Timeline


 

1950   

  • World Events:  Korean War Begins   McCarthy Hearings begin
  • Popular Music:  Mona Lisa-Nat King Cole
  • Rock n’ Roll:  The Fat Man -Fats Domino
  • Jazz:  Rollin’ Stone-Muddy Waters
  • Country:  Tennessee Waltz-Patti Page

1951    

  • World Events:  Transcontinental TV, Color TV introduced
  • Music News:  Radio Stations ban Dean Martin’s Wham Bam for suggestive lyrics
  • Popular Music:  Cry-Johnnie Ray Jazz     Three O’clock Blues – BB King
  • Country: Cold cold Heart-Hank Williams
  • Movie Music:  I Got Rhythm-Gene Kelly from American in Paris

1952

  •  Popular Music:  My Song -Johnny Ace
  • Rock n’ Roll:  Lawdy Miss Clasdy-Lloyd Prince
  • Jazz:  Goin Home – Fats Domino
  • Country:  Jambalaya – Hank Williams
  • Movie Music:  Singing in the Rain – Gene Kelly, Make ‘em Laugh-Donald O’ Connor, Good Morining -Kelly, O’connor, Reynolds from Sining in the Rain

1953    

  •  World Events:  DNA discovered, Hillary climbs Mt. Everest
  • Movie Music:  Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend-Marilyn Monroe from Gentlemen  Prefer Bondes

1954    

  • Music News:  First Newport Jazz Festival
  • Popular Music:  Earth Angel-Penguins
  • Rock n’ Roll:  Rock Around the Clock – bill Haley & the Comets

1955    

  • World Events:  Dr. Jonas Salk develops polio vaccine, Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat and challenges segregation laws, Disneyland Opens, Warsaw Pact Signed, Emmett till Murdered
  • Popular Music:  The Great Pretenders – Platters
  • Rock n’ Roll:  Tutti-Frutti – Little Richard
  • Country:  Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two

1956    

  • World Events:  Suez Crisis, Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco
  • Music News:  Elvis Shakes his hips on the Ed Sullivan Show, Million Dollar Quartet meets Dec 4, 1956
  • Rock n’ Roll:  Hound Hog -Elvis, Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis
  • Movie Music:  Que Sera, Sera-Doris Day from The Man Who Knew Too Much

1957    

  • World Events:  Soviet Union Launches Sputnic and begins Space Age
  • Music News:  American Bandstand Begins
  • Rock n’ Roll:  Peggy Sue – Buddy Holly & the Crickets     All Shook Up-Elvis
  • Jazz:  Blue Train -John Coltrane
  • Country:  Kisses Sweeter Then Wine – Jimmie Rodgers
  • Movie Music:  Jailhouse Rock-Elvis from Jailhouse Rock

1958    

  •  World Events: US Satellite orbits earth    Hula Hoops
  •  Popular Music: Lonely Teardrops-Jackie Wilson
  •  Rock n’ Roll: Johnnyt B. Goode-Chuck Berry, La Bamba-Ritchie Valens
  • Country: All I Have to Do is Dream – Everly Brothers

1959

  •  World Events:  Castro becomes Dictator of Cuba, US Quiz Show Scandal, Charles Lincoln Van Doren admits to cheating on NBC’s 21 Game Show
  •  Music News:  The Day the Music Died’-Plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Balens and J.P. Richardson, First Grammy Awards
  •  Popular Music:  I Only Have Eyes for You – Flamingos, Mack the Knife – Bobby Darin