1957
1. That'll Be the Day, Buddy Holly
2. Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley
3. Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis
4. Rock and Roll Music, Chuck Berry
5. Oh Boy, Buddy Holly
6. Wake Up Little Susie, Everly Brothers
7. You Send Me, Sam Cooke
8. Everyday, Buddy Holly
9. Keep a Knockin, Little Richard
10. Peggy Sue, Buddy Holly
*In case you didn't notice, I really like that Buddy Holly guy. In fact, there were 2 more songs (Words of Love, Maybe Baby) that were on my initial cutdown list. His album "Chirping With the Crickets" is the best full album I've listened to so far in this project.
*Sam Cooke has the smoothest singing voice I've heard yet.
*Not much beats the intro to Jailhouse Rock. When Elvis wanted to rock, he could really rock.
*The lyrics to Wake Up Little Susie are far more suggestive than I ever realized when listening to it in passing.
*Alan Freed, the DJ who coined the term rock n roll and held the first ever rock n roll concert in 1952, had his television show cancelled when people complained about Frankie Lymon dancing with a white girl.
*Little Richard saw a red dot in the sky (later revealed to be Sputnik) and took it as a sign that he should quit rock and become a minister.
*Rock and Roll Music is a good companion piece to Chuck's "Roll Over Beethoven" from the previous year, in that they both proclaim the new era of rock music and take boastful jabs at other forms of music.
*Everyone on this year's list were among the initial inductees into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The other inductees that year included James Brown, Fats Domino, and Ray Charles. (The aforementioned Alan Freed was inducted in the non-performer category).
DigitalDreamDoor Top 120
Billboard Top 30 of the Year
1. All Shook Up, Elvis Presley
2. Love Letters In The Sand, Pat Boone
3. Little Darlin', Diamonds
4. Young Love, Tab Hunter
5. So Rare, Jimmy Dorsey
6. Don't Forbid Me, Pat Boone
7. Singing The Blues, Guy Mitchell
8. Young Love, Sonny James
9. Too Much, Elvis Presley
10. Round And Round, Perry Como
11. Bye Bye Love, Everly Brothers
12. Tammy, Debbie Reynolds
13. Party Doll, Buddy Knox
14. Teddy Bear / Loving You, Elvis Presley
15. Banana Boat (Day-O), Harry Belafonte
16. Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley
17. A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation), Marty Robbins
18. Come Go With Me, Dell-vikings
19. Wake Up Little Susie, Everly Brothers
20. You Send Me, Sam Cooke
21. Searchin', Coasters
22. School Day, Chuck Berry
23. Gone, Ferlin Husky
24. Diana, Paul Anka
25. A Teenager's Romance, Ricky Nelson
26. The Banana Boat Song, Tarriers
27. Honeycomb, Jimmie Rodgers
28. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, Jerry Lee Lewis
29. Dark Moon, Gale Storm
30. That'll Be The Day, Crickets
Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs
#39 - That'll Be the Day, Buddy Holly
#61 - Whole Lotta Shakin Going On, Jerry Lee Lewis
#67 - Jailhouse Rock, Elvis Presley
#96 - Great Balls of Fire, Jerry Lee Lewis
#108 - Not Fade Away, Buddy Holly
#115 - You Send Me, Sam Cooke
#129 - Rock and Roll Music, Chuck Berry
#133 - Who Do You Love?, Bo Diddley
#197 - Peggy Sue, Buddy Holly
#199 - Maybe, The Chantels
#210 - Bye Bye Love, The Everly Brothers
#238 - Everyday, Buddy Holly
#318 - Wake Up Little Susie, The Everly Brothers
#361 - All Shook Up, Elvis Presley
#368 - Got My Mojo Working, Muddy Waters
#420 - The Girl Can't Help It, Little Richard
#421 - Young Blood, The Coasters