Jan '58
17 year old teen idol Ricky Nelson has a #1 album, helped by his family's primetime TV show.(more) (video)
Jan '58
Presley's single "Jailhouse Rock" becomes the first UK single to enter the charts at #1, (more)
Feb '58
Feb '58
Jerry Lee Lewis has his third top 10 hit in a row with "Breathless". In March he tours with Chuck Berry and others, lighting his piano on fire while closing with "Great Balls of Fire" (more) (video)
Mar '58
Link Wray and his Ray Men have an instrumental guitar hit "Rumble" which features distortion and an early use of the "power chord". (more)
The Stroll becomes Rock and Roll's first dance craze with the help of TV's American Bandstand,
Mar '58
After being drafted, Elvis is inducted into the Army. He serves two years stationed in Germany. (more)
Jun '58
Jerry Lee Lewis' UK tour derails when the press discovers he is married to his 13 year old second cousin, Myra Gale Brown, daughter of his bass player. The resulting negative publicity ends his pop music career. (more)
Jun '58
Atlantic Records artists, The Coasters reach #1 with Yakety Yak, from the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller. (more)
Eddie Cochran charts with "Summertime Blues" on which he uses overdub to perform all vocals and play all instruments.
Aug '58
Chuck Berry reaches #2 with "Sweet Little 16" and #8 with "Johnny B. Goode" on the Chess record label. (more) (video)
The Champs have a #1 hit with the instrumental "Tequila".
17 year old Bobby Freeman scores a #5 hit with "Do You Wanna Dance?"
Jul '58
Oct '58
17 year old Californian, Ritchie Valens rockets to fame with the double single "Donna" b/w "La Bamba".
Aug '58
Mar '58
Folk revivalists - The Kingston Trio release "Tom Dooley" which hits number 1 later in the year. (more)
Jun '58
- R o c k M u s i c T i m e l i n e -
1958
1958
- R o c k M u s i c T i m e l i n e -
1958
1958
Nov '58
On This Page In
Rock and Roll History
1958:
Ricky Nelson
Elvis Presley -
Jailhouse Rock
Danny & The Juniors
Jerry Lee Lewis
Chuck Berry
Link Wray
The Champs
The Coasters
Kingston Trio
Myra Gale Lewis
Bobby Freeman
Cliff Richard
Eddie Cochran -
Summertime Blues
Johnny Otis
Ritchie Valens
Little Anthony &
The Imperials
Conway Twitty
Bobby Day - Rockin' Robin
The Big Bopper
The Diamonds - The Stroll
The Teddy Bears
Phil Spector
The Chipmunks
US #1 Hits of 1958
UK #1 Hits of 1958
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Listen to the Music
From 1958
Press Play To Hear It !
"Played up-tempo, you call it rock 'n' roll; at a regular tempo,
you call it rhythm and blues." - Little Richard
Jan '58
After performing "At The Hop" on American Bandstand,the Philadelphia based quartet Danny and the Juniors, take the song to #1, (more)
Capitalizing on the dance craze, Brooks Benton writes the song "The Stroll" for Canadian quartet The Diamonds. The single goes to #4. (more)
Dec '58
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California blues pianist and band leader Johnny Otis scores a top ten hit with "Willie and the Hand Jive".
Aug '58
Oct '58
Conway Twitty pens the #1 smash hit, "It's Only Make Believe". Twitty would have several more hits before switching to country music and becoming one of the most successful country acts of all time, with 55 number one country hits. (more)
Oct '58
The debut single from Little Anthony & The Imperials, "Tears On My Pillow", goes to #4.
Nov '58
Bobby Day of Los Angeles, takes his single "Rockin' Robin" all the way to #2.
Nov '58
Texas radio DJ, JP Richardson scores a top ten hit with "Chantilly Lace". Richardson also wrote the hits "White Lightning" for George Jones and "Running Bear" for Johnny Preston.
Oct '58
17 year old Californian, Phil Spector, writes, plays, sings and produces the #1 single "To Know Him Is To Love Him" for his band The Teddy Bears.
Dec '58
Ross Bagdasarian (a.k.a. David Seville) finds an enduring novelty formula with "The Chipmunk Song" which he takes to #1 for Christmas 1958.
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