling 2.5 million copies. Over the following eight years, he placed another 28 songs on the Hot 100, three of which charted only after his death on December 11, 1964.

Andy Walton of the group Kenny, which had several UK hits in the mid-1970s, was born.

After a heated argument with her father, Connie Francis reluctantly recorded the 34-year-old standard “Who's Sorry Now” in two attempts at Brunswick Studios in New York. She did not like the song herself, but listeners embraced it, and the following March it became her first major hit, reaching No. 4 in the United States and No. 1 in the United Kingdom.

Elvis Presley watched a special screening of the film Jailhouse Rock with his parents.

At the age of 23, Pat Boone began hosting the variety show The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom on ABC-TV. The program featured performers including The Four Lads, Ella Fitzgerald and Johnny Mathis, and its writers included Woody Allen. After three seasons, the show was canceled after losing the ratings battle to Bachelor Father starring John Forsythe on NBC. ABC subsequently replaced it with the sitcom My Three Sons starring Fred MacMurray. The program later appeared in Michael Moore's documentary film Roger & Me. At the time, TV Guide described it unflatteringly as a show “about as exciting as a milkshake with two straws.”

Elvis Presley finished second to Pat Boone in a music poll conducted by NME magazine.

The results of the annual NME readers' poll named Pat Boone the world's number-one male singer, while Elvis Presley finished second. Among the top British groups were The King Brothers and The Stargazers.

Saxophonist, singer and co-founder of the ska band Madness, Lee Thompson, also known as Kix or El Thommo, was born in London.

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed four shows a day during the Texas State Fair in Dallas. The series of concerts ran from October 5 to October 20.

Elvis attended a wrestling match at Ellis Auditorium and then had dinner with wrestler Penny Banner, whom he subsequently drove to Graceland.

Elvis' Christmas Album reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart for four consecutive weeks despite Irving Berlin's campaign against Elvis's blues-influenced version of “White Christmas.”

RCA Victor received 500,000 advance orders for Elvis' Christmas Album before its release, even though only 200,000 copies had initially been pressed. The album later spent four weeks at No. 1, received diamond certification in the US, and according to sources more than 17 million copies were shipped in the US. Irving Berlin also campaigned against Presley's version of “White Christmas.”

Little Richard's “Keep A Knockin',” featuring saxophonist Grady Gaines, entered the Billboard Top 40. It reached No. 8 and remained on the chart for 12 weeks; for Richard, it was his seventh entry on the US pop chart during the previous two years.

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at the Texas State Fair in Dallas; during the period from October 5 to 20, they played four concerts a day.

Jerry Lee Lewis recorded his biggest hit, “Great Balls of Fire,” at Sam Phillips's Sun Studio in Memphis as a follow-up to “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.” After its release a month later, more than one million copies were sold within the first ten days, followed by another five million eventually. In January 1958, the recording reached No. 2, kept from the top spot by “At the Hop” by Danny and the Juniors.

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, where they gave four concerts a day from October 5 through October 20.

Jamaican reggae musician Ini Kamoze was born Cecil Campbell in Saint Mary, Jamaica. He began his career in the early 1980s and rose to international prominence with the 1994 hit "Here Comes the Hotstepper", which topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and charts in Denmark and New Zealand and reached No. 4 in the UK.

Jerry Lee Lewis's "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The record also topped the R&B and Country charts, was later ranked No. 61 on Rolling Stone's Greatest Songs of All Time and was added to the National Recording Registry in 2005.

Paul Anka, aged 16, had the No. 1 song in America with "Diana."

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, Texas, where four shows were presented daily from October 5 through October 20.

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. According to the source, four concerts were held there each day from October 5 to 20.

Alan Freed's Biggest Show of Stars for 1957 tour visited the Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona. Performers included Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Chuck Berry, Paul Anka, Frankie Lymon, Clyde McPhatter, Buddy Knox, LaVern Baker, The Drifters, Eddie Cochran, The Bobettes, Jimmy Bowen, Johnnie & Joe and The Spaniels.

Blair Cunningham, an American drummer born in Memphis, Tennessee, became known for his work with the British pop group Haircut 100. The band scored four UK Top 10 singles in 1981–1982, including "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)," "Love Plus One" and "Fantastic Day." Cunningham also worked with Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, The Pretenders, Mick Jagger, Echo & the Bunnymen, Alison Moyet, Sade and Roxy Music. His brother Carl Cunningham was a drummer with the Bar-Kays.

Elvis Presley travelled to Madison to consult with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Musician Jon Langford was born in Newport, Wales. He became known for his work with The Three Johns, The Mekons and The Waco Brothers. The Mekons formed in 1976 as an artistic collective and released 16 studio albums. Their debut album, The Quality of Mercy Is Not Strnen, was released in 1979.

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. Between October 5 and 20, they played four shows a day.

“Chances Are” reaches No. 1 on the Cashbox Best Sellers chart. More than two million copies are sold, and in 1998 the song is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

During an Australian tour, Little Richard publicly announces that he is giving up rock ’n’ roll and turning to gospel music. At a bandmate’s urging, he throws four diamond rings worth $8,000 into Sydney’s Hunter River. He later devotes himself to religion and returns to rock ’n’ roll in 1962.

CBS aired the one-hour special The Edsel Show, promoting the new Ford Edsel automobile. The show featured Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Louis Armstrong, and Lindsay Crosby with The Four Preps. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Single Program of the Year but did not win.

Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at the Texas State Fair in Dallas. Fair performances took place four times a day from October 5 through October 20.