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.

On this day in 1954, Elvis Presley made his professional concert debut

The show, performed at the Overton Park Shell in Memphis (now the Levitt Shell at Overton Park) was a Slim Whitman concert in which Elvis was scheduled to open alongside various other artists. Originally advertised as a ‘Hillbilly Hoedown’, the show eventually changed it’s advertising, making the show Presley’s first advertised performance.

Presley stole the show, performing songs he had written in a history-making session at Sun Studio, including “That’s All Right”, which had become a hit within days of its release, and “Blue Moon of Kentucky”. In the crowd was Presley’s girlfriend, Dixie Locke and his parents, Vernon and Gladys, alongside a large enthusiastic crowd. Elvis was so nervous he didn’t notice that his legs were shaking, causing the crowd to go wild.

Many music historians refer to this show as not only Elvis’ Professional debut but also as the first true rock and roll concert and a major turning point for the genre.

ON THIS DAY IN 1954, MUSIC HISTORY WAS MADE AS ELVIS PRESLEY SIGNED HIS FIRST RECORD DEAL

Presley had relocated to Memphis, Tennessee with his family, and was working as a truck driver for the Crown Electric company. He went into Sun Records in August of 1953 to cut a first single, and a receptionist took down his name. Throughout the next year, Presley recorded a couple of other songs until his eventual signing on the 12th of July, 1954.

Presley began working with producer Sam Philips, who was primarily concerned with mainstreaming the sounds of African-American music and making them more accessible. This tactic was immediately successful, as when Presley debuted on the radio, stations were inundated with requests to know more about the young singer.

Elvis went on to play his first live show on the 17th of July, at the Bon Air club, playing alongside two local musicians. This is where Elvis pioneered his signature leg-shaking dance moves, apparently starting as a combination of his rhythmic responses and nervousness at playing for such a large crowd. The moves reportedly caused many a young woman in the crowd to start screaming. And so began the career of a truly remarkable performer and one of the first rock and roll greats.

ON THIS DAY IN 1894, A STAPLE OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WAS ESTABLISHED WHEN THE FIRST ISSUE OF BILLBOARD WAS RELEASED

Originally called Billboard Advertising, the magazine declared it would be “a monthly resume of all that is bright, new and interesting on the boards.” The eight pages of the magazine would be focussed on “advertisers, poster printers, bill posters, advertising agents & secretaries of fairs.”

The first cover subject was R.C. Campbell, then-president of the Associated Bill Poster’s Association, claiming him as the most “eminent man” in the field that the magazine aimed to cover. Over the next 124 years, the magazine evolved to focus on the music industry.

In 1940, Billboard showed it’s first music chart, the 10-position “National List of Best Selling Retail Records”, topped by Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra’s “I’ll Never Smile Again.” Eventually this chart grew to become what we now recognise as the industry standard Billboard 200 and Artist 100.