Events in 1954
- Elvis Presley began working for Crown Electric as a delivery truck driver, delivering materials to construction sites. At the same time, he was training to become an electrician. He worked for the company until mid-October 1954. At that time, the Presleys were living at 2414 Lamar Avenue, which they rented through the end of 1954 and into mid-1955.
- Billboard magazine published an article about Elvis Presley, describing him as a new singer capable of delivering rock songs to both country and R&B audiences.
- Elvis Presley performed at Eagle's Nest in Memphis, Tennessee. It was the first of twelve appearances he made at the venue that year, and the performance included “That's All Right” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky”.
- Johnny Cash married Vivian Liberto at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Memphis.
- The Crew-Cuts' version of “Sh-Boom”, also known as “Life Could Be a Dream”, reached No. 1 on the U.S. chart and began a seven-week run at the top.
- English drummer Pete Thomas was born in Hillsborough, Sheffield. He became known for his work with Elvis Costello and The Attractions, with whom he had, among other hits, the UK hit “Oliver's Army”. He also worked as a session drummer with Suzanne Vega, Neil Finn and other artists.
- Elvis Presley performed in Memphis, where he performed “That's All Right (Mama)” for the first time.
- Guitarist and singer Bryan Bassett of Wild Cherry was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group was known for the hit “Play That Funky Music,” which reached No. 1 in the US and No. 7 in the UK in 1976.
- British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joe Jackson, born David Ian Jackson, was born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England. He became known for experiments with new wave, jazz and pop. In 1980 he had the UK No. 5 hit “It's Different For Girls” and in 1982 the US No. 6 hit “Steppin' Out.”
- Jazz guitarist and composer Pat Metheny was born.
- Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at Bellevue Park in Memphis.
- The Platters, B.B. King and Johnny Otis were the headline acts at a sold-out concert at the Savoy Ballroom in Hollywood, California. The event was a huge success and demonstrated the exceptional concert appeal of R&B in Los Angeles at the time.
- Drummer Steve Smith of Focus and Journey was born in Whitman, Massachusetts.
- Mark Avsec, keyboardist and songwriter of Wild Cherry, was born. Wild Cherry had the 1976 US number-one hit and UK number-seven hit “Play That Funky Music”.
- English singer, songwriter and producer Declan Patrick MacManus, known as Elvis Costello, was born in Paddington, London. His stage surname came from his father, who performed as Day Costello. In 1979 he had the UK hit “Oliver's Army” with The Attractions, and the album “Armed Forces” spent 28 weeks on the chart.
- Michael Chetwood, keyboardist with T'Pau, was born. T'Pau had the UK No. 1 single “China In Your Hand” in 1987 and the song “Heart And Soul”, which reached No. 4 in both the US and UK.
- Elvis Presley performed at Eagle’s Nest in Memphis with the Tiny Dixon Band. He sang “That's All Right” and “Blue Moon Of Kentucky”.
- Ronald Beitle, drummer with the American funk rock group Wild Cherry, was born. In 1976, the group had the US No. 1 single “Play That Funky Music”, which reached No. 7 in the UK.
- In connection with the release of his second single on Sun Records, “Good Rockin' Tonight,” Elvis Presley performed with Bill Black and Scotty Moore at the Grand Ole Opry for the first time. The audience reaction was so unfavorable that Opry manager Jim Denny told Elvis to return to driving a truck. Sources for the same date also list an engagement at the Eagles Nest in Memphis, Tennessee. Two weeks later, the trio performed on the competing radio and television program Louisiana Hayride and signed a contract for 52 Saturday night broadcasts.
- English singer Sal Solo of Classix Nouveaux was born.
- Stella Barker, a member of the British pop-rock group The Belle Stars, was born. The group had the 1983 UK hit "Sign Of The Times", which reached No. 3, and also became known for their cover of "Iko Iko", which appeared on the soundtrack of "Rain Man".
- Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black performed at the Eagle's Nest club in Memphis.
- British music magazine New Musical Express expanded its weekly singles chart from the Top 12 to the Top 20. The rankings were compiled by telephone surveys of approximately twenty record shops about their best-selling records. The growing popularity of the chart led other magazines, including Record Mirror and Melody Maker, to publish their own charts.
- Don Cornell was at No. 1 on the British singles chart with “Hold My Hand.” The BBC banned the song because of the words “kingdom of heaven.”
- Elvis Presley appeared at his only engagement at the Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, where he sang “Blue Moon of Kentucky.” His interpretation of traditional country music was not well received by the audience. Opry talent director Jim Denny reportedly told him that he should return to driving a truck, after which Elvis vowed never to return to the Grand Ole Opry. After the performance, he briefly also appeared on the live radio program Ernest Tubb's Midnight Jamboree at Ernest Tubb Record Shop.
- American guitarist Dawayne Bailey, who performed and recorded with Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Véronique Sanson and Chicago.
- American musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas. He was the frontman of blues-rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and was one of the most influential guitarists in the revival of interest in blues during the 1980s. He played on six songs on David Bowie's album Let's Dance, including the title track and “China Girl.” Vaughan died on August 27, 1990, at the age of 35 in a helicopter crash. His family successfully sued the company's operator for allowing an unfit pilot to fly in fog and received $2 million in damages. In the months following his death, more than 5.5 million of his albums were sold in the US.
- American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist David Hidalgo of Los Lobos was born in Los Angeles, California. He became known as a co-founder of Los Lobos.
- Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore and Bill Black performed at 8:30 p.m. at the Eagle's Nest club in Memphis, Tennessee, above the Clearpool complex. Other performers included the Tiny Dixon Band and The Eagles.
- Marian Anderson became the first Black female singer to be engaged by the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The announcement of her engagement was published on October 7, 1954; her debut at the Metropolitan Opera followed in January 1955.
- Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black may have performed at the Silver Slipper club. The source lists the performance as possible rather than definitively confirmed.
- Elvis Presley played at the Eagle's Nest in Memphis, Tennessee, at 8:30 PM, with the Tiny Dixon Band and The Eagles also performing.
- English musician James Fearnley was born in Worsley, Lancashire. He played accordion, guitar and foot-operated snare drum with the Irish-British Celtic punk band The Pogues, who scored the 1987 UK No. 8 single "The Irish Rover."
- Longtime Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth was born in Bloomington, Indiana. Thanks to his distinctive extroverted personality, he became one of rock's most prominent frontmen and helped the band gain considerable attention in the early days of MTV. As a solo artist, he had hits such as “California Girls,” a cover of a Beach Boys song, and “Just Like Paradise.”
- Elvis Presley worked for Crown Electric. According to the source, he continued working there until mid-October 1954.
- Elvis Presley continued working for Crown Electric until the middle of October 1954.
- Elvis Presley performed with Scotty Moore and Bill Black at the Eagle's Nest club in Memphis. The Tiny Dixon Band and The Eagles were also on the bill.