"Peter Pan"
Jan 9 Musical "Peter Pan", starring Mary Martin broadcast live, for a 2nd time, on NBC as part of "Producers' Showcase" series
Heartbreak Hotel
Jan 10 Elvis Presley records single "Heartbreak Hotel", written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, at RCA Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
"Tutti Frutti"
Jan 14 Little Richard releases single "Tutti Frutti"
Shostakovich Honorary Status
Jan 15 Dmitri Shostakovich appointed honorary member of Academia Santa Cecilia
"Blue Days Black Night"
Jan 20 Buddy Holly records "Blue Days Black Night" in Nashville, Tennessee for country music producer Owen Bradley
"Comedy in Music"
Jan 21 Victor Borge's one-man show "Comedy in Music" closes at John Golden Theatre, NYC; runs for 849 performances, a Guinness world record
- Jan 27 RCA records releases Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel", his first million-seller (written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden)
- Jan 28 Elvis Presley's 1st appearance on national TV on the Dorsey Brothers's "Stage Show"
- Jan 30 Elvis Presley records his cover version of Carl Perkins' song "Blue Suede Shoes"
Music Concert
Feb 24 Walter Piston's 5th Symphony, commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music for their 50th anniversary, premiere performance by the Juilliard Orchestra, conducted by Jean Morel
- Mar 1 "Crazy Arms" single released by Ray Price - his 1st No.1 (Billboard Song of the Year 1956)
- Mar 2 "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" single cover released by Elvis Presley
- Mar 3 Albert Hague and Arnold Horwitt's musical "Plain and Fancy", about an Amish wedding, closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC, after 476 performances
- Mar 3 Elvis Presley's 1st hit in Billboard's top 10: "Heartbreak Hotel"
Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
Mar 5 Capitol Records releases "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!", the tenth album by American singer Frank Sinatra: upbeat collection of pop tunes with jazz arrangements by Nelson Riddle became the first album ever to top the new UK Albums Chart
Music History
Mar 15 Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's musical "My Fair Lady", adapted from George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion", starring Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews, and Stanley Holloway, opens at Mark Hellinger Theater, later transferring to the Broadway Theatre, NYC; runs for 2,715 performances, winning 6 Tony Awards
Mr Wonderful
Mar 22 Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, and George David Weiss's musical "Mr Wonderful" with Sammy Davis Jr. and his father Sammy Davis Sr., opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 383 performances
- Apr 11 Singer Nat Cole attacked on stage of Birmingham theater in racial incident
Silk Stockings
Apr 14 Cole Porter's final Broadway musical "Silk Stockings", loosely based on the Melchior Lengyel's "Ninotchka", closes at the Imperial Theatre, NYC, after 478 performances
- Apr 21 Elvis Presley's 1st hit record, "Heartbreak Hotel", becomes #1
South Sea Bubble
Apr 25 Noël Coward's musical "South Sea Bubble" premieres in London
The Most Happy Fella
May 3 Frank Loesser's musical "The Most Happy Fella", based on Sidney Howard's 1924 stage drama "They Knew What They Wanted", opens at Imperial Theater, NYC; runs for 678 performances
- May 11 Elvis Presley's 1st entry on UK charts with "Heartbreak Hotel"
- May 24 1st Eurovision Song Contest: Lys Assia for Switzerland wins singing "Refrain" in Lugano
Music History
May 29 Arnold Schoenberg's "Modern Psalm" premieres
- Jun 13 Harry Warren, James Lawrence, Ribert E. Lee, and James Hilton's musical "Shangri-La", based on Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon", and featuring Jack Cassidy and Alice Ghostley, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 21 performances
- Jun 14 "New Faces of 1956" opens at Barrymore Theater NYC for 221 performances
Music History
Jun 19 Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin end partnership after 10 years, and 16 films
- Jun 23 "Transfusion" by Nervous Norvous peaks at #8
Music History
Jun 24 "Steve Allen Show" returns on NBC-TV
- Jun 30 Harry Warren, James Lawrence, Ribert E. Lee, and James Hilton's musical "Shangri-La", based on Hilton's novel "Lost Horizon", and featuring Jack Cassidy and Alice Ghostley, closes at Winter Garden Theater, NYC, after 21 performances
Pipe Dream
Jun 30 Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical "Pipe Dream", based on John Steinbeck's novel "Sweet Thursday", closes at Shubert Theater, NYC, after 245 performances, and a Tony Award for costume design
- Jul 1 Elvis Presley, wearing a tuxedo, appears on Steve Allen Show
- Jul 2 Elvis Presley records "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" at RCA studio in New York City
- Jul 7 Douglas Moore/John Latouche' opera "Ballad of Baby Doe," premieres
- Jul 13 RCA releases Elvis Presley's single "Hound Dog", a cover of Big Mama Thorton's original, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, backed with "Don't Be Cruel", written by Otis Blackwell
- Jul 13 RCA releases Elvis Presley's single "Hound Dog", a cover of Big Mama Thorton's original, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, backed with "Don't Be Cruel", written by Otis Blackwell
High Society
Jul 17 MGM releases film "High Society", a musical re-working of "The Philadelphia Story" set in Newport, Rhode Island; starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra, with songs by Cole Porter
- Aug 13 Elvis Presley releases music single "Don't Be Cruel"
- Aug 18 Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel" reach #1 in the charts, staying for 11 weeks (a record for a single release) [1]
- Aug 22 Elvis Presley begins filming "Love Me Tender" (The Reno Brothers)
#1 in the Charts
Sep 8 Harry Belafonte's album "Calypso" goes #1 & stays #1 for 31 weeks
- Sep 9 Elvis Presley appears on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for the 1st time
- Sep 28 RCA Records reports Elvis Presley sold over 10 million records
I Love Mickey
Sep 29 Music single "I Love Mickey" by Mickey Mantle & Teresa Brewer peaks at #87
- Oct 6 Dmitri Shostakovich's 6th Iron quartet premieres in Leningrad
Music History
Oct 14 Charles Ives' overture "Robert Browning" premieres in NYC
Maria Callas Debuts
Oct 29 Greek-American soprano Maria Callas makes her Metropolitan Opera debut, in the title role of Bellini's "Norma"
The Wizard of Oz
Nov 3 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" televised for 1st time - hosted by Bert Lahr and Judy Garland's 10-year old daughter Liza Minnelli, as the finale of the Ford Star Jubilee series (CBS-TV)
The Nat King Cole Show
Nov 5 "The Nat King Cole Show" debuts on NBC, the first variety program to be hosted by an African-American
- Nov 15 "Love Me Tender" film with Elvis Presley in his acting debut premieres in the US
Li'l Abner
Nov 15 Gene De Paul and Johnny Mercer's musical "Li'l Abner", adapted from Al Capp's hillbilly comic strip, opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 693 performances, winning 2 Tony Awards
Bells Are Ringing
Nov 29 Jule Styne, Betty Comden and Adolph Green's musical "Bells Are Ringing", starring Judy Holiday, opens at Shubert Theater, NYC; runs for 924 performances, wins 2 Tony Awards
Candide
Dec 1 Leonard Bernstein's musical "Candide" opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC; runs for 73 performances
The Girl Can't Help It
Dec 1 Musical comedy film "The Girl Can't Help It" starring Jayne Mansfield with cameos by rock 'n' roll stars Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent premieres
- Dec 4 An impromptu recording session by the "Million-Dollar Quartet" - Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash - takes place at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee
Happy Hunting
Dec 6 Harold Karr and Matt Dubey's musical "Happy Hunting", starring Ethel Merman and Fernando Lamas, opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 412 performances
- Dec 8 Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues" single goes #1 for 10 weeks
- Dec 16 Harold Rome, S. N. Behrman, and Joshua Logan's musical romance "Fanny", starring Ezio Pinza, Walter Slezak, and Florence Henderson, closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 888 performances
- Dec 22 "New Faces of 1956" closes at Barrymore Theater NYC after 221 performances
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