First African American with Met Opera
Jan 7 Marian Anderson becomes the 1st African American to perform with the New York Metropolitan Opera, singing the role of Ulrica in Giuseppe Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera"
- Jan 14 Heitor Villa-Lobos' 8th Symphony premieres by the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in Carnegie Hall, New York City
"From Jewish Folk Poetry"
Jan 15 Dmitri Shostakovich's "From Jewish Folk Poetry" premieres in Leningrad
Golden Globes
Feb 24 12th Golden Globes: "On The Waterfront", Marlon Brando, & Judy Garland win
Silk Stockings
Feb 24 Cole Porter's final Broadway musical "Silk Stockings", loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel's "Ninotchka", opens at the Imperial Theatre, NYC; runs for 478 performances
Peter Pan
Feb 26 Leigh, Charlap, Styne, Comden and Green's musical "Peter Pan", starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard, closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 152 performances
Elvis' 1st TV Appearance
Mar 5 Elvis Presley makes his 1st TV appearance on a local video broadcast of the popular radio program "Louisiana Hayride" from the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana
- Mar 7 Musical "Peter Pan", starring Mary Martin broadcast live on NBC as part of "Producers' Showcase" series; attracts a then record 65 million viewers
- Mar 26 "Ballad of Davy Crockett" version recorded by Bill Hayes becomes the #1 record in US
- Apr 6 "3 for Tonight" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 85 performances
- Apr 18 Dan Shapiro, and music by Sammy Fain's musical "Ankles Aweigh" opens at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC; runs for 176 performances
- Apr 23 Robert Wright and George Forrest's musical "Kismet" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 583 performances
In the Wee Small Hours
Apr 25 Captiol Records releases "In the Wee Small Hours", the ninth studio album by American vocalist Frank Sinatra; collection of melancholy ballads with arrangements by Nelson Riddle was an early example of a concept album and helped popularize the 12-inch format for non-classical recordings
House of Flowers
May 21 Harold Arlen and Truman Capote' musical "House of Flowers" closes at Alvin Theater, NYC, after 165 performances
- May 26 Musical adaptation of the 1927 silent film "7th Heaven", starring Gloria DeHaven and Ricardo Montalbán, opens at ANTA Theater, NYC; runs for 44 performances
- Jun 18 "3 for Tonight" closes at Plymouth Theater NYC after 85 performances
- Jun 20 Portia Nelson, Raymond Taylor and James Shelton's musical revue "Almost Crazy" opens at Longacre Theater. NYC; runs for 16 performances
Music History
Jun 21 Johnny Cash debuts Top 10 country song "Cry! Cry! Cry!"
Music History
Jul 9 Bill Haley & His Comets "Rock Around the Clock" tops the billboards chart, one of the best-selling singles ever
- Jul 13 Beaux Arts Trio (Menahem Pressler, piano; Daniel Guilet, violin; Bernard Greenhouse, cello) makes their debut at the Berkshire Music Festival (now Tanglewood Music Center), Lenox, Massachusetts, United States
- Jul 17 Charlie LaVere and Tom Adair's musical "Golden Horseshoe Revue" opens at Disneyland in Anaheim, California; runs for over 50,000 performances,
- Jul 19 1st performance of Gerald Finzi's Cello Concerto, his last major work; John Barbirolli leading the Hallé Orchestra, with soloist Christopher Bunting at Cheltenham Music Festival in Gloucestershire, England
Radio History
Aug 19 WINS radio (New York City), announces it will not play "copy" white cover versions of R&B records (DJ's play Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame," not Pat Boone's)
- Sep 6 Ray Golden's musical revue "Catch a Star!" opens at Plymouth Theater, NYC; runs for 23 performances
Tutti Frutti
Sep 14 Little Richard records "Tutti Frutti" at J & M Studio in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Sep 17 Sammy Fain and Dan Shapiro's musical comedy "Ankles Aweigh" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC. after 176 performances
- Sep 24 "The Judy Garland Special" kicks off the anthology performance series "Ford Star Jubilee" on CBS-TV
- Sep 24 Ray Golden's musical revue "Catch a Star!" closes at Plymouth Theater, NYC, after 23 performances
Contract of Interest
Oct 15 Buddy Holley opens for Bill Haley & His Comets in Lubbock, Texas, and impresses Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, leading to a recording contract with a misspelling that creates "Buddy Holly"
Banana Boat (Day-O)
Oct 20 Calypso singer Harry Belafonte records his signature tune "Day-O" (Banana Boat Song) in NYC
- Nov 5 The rebuilt Vienna State Opera reopens after it was destroyed in World War II, with Ludwig van Beethoven's "Fidelio"
- Nov 10 James Mundy and John La Touche's musical comedy "Vamp" opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 60 performances
- Nov 22 RCA Records make its best investment, paying $35,000 to Sun Records for Elvis Presley's contract
Piston's 6th Symphony
Nov 25 Walter Piston's 6th Symphony, composed to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Boston Symphony, premieres, led by Charles Munch
The Boy Friend
Nov 26 Sandy Wilson's musical "The Boy Friend", featuring the Broadway debut of Julie Andrews, closes at Royale Theater, NYC, after 483 performances
- Nov 30 "Pipe Dream" opens at Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 245 performances
- Dec 15 "Folsom Prison Blues" single released by Johnny Cash (Billboard Song of the Year 1968)
"Blue Suede Shoes"
Dec 19 Carl Perkins records "Blue Suede Shoes" for Sun Records at Memphis Recording Service studio
"You'll Never Know"
Dec 29 Barbra Streisand's 1st recording "You'll Never Know" at age 13
- Dec 31 James Mundy and John La Touche's musical "The Vamp" closes at the Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 60 performances
Country Singers
Jazz Musicians
Opera Singers
Pop Stars
Rappers
Rockers