Jan '59
Feb 3 '59
A late night plane crash following a Feb. 2nd performance at Clear Lake, Iowa kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. (more)
Feb '59
Feb '59
Back from serving in the Korean War, New Orlean's Lloyd Price tops the Pop and R&B charts with "Stagger Lee". He would hit #2 in July with "Personality". (more)
Feb '59
Mar '59
The Coasters hit #2 with "Charlie Brown" and hit the Top 10 again in August with "Poison Ivy". (more)
Jul '59
Aug '59
Atlantic artists The Drifters, with a new line up featuring Ben E. King hit #1 R&B and #2 Pop with "There Goes My Baby". (more)
Congressional hearings are held to investigate "payola" in the music industry. Alan Freed gets fired as a result and his career never recovers. (more)
Sep '59
After previously scoring Top 10 hits with "Splish Splash" and "Dream Lover" Bobby Darin switches to a more adult style and hits #1 with "Mack the Knife".
In Detroit, Michigan Berry Gordy Jr. founds Tamla Records, which he renames Motown a year later. (more)
Dec '59
Frankie Avalon follows up on "Venus" with his second #1 hit of the year "Why". Avalon ushers in the era of the Teen Idol that will
- R o c k M u s i c T i m e l i n e -
1959
1959
- R o c k M u s i c T i m e l i n e -
1959
1959
On This Page In
Rock and Roll History
1959:
The Platters
Duane Eddy
Buddy Holly
Ritchie Valens
The Big Bopper
Ray Charles -
What'd I Say
Lloyd Price
Jackie Wilson
The Coasters -
Charlie Brown
Fabian - Turn Me Loose
The Fleetwoods
Dion & The Belmonts
Connie Francis
The Flamingos
The Drifters
Payola - Alan Freed
Berry Gordy Jr.
Motown
Frankie Ford - Sea Cruise
Sandy Nelson
Santo & Johnny
Johnny & The Hurricanes
The Isley Brothers - Shout
Bobby Darin
Frankie Avalon
Bobby Vee
Bobby Rydell
Brian Hyland
Paul Anka
Jimmy Clanton
Johnny Tillotson
US #1 Hits of 1959
UK #1 Hits of 1959
 | ||||
| ||||||
Listen to the Music
From 1959
Press Play To Hear It !
"What is soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room." - Ray Charles
Jan '59
Phoenix, AZ guitar whiz Duane Eddy scores a top ten single with "Rebel Rouser" along with a top five album produced by Lee Hazelwood.
New Orleans own Frankie Ford builds a new song on top of an existing Huey Piano Smith track and scores a top twenty hit with "Sea Cruise". (more)
Sep '59
Cincinnati, Ohio group The Isley Brothers make their first chart appearance with "Shout". The long running group would go on to chart in every decade into the 2000's. (more)
As the decade ends, Rock and Roll accounts for 43% of all records sold. This massive popularity is worldwide and impacts movies, television, fashion, attitudes and language.
Jan '59
NYC doo wop group, The Crests, go to #2 with the song "16 Candles".
Apr '59
16 year old Philadelphia native Fabiano Anthony Forte, better known as teen idol Fabian, scores his second top ten hit with "Turn Me Loose" on Chancellor Records. (more)
May '59
" A Teenager In Love" the fifth single from vocal group, Dion and the Belmonts, peaks at #5 on Laurie Records. (more)
Jun '59
Newark, NJ native Connie Francis scores her third top ten hit with "Lipstick On Your Collar" which peaks at #5. (more)
Sep '59
Instrumentals make an impact with Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat", Santo & Johnny's "Sleepwalk" and Johnny & The Hurricanes "Red River Rock" all enjoying chart success.
Now for the first time ever you can get an Ipod Classic preloaded with every Top 40 Hit Tune from 1955-1989. That's over 7200 songs spanning the First 35 years of
Rock N' Roll. Navigate to your favorite Top 40 oldie with just the touch of a button. Artists and Songs are in alphabetical order, or you can choose from a Playlist of any specific year and just sit back and listen for hours.
Apr '59
Olympia, WA high school trio The Fleetwoods top the charts with their a cappella single "Come Softly To Me". (more)
All images used on this website are the copyright of the
respective copyright holder and are used on this site for educational or promotional purposes only. All text copyright 2010 Rock Music Timeline.
