January 14 – First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York. Previously the genre term was just called "Rock and Roll"[citation needed]
February 1 – Johnny "Guitar" Watson records "Space Guitar" pioneering reverb and feedback techniques on guitar[citation needed]
March 12 – Arnold Schoenberg's opera Moses und Aron has its first performance in Hamburg (it is given a staged première on June 6 in Zurich).[1]
March 15 – The Chords record "Sh-Boom" for Atlantic Records' Cat subsidiary.[citation needed]
March 25 – At the 26th Academy Awards, Frank Sinatra wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in From Here to Eternity, resuscitating his singing career in the process. At the same ceremony, Bing Crosby is nominated for Best Actor for his role in The Country Girl.[2]
April – Fender Stratocasterelectric guitar first produced in California.
April 12 – Bill Haley and His Comets record "Rock Around the Clock" in New York City for Decca Records.[3]
May 5 – The seventeenth Maggio Musicale Fiorentino opens with a performance of Gaspare Spontini's last opera, Agnese di Hohenstaufen, and continues until 20 June, featuring operas by Weber, Adriano Lualdi, Puccini, and Tchaikovsky, as well as the world premiere of Valentino Bucchi's Il contrabasso.[4]
May 20 – "Rock Around the Clock" is released as the B-side of "Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)". The song is only a moderate success (US # 23 on May 29, 1954, for only one week ; UK # 17, in December 1954) until it is featured in the film Blackboard Jungle the following year.[citation needed]
July 5 – Elvis Presley has his first commercial recording session at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. He sings "That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky", released as his first single on July 19 naming the performers as Elvis Presley, Scotty and Bill.[5] The songs were originally sung by Arthur Crudup in 1946 and Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys in 1947 respectively.
October 16 – Elvis Presley makes his first radio broadcast, on a show in Shreveport, Louisiana, called the Louisiana Hayride.[citation needed]
Fall – A cover version of Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" by Bill Haley and His Comets becomes the first internationally popular rock and roll recording.[citation needed]
Record companies deliver 7-inch 45 rpm record singles to radio stations instead of 78s.[6]
The following singles achieved the highest chart positions in the set of charts available for 1954.
#
Artist
Title
Year
Country
Chart Entries
1
The Chordettes
Mr. Sandman
1954
US Billboard 1 – Oct 1954 (20 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Nov 1954 (8 weeks), US 1 for 4 weeks – Dec 1954, US CashBox 1 – Oct 1954 (23 weeks), Radio Luxembourg sheet music 1 for 6 weeks – Jan 1955, Australia 1 for 4 weeks – Apr 1955, Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002 (1954), Peel list 1 of 1954, US BB 5 of 1954, DZE 5 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 6 of 1954, POP 7 of 1954, RYM 9 of 1954, UK 11 – Dec 1954 (8 weeks), Brazil 27 of 1955, DDD 45 of 1954, RIAA 252, Acclaimed 1006 (1954)
2
Doris Day
Secret Love
1954
UK 1 – Apr 1954 (29 weeks), US Billboard 1 – Jan 1954 (22 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Jan 1954 (20 weeks), US 1 for 3 weeks – Feb 1954, US CashBox 1 – Nov 1953 (30 weeks), Radio Luxembourg sheet music 1 for 7 weeks – May 1954, Oscar in 1953 (film 'Calamity Jane'), Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1953), UKMIX 7, DZE 8 of 1954, US BB 11 of 1954, POP 11 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 12 of 1954, RYM 12 of 1953, Brazil 17 of 1954, Italy 54 of 1954
3
The Crew-Cuts
Sh-Boom
1954
US Billboard 1 – Jul 1954 (20 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Jul 1954 (20 weeks), US 1 for 7 weeks – Aug 1954, US CashBox 1 – Jul 1954 (24 weeks), Australia 1 for 4 weeks – Dec 1954, DZE 1 of 1954, US BB 3 of 1954, Flanders 3 – Dec 1954 (3 months), POP 3 of 1954, UK 12 – Oct 1954 (9 weeks), Brazil 13 of 1954, France (50s) 20 of 1954, RYM 22 of 1954, Italy 95 of 1955
4
Kitty Kallen
Little Things Mean a Lot
1954
UK 1 – Jul 1954 (23 weeks), US Billboard 1 – Apr 1954 (26 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Apr 1954 (25 weeks), US 1 for 9 weeks – Jun 1954, US CashBox 1 – Apr 1954 (28 weeks), Radio Luxembourg sheet music 1 for 12 weeks – Jul 1954, Australia 1 for 5 weeks – Oct 1954, DZE 2 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 9 of 1954, US BB 15 of 1954, POP 15 of 1954, UKMIX 28, RYM 145 of 1954
US Billboard 1 – Jul 1954 (27 weeks), US 1940s 1 – Jul 1954 (23 weeks), US 1 for 6 weeks – Sep 1954, US CashBox 1 – Jul 1954 (31 weeks), Australia 1 for 4 weeks – Feb 1957, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 (1954), UK 4 – Oct 1955 (11 weeks), DZE 7 of 1954, Your Hit Parade 14 of 1954, US BB 18 of 1954, POP 21 of 1954, Brazil 31 of 1954, RYM 34 of 1954, DDD 66 of 1954
US No. 1 hit singles[]
These singles reached the top of US Billboard magazine's charts in 1954.
1 Recording for the Austrian Radio. The Symphony received its two first concert performances in 1955 under Alois Melichar in Graz and Jan Koetsier in Munich.[31]
Compositions[]
Witold Lutoslawski in 1952/53. The Concerto for Orchestra launched his international career
Arnold Bax – Autumn Legend for Cor Anglais and Strings
After the Ball (Music, Lyrics and Book: Noël Coward) London production opened at the Globe Theatre on June 10 and ran for 188 performances
The Boy Friend Broadway production opened at the Royale Theatre on September 30 and ran for 485 performances
By the Beautiful Sea (Music: Arthur Schwartz Lyrics: Dorothy Fields) Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on April 8 and transferred to the Imperial Theatre on October 2 for a total run of 268 performances. Starring Shirley Booth
Can-Can London production opened at the Coliseum on October 14 and ran for 394 performances
The Duenna ( Music: Julian Slade Lyrics & Book: Dorothy Reynolds) London production opened at the Westminster Theatre on July 28 and ran for 134 performances
Fanny Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on November 4 and transferred to the Belasco Theatre on December 4, 1956, for a total run of 888 performances
The Girl in Pink Tights Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on March 5 and ran for 115 performances
The Golden Apple Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on April 20 and ran for 125 performances
(Music: George Posford Lyrics & Book: Eric Maschwitz and Arnold Ridley) London production opened at the Palace Theatre on December 22 and ran for 31 performances
House of Flowers Broadway production opened at the Alvin Theatre on December 30 and ran for 165 performances
On Your Toes Broadway revival opened at the 46th Street Theatre on October 11 and ran for 64 performances
The Pajama Game (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) — Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on May 13 and transferred to the Shubert Theatre on November 24, 1956, for a total run of 1063 performances
Pal Joey (Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Lorenz Hart Book: John O'Hara) London production opened at Princes Theatre on August 4 and ran for 245 performances
Peter Pan Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 20 and ran for 152 performances
Salad Days (Music: Julian Slade Lyrics & Book: Dorothy Reynolds and Julian Slade) London production opened at the Vaudeville Theatre on August 5 and ran for 2283 performances
London revue opened at the Adelphi Theatre on February 25. Starring and .
Johnny Ace, American rhythm and blues singer, 25 (shooting accident)
Rosario Scalero, violinist, teacher and composer, 84
date unknown – Per Reidarson, composer and music critic
References[]
^Anon. "Arnold Schoenberg: Moses und Aaron". Metropolitan Opera International Radio Broadcast Information Center (Archived copy from 14 April 2012, accessed 20 April 2013).
^Anon., "'Maggio Musicale': Spontini Opera to Be Revived", The Times Issue 52830 (15 January 1954): 10D; Anon., "Opening of 'Maggio Musicale': Orchestra's Anniversary", The Times Issue 52927 (10 May 1954): 9D.
^ Jump up to: abMarietta Morawska-Büngeler, Schwingende Elektronen: ine Dokumentation über das Studio für Elektronische Musik des Westdeutschen Rundfunks in Köln 1951–1986 (Cologne-Rodenkirchen: P. J. Tonger Musikverlag, 1988): 115.