Events in 1957
- An official Elvis Presley fan club was established in the United Kingdom.
- Buddy Holly and the Crickets performed at the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C., as part of a tour featuring Clyde McPhatter, The Cadillacs, Edna McGriff, Otis Rush, Lee Andrews & The Hearts, Oscar & Oscar, and The G-Clefs. “That'll Be the Day” was at No. 2 on the U.S. chart at the time, and the tour marked Holly’s first major tour.
- Mojo Nixon, the American singer and guitarist best known for the song “Elvis Is Everywhere,” was born on August 2, 1957.
- The single “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
- The Everly Brothers made their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing “Bye Bye Love” and “Hey Doll Baby.”
- American Bandstand made its national debut on ABC with Dick Clark as host. The show had previously aired locally in Philadelphia from 1952. The Chordettes were the first guests, and the first record played was “That'll Be the Day” by Buddy Holly.
- Buddy Holly and The Crickets zahájili své první velké turné koncertem v Howard Theatre ve Washingtonu, D.C.
- The Quarry Men vystoupili poprvé v Cavern Clubu v Liverpoolu bez Paula McCartneyho, který byl na skautském táboře. Klub byl tehdy především jazzovým podnikem. Během skifflového vystoupení John Lennon zahrál rock'n'rollové skladby a po několika písních byli The Quarry Men vyzváni, aby přestali hrát rock.
- They made their first appearance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool. On February 9, 1961, the group performed there for the first time under their new name, The Beatles.
- Dennis Drew, founding member and keyboardist of alternative rock group 10,000 Maniacs, was born in Jamestown, New York.
- Elvis Presley took Venetia Stevenson, Lamar Fike, George Klein and other friends to the Memphis Fairgrounds and then to a private midnight screening of the film "Loving You" at the Strand theater.
- Fats Domino released his debut album "This Is Fats".
- Frankie Lymon officially left his group and began a solo career.
- Columbia Records released the single “Chances Are” in both 45 and 78 RPM formats. The song later reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 and spent 22 weeks in the Top 40.
- Buddy Holly and The Crickets began a six-night engagement at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem. They were the first white rock act to perform there; the audience initially rejected them because it expected an R&B group with the same name, but they won the audience over after several nights.
- Ricky Nelson recorded "Be-Bop Baby" during his first recording session for Imperial Records. The song had 750,000 advance orders before its release; it later sold more than one million copies and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B chart.
- Tim Farriss, guitarist for the Australian rock band INXS, was born in Perth, Western Australia.
- Debbie Reynolds reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart with the song “Tammy” from the film Tammy and the Bachelor. The song received a gold record and became the year's best-selling single. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to “All the Way” from The Joker Is Wild.
- Debbie Reynolds’ “Tammy” reached number one, where it remained for five weeks.
- Pat Boone appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine as part of a “Special Music Report” with the headline “His Refreshing Song Fills The Air”. The accompanying article claimed that teenagers were finally rebelling against “musical delinquents”. At the time, Boone already had 18 recordings in the US Billboard Top 40, four of which had reached number one. On the same day, Elvis Presley was at number 28 on the US chart with “Loving You”.
- Budgie, drummer of Siouxsie and the Banshees, was born.
- Elvis bought two stone lions and had them installed on either side of the steps leading to Graceland.
- Kim Sledge of Sister Sledge was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Country singer and songwriter Holly Dunn was born in San Antonio, Texas. She became best known for her No. 1 singles “You Really Had Me Going” and “Are You Ever Gonna Love Me”.
- The film “Loving You” starring Elvis Presley premiered in London.
- Paul Anka reached number one on the UK singles chart with “Diana”. It was his only UK chart-topper and also the first UK number-one hit by a teenage solo artist. At the time of the success he was only a few days short of his 16th birthday, and he wrote the song about his brother's babysitter.
- The title song from the film “Tammy and the Bachelor”, simply titled “Tammy” in Debbie Reynolds' version, was No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 and Cashbox's best-selling records chart. Debbie was accompanied only by piano on the single, while the film version featured a full orchestra.
- Founding member, rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter of the punk rock band The Undertones, John O'Neill was born in Derry, Northern Ireland. He wrote songs including “Teenage Kicks”, “Jimmy Jimmy”, “Here Comes the Summer” and “You've Got My Number”.
- Elvis Presley arrived in Spokane, Washington, at 11:20 p.m. at the beginning of his tour, which was managed by Al Dvorin.
- Paul Anka began a nine-week run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Diana”.
- Elvis Presley performed at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, before 26,000 fans. It was his third and final concert outside the United States. The 25-minute program included "Heartbreak Hotel", "All Shook Up", "I Was The One", "I Got A Woman", "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", "Fools Hall Of Fame", "Don't Be Cruel", "Love Me", "Mean Woman Blues" and "Hound Dog". He was accompanied by Scotty Moore, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana and The Jordanaires. After the performance, Elvis gave his gold jacket to a crew member, who wore it while getting into the car so that fans would believe Elvis was leaving. Tickets cost 1.50, 2.50 and 3.50 Canadian dollars.
- Drummer and singer Regina "Gina" Schock was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She became known as a member of the all-female rock band The Go-Go's. In 1982, the group had the U.S. single "We Got The Beat" at No. 2 and the British hit "Our Lips Are Sealed".
- English singer, songwriter and guitarist Glenn Tilbrook was born in Woolwich, London. He became best known as the frontman and founding member of Squeeze. The group's well-known songs include "Tempted", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", "Cool for Cats" and "Up the Junction".
- Tommy Steele reached No. 1 on the British albums chart with "The Tommy Steele Story", the soundtrack to the film following his rise to fame.
- Elvis Presley performed at 2:00 p.m. at Lincoln Bowl in Tacoma, Washington, with supporting acts Howard Hardin, The Burns Twins & Evelyn, Joe Termini, Wells & The Four Fays, Paul Desmond and The Jordanaires. At 10:00 p.m., he performed at Sick's Stadium in Seattle, Washington, where he played a 30-minute concert before 15,000 people. He also sang “Fool's Hall Of Fame,” a new recording released by Sun Records by Rudi Richardson. Elvis told the audience it would be his new single, but he never recorded it.
- Cuban-American singer, songwriter and actress Gloria Estefan, whose real name is Gloria Fajardo, was born in Havana, Cuba. She joined Miami Sound Machine in 1977 and married its leader Emilio Estefan the following year. She became known in Latin pop and also successfully reached English-speaking audiences with hits including “Conga,” “Anything For You” and “Coming Out Of The Dark.”
- As a young man, he attended Elvis Presley's performance at Sicks Stadium in Seattle.
- The Biggest Show Of Stars tour began at the Brooklyn Paramount. The lineup included Buddy Holly & The Crickets, The Drifters, The Everly Brothers and Frankie Lymon. At some concerts, artists were unable to perform because of segregation laws.
- Elvis Presley performed at Multnomah Stadium in Portland, Oregon. Before the concert, he gave reporters an interview about love and marriage. The performance lasted approximately 40 minutes, but the crowd nearly rioted and police had to intervene.
- On September 2, 1957, Elvis Presley had several chart successes at the same time: the EP “Loving You Vol. II” reached number 18 on the US chart, the soundtrack EP “Love Me Tender” reached number 22, and the song “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear” reached number one on the R&B chart.
- Pete Seeger sang “We Shall Overcome” at the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee during celebrations of its 25th anniversary. Martin Luther King Jr. was also present and delivered the closing speech. The song later became closely associated with the civil rights movement, in which King and Seeger fought for equality.
- Keyboardist, songwriter and film music composer Steve Porcaro was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He became known as a founding member of the rock band Toto.
- After traveling by train from Portland to Los Angeles, Elvis Presley checked into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. On the same day, The Oregonian published a review of his concert, while the Vancouver Sun published articles about his performance and hairstyle.
- Suzanne Freytag of the group Propaganda was born.
- Jerry Lee Lewis filed for divorce from his second wife. Three months later, he married his cousin Myra before the divorce had been legally finalized.
- 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.
- 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.