Celebrating 60 years of Rock music. Update: 1960.

60 YEARS OF

ROCK

(1955-2015)

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JULY 9, 1955

-“Rock Around The Clock” reaches #1 

1956

-Elvis becomes rock 'n roll's first major star.

 

1957 
-Buddy Holly & The Crickets: rock's prototype group.
 










1958
-Jerry Lee Lewis' career is damaged when he marries his teen cousin.

 

  







1959
- Ray Charles brings gospel to secular music & creates soul. 

 

1960

-Chubby Checker's cover of "The Twist" sparks a new dance craze. 
-Motown Records re-releases "Money" by Barrett Strong.
-Eddie Cochran dies in a car crash.
-Ben E. King leaves The Drifters to go solo.
-Aretha Franklin records pop songs for Columbia Records.
-The Beatles play 3 months of gigs in Hamburg, Germany.
-Cliff Richard is replaced at #1 in UK by his backing band The Shadows.
-Elvis' "It's Now Or Never" sells 780,000 copies in its 1st week (a record).
 

As a new decade began, rock 'n roll's future was far from assured. By the end of the 1950s, most of its key artists were suffering from major setbacks. Disc jockeys were being investigated for payola. Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry were rocked by scandal. Elvis Presley, absent while serving in the army, was expected to have lost his career's momentum. Eddie Cochran became another rock 'n roll casualty. 
Nevertheless, the 1960s saw a revival of R&B and this time it was being targeted to a mainstream and affluent white audience. The Drifters raised the bar in production techniques. Chubby Checker ignited the dance craze of the era: the twist. Motown Records started releasing seminal singles. Surf music attracted sales. When Elvis concluded his army stint, he returned with a series of mega-successful hit songs.