1956 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1956.
Events
- January 30 -- Despite a 4-inch snowstorm, 17,000 fans attend a Coliseum concert in Denver, Colorado. On the bill are Webb Pierce, Red Foley, the Foggy River Boys, Ray Price, Floyd Cramer, Roy Hill, the Echo Valley Boys and others.[1]
- March 15 -- Colonel Tom Parker becomes manager of Elvis Presley.[2]
- March 22 -- Carl Perkins is seriously injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Delaware, while en route to perform on The Perry Como Show.[3]
- November 10 -- George Jones is named the most promising country and western artist, according to Billboard magazine's annual nationwide disc jockey poll. Elvis Presley is the most played C&W artist.[4]
No dates
Top hits of the year
Number one hits
United States
(as certified by Billboard)
- Notes
- 1^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
- 2^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
- A^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
- B^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
- Note: Several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes," "Most Played C&W by Jockeys" and "C&W Best Sellers in Stores" charts.
Other major hits
Top new album releases
Births
- January 18 — Mark Collie, country artist of the early 1990s.
- March 26 — Charly McClain, country vocalist of the early-to-mid-1980s.
- June 19 — Doug Stone, popular country vocalist during the early- to mid-1990s.
- July 6 — John Jorgenson, member of The Desert Rose Band.
- September 22 — Debby Boone, granddaughter of Red Foley who enjoyed country success of her own in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- October 23 — Dwight Yoakam, neotraditionalist since the mid-1980s who helped revitalize interest in the Bakersfield Sound.
- December 9 — Sylvia Kirby, pop-styled female vocalist of the early-1980s who became best known as "Sylvia."
- December 21 — Lee Roy Parnell, alternative country star who enjoyed mainstream country success during the mid-1990s.
- December 30 — Suzy Bogguss, folk-styled country artist who rose to fame in the early 1990s.
Deaths
References
- ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac: The Chronicles of Rock & Roll," Collier Books, MacMillan Publishing Co., New York and London, 1983, p. 20. ISBN 0-02-081320-1
- ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac, p. 21.
- ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac, p. 21.
- ^ Rolling Stone Rock Almanac, p. 25.
Further reading
- Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
- Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
- Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2005.
Other links