ON THIS DAY IN 1958, ELVIS PRESLEY’S SONG JAILHOUSE ROCK BECAME THE FIRST SINGLE TO ENTER THE U.K POP CHARTS AT NUMBER ONE

Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song was released on a 45 rpm single in 1957. The track featured real characters such as The Purple Gang, a Chicago mob and Shifty Henry, who was not actually a criminal but rather a well-known LA musician. “Sad Sack” was a nickname coined in WW2 for a loser and later became the name of a successful comic strip and book.

The track became a US number one hit for seven weeks in late 1957 before debuting in the UK charts at number one in 1958, an unprecedented feat. The song has become a classic in the rock and roll genre, covered by bands like Queen, The Beatles, Motley Crue as well as being featured in films like Casper (1995) and The Blues Brothers (1980) as well as Elvis’ own film of the same title.

As well as the covers and performances, Jailhouse Rock has also earned multiple accolades such as reaching number 67 in Rolling Stones list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.

ON THIS DAY IN 1957, ELVIS PRESLEY WAS SERVED HIS DRAFT NOTICE BY THE US ARMY

Presley had already reached superstar status with six number one hits and was enjoying his Christmas holidays in his newly-purchased Memphis mansion, Graceland, when the draft notice arrived.

At the time, all young American males were required to serve in the military for two years of active duty as well as four years as a reserve. The Army had reportedly passed the singer as fit for service earlier that year in January, though some say he chose to forego the possibility of a “special Service”, which was basic training followed by two years entertaining fellow troops. Others say his manager Colonel Tom Parker forced him into regular duty in order to improve his image with older American audiences, a ploy that worked if true.

Some conspirators say that the US government drafted Presley as a way of keeping his from young American audiences, as his performances were still considered controversial and inappropriate for the youth that were his main consumers. While there is no proof of this, it is said that the army received tens of thousands of fan letters asking for their idol to be spared from duty, to no avail.

ON THIS DAY IN 1957, PAUL MCCARTNEY MADE HIS DEBUT STAGE APPEARANCE

Playing lead guitar, McCartney joined The Quarrymen alongside John Lennon, Eric Griffiths, Colin Hanson and Len Garry. Playing at the New Clubmoor Hall Conservative Club in Liverpool, a nervous McCartney fumbled his solo on “Guitar Boogie” but the group is still booked as a regular act for Saturday night dances.

While this gig marked the first time Lennon and McCartney played onstage together, marking a significant occasion in Beatles history, promoter Charlie Mac’s verdict was less impressive, as he scribbled “Good & Bad” on the bands visiting card.

The band added George Harrison in 1958 and went on to become The Beatles in 1960. The remaining members of the Quarrymen reunited in 1997 and have since toured the world and released four new albums.

ON THIS DAY IN 1957, THE OFFICIAL ELVIS PRESLEY FAN CLUB WAS LAUNCHED

A year beforend, Look magazine reported that Presley records had grossed over $6 million and that the singer received over 3,000 fan letters a week. This was considered a monumental success after around 3 years in the music industry.

The fan club launched with a significant amount of members and continued to grow rapidly, reaching 7,000 members by 1959. Newsletters were issued bi-monthly and twice a year a larger journal would be issued. Other merchandise was also available, such as pins, photos and calendars.

The Official Elvis Presley Fan Club continues today at the domain www.elvispresleyfanclub.co.uk. While the number of official members is unknown, the groups Facebook currently has over 47,000 likes, and the club is still able to be joined. The group is now considered to be one of the largest fan clubs in music history.

TODAY MARKS ANOTHER MONUMENTAL DAY IN BEATLES AND POPULAR MUSIC HISTORY AS THE ANNIVERSARY OF JOHN LENNON AND PAUL MCCARTNEY’S FIRST MEETING

On this day in 1957, John Lennon was playing a church fete with his band, the Quarrymen, after which his bass player introduced him to one of his classmates, a 15 year old Paul McCartney. The pair were impressed with each others talents and Paul was asked to join the band shortly after, and the rest was history.

The decision to include McCartney did not come easily to John Lennon and the other Quarrymen as they feared his talents would steal the spotlight, but it was decided he would be an asset to the group. So began the next four decades of tenuous friendship, with occasions with the pair co-writing some of the most instrumental songs in the success of The Beatles, and others where they confronted each other either physically or in courtrooms. Despite the pairs differences, when they got along their musical prowess was undeniable, as proven by the above video. For more information on Lennon’s thoughts during the Beatles split, Ritchie’s book is an essential read!

Paul McCartney will be touring Australia in December of 2017, and the show has been receiving fantastic reviews. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com

ON THIS DAY IN 1956, ELVIS PRESLEY MADE HIS ACTING DEBUT IN “LOVE ME TENDER”

The film, based on the true story of the four Reno brothers, a group of brothers existing in civil war America, with Presley playing the youngest, Clint.

Elvis had reportedly always expressed an interest in acting, in fact on his first meeting with future manager Colonel Tom Parker, he expressed this desire to be an actor. Parker’s plans for Presley’s acting career always included a musical component for the purpose of cross-promotion, sometimes at the cost of a good script.

Presley however was hardworking, arriving on the first day with all of his lines memorised, as well as most of the other actor’s, and had recorded his parts and music in little more than a month. Presley performed “love Me Tender” for the first time in early September and two weeks later, RCA confirmed the single had gone gold before it’s release, an industry first.

The film closed it’s first week at #2, only behind a posthumous James Dean release, and while many critics had lukewarm responses, a number of others viewed the film favourably. At cinema openings, teenage girls screamed, making it difficult to follow the story and leading Elvis to tell his friend Cliff Gleaves that he found this type of reaction to be embarrassing, and prevented him from being viewed as a serious actor.

On this day in 1956, The Nat King Cole Show debuted on NBC

After an extremely successful early career, Cole’s popularity enabled him to become the first African-American man to host a network variety program. The show originally ran for 15 minutes before being extended to half an hour.

The Nat King Cole Show had a high production value and support from some big entertainers like Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Jane Russel and Harry Belafonte. Cole himself had performed on many TV shows leading up to the release of his own show and so had a strong idea of how to perform and host a variety show. In fact he and his managers had been lobbying for a show for several years before NBC offered him the job.

The Nat King Cole show ran for a year, coming to a close in December of 1957. Unfortunately, the bigotry and racism of the time made it extremely difficult for Cole to gain the necessary support from corporate sponsors and so the show had to end. After the show ended Nat King Cole famously spoke on the reason for the shows end, saying that “Madison Avenue is afraid of the dark”.

ON THIS DAY IN 1956, THE RENOWNED ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK FILM WAS DEBUTED

Opening early in Washington D.C. ahead of the films official release on March 21, the movie featured a highly fictionalised take on the discovery of rock and roll. Running for only 77 minutes, the film nonetheless was regarded as one of the big box office successes of the year.

The film starred Alan Freed as himself, and featured music mostly from Bill Haley and the Comets, as well as some other smaller acts like Tony Martinez and His Mambo and The Platters. No official soundtrack album was ever released for the film, but several unauthorised compilations were assembled to tie-in with the movie.

Rock Around the Clock was notable as it became the first major box office smash centred around rock and roll music, and it opened the doors for many to follow, as well as allowing musical acts to pursue seperate careers in film. By the next year Elvis Presley would be cast in the most popular films of the rock genre, Jailhouse Rock and King Creole.

ALSO ON MARCH 2ND, MUCH EARLIER IN 1955, BO DIDDLEY ENTERED THE UNIVERSAL RECORDING STUDIOS IN CHICAGO FOR THE FIRST TIME AND RECORDED HIS SELF-TITLED SONG AS THE DEBUT RELEASE TO HIS PHENOMENAL CAREER

Later released in April, the song soared to number one for two weeks, and staying in the charts for a total of eighteen weeks. The B-side, “I’m a Man” was also successful, charting for eleven weeks.

This record in instrumental to rock and roll history being the first recognised entry of African rhythms into rock and roll using a specific beat. The influence of this beat reverberates through popular music history, in early rock songs by bands such as The Beatles and The Animals. Today, both Bo Diddley and his self-titled hit reside in numerous hall of fames throughout the world such as Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll and is recognised for his cultural and musical importance for a number of his hits. This song in particular has been added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registery as a “culturally, historically or aesthetically important” American sound recordings.

ON THIS DAY IN 1955, SAM PHILIPS LAUNCHED RENOWNED RECORD LABEL, SUN RECORDS

The launch song, “Drivin’ Slow” was recorded by 16 year old saxophonist Johnny London. The label soon released music from now famed musicians like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Howlin’ Wolf and Johnny Cash. Founded in Memphis, Sun Records had a clear focus on rhythm and blues, with Philips being a huge fan who aimed to bring the music to a white audience.

The company was an early supporter of African-American artists, partly due to Philips passion for their music. The company was sold in 1969 to Shelby Singleton who reformed the company into Sun Entertainment Corporation, which it remains as today. From here, Sun obtained numerous other small labels in various acquisitions over the years, and moved it’s headquarters to Nashville.

Sun’s legacy continues through numerous compilations and covers of its early hits that still release today. Collectables and these CD’s can be purchased from Sun’s website. A TV series about the label called “Sun Records” also aired last year and the eight episodes can be found online.