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50 Song Hits
1957
How many songs do you know from this year?
50 Song Hits from 1957
+April Love -- Pat Boone (from film of the same title)
+All Shook Up -- Elvis Presley
All the Way -- Frank Sinatra (from The Joker is Wild --
Academy Award for Best Song)
An Affair To Remember -- Vic Damone (from film of same title)
The Banana Boat Song (Day-O) -- Harry Belafonte
Blue Monday -- Fats Domino
+Butterfly -- Andy Williams/ Charlie Grace
Bye Bye Love -- The Everly Brothers
+Chances Are -- Johnny Mathis
Come Go With Me -- The Del-Vikings
Could This Be Magic -- The Dubs
+Diana -- Paul Anka
+Don't Forbid Me -- Pat Boone
Gone -- Ferlin Husky
Great Balls of Fire -- Jerry Lee Lewis
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby -- The Tune Weavers
+Honeycomb -- Jimmie Rodgers
I'm Walking -- Fats Domino
Island in the Sun -- Harry Belafonte (from film of same title)
+Jailhouse Rock -- Elvis Presley (from film of same title)
Jamaica Farewell -- Harry Belafonte
+Jingle Bell Rock -- Bobby Helms
+Love Letters in the Sand -- Pat Boone
+Loving You -- Elvis Presley (from film of same title)
Lucille -- Little Richard
Maria -- Johnny Mathis (from West Side Story)
Melodie D'Amour -- The Ames Brothers
My Special Angel -- Bobby Helms
Old Cape Cod -- Patti Page
Over the Mountain, Across the Sea -- Johnnie and Joe
+Party Doll -- Buddy Knox
Peggy Sue -- Buddy Holly & The Crickets
+Round and Round -- Perry Como
Searchin' -- The Coasters
Silhouettes -- The Rays
Singing the Blues -- Guy Mitchell/ Marty Robbins
+Tammy -- Debbie Reynolds (from film of same title)
+(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear -- Elvis Presley
+That'll Be The Day -- Buddy Holly & The Crickets
A Thousand Miles Away -- The Heartbeats
Till There Was You -- Barbara Cook and Robert Preston
(from The Music Man)
Tonight -- Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert (from West Side Story)
Tonite, Tonite -- The Mello-Kings
+Too Much -- Elvis Presley
Twelfth of Never -- Johnny Mathis
A Very Special Love -- Debbie Reynolds/ Johnny Nash
A White Sport Coat, And A Pink Carnation -- Marty Robbins
+Wake Up, Little Susie -- The Everly Brothers
+Young Love -- Sonny James / Tab Hunter
+You Send Me -- Sam Cooke+ = from Billboard Top 1000 Singles, 1955-1996, compiled by Joel Whitburn
Singers with most recordings listed:
Elvis Presley = 5
Harry Belafonte = 3
Pat Boone = 3
Johnny Mathis = 3
Buddy Holley & The Crickets = 2
The Everly Brothers = 2
"Tonite, Tonite"-- History of a Song Hit
"One of the blackest-sounding white groups of the '50s, the Mello-Kings are most affectionately known for a two-million-selling single that never made the Top 40...
Originally calling themselves the Mellotones, the Mt. Vernon boys [Jerry Scholl, 15, lead singer; Robert Scholl, 18, first tenor and Jerry's brother; Eddie Quinn, 16, second tenor; Neil Arena, 16, baritone; Larry Esposito, 16, bass] became active on the amateur talent show rounds and met a songwriter at one such showcase who made them an offer they couldn't refuse. He'd arrange an audition with a record company if they'd sing his song at the audition. They agreed and in July 1957 found themselves standing in the offices of Herald Records at 1697 Broadway in New York City singing for president Al Silver. He liked the group and signed them on the spot, but unlike in the movies, Silver hated the mystery writer's song and that composer was never heard from again. Herald staff writer Billy Myles then played the Mellotones several songs, only one of which they cared for titled 'Tonite, Tonite.' The group rehearsed it, recorded it, and saw it issued, all within a month from the time the teens had walked in Herald's door.
On August 19, 1957, it charted Pop but everyone thought it was a black group. As it started to sell and gain airplay, the Mellotones 'Tonite, Tonite' ran into trouble of an unexpected kind in the form of Gee Records president George Goldner, who told Al Silver he'd run his company better if he looked at the charts occasionally. Sure enough, rising on the Pop charts was a group called the Mello-Tones singing "Rosie Lee" on Goldner's Gee Records (which eventually reached number 24). With one thousand 'Tonite, Tonite' 45s already on the street, Silver immediately issued a new single with the group's quickly chosen new name, the Mello-Kings. Airplay intensified, the record sold well in the New York, Boston, Washington, and Philadelphia areas (it was number one in Philly), but somehow the charts reflected only a number 77 peak while it hung around the Top 100 for 10 weeks.
Still, 'Tonite, Tonite'became a solid Pop/R&B harmony classic and consistently sold for years, tallying well over two-and-half million sales and invariably winding up in the top 10 oldies surveys year after year."
--The Billboard Book of American Singing Groups: A History 1940-1990 by Jay Warner, page 254.
Order your copy of this CD:
The Mello-Kings: Tonight, Tonight
1957 Song Hits
Most people have heard about the sudden rise to stardom of Elvis Presley.
But what other songs and singers were popular back in the 1950s?
Here is a great CD with 20 songs and instrumentals from 1957:
"That'll Be The Day" -- Buddy Holly
"Bye Bye Love" -- The Everly Brothers
"Come Go With Me" -- The Del Vikings
"Whole Lotta Shaking Going On" -- Jerry Lee Lewis
"Love Letters in the Sand" -- Pat Boone
"Keep A Knockin'" -- Little Richard
"Moonlight Gambler" -- Frankie Laine
"School Day" -- Chuck Berry
"So Rare" -- Jimmy Dorsey
"Round and Round" -- Perry Como
"Young Love" -- Sonny James
"Tammy" -- Debbie Reynolds
"Butterfly" -- Andy Williams
"Gone" -- Ferlin Husky
"I'm Walkin'" -- Fats Domino
"Wake Up, Little Susie" -- The Everly Brothers
"Little Bitty Pretty One" -- Thurston Harris
"A White Sport Coat" -- Marty Robbins
"Raunchy" -- Bill Justis
"Short Fat Fanny" -- Larry WilliamsTo order this "blast from the past" CD click on this link:
Here are a few other oldies collections:
Cruisin' 1957
Songwriter Memories
Read about songs from the 1950s and '60s, including a chapter about Elvis Presley from 1955-1956, in these this illustrated disc playable on any computer, with music files by songwriter Roger Hall:
"Dream World" - Songs, Poems and Stories
Belafonte at Christmas
One of the most beautiful popular Christmas albums was recorded by the soothing voice of Harry Belafonte.
It has both familiar and unfamiliar songs and can be enjoyed all year long.
It includes the song "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and music by Johnny Marks -- the same songwriter who wrote "Rudoplh, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
To order this soothing and serene Harry Belafonte CD, click here:
Read about the songs by Gene, Bing and Elvis at
Red, White and Blue - Three Christmas Hit Songs
Are you interested in scheduling an entertaining and informative program about American popular songs for your group?
Then click on this link:
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