This Date in Rock Music History: October 23

1961:  It was only October, but Jimmy Dean would have the final #1 for the year on the Easy Listening chart as "Big Bad John" ruled for its first of 10 weeks on this date.

1961:  Dion grabbed the reins from Ray Charles' song "Hit The Road Jack" with "Runaround Sue", the new #1 song.  
1962:  Steveland Morris Judkins recorded the song "Thank You For Loving Me All The Way" at the age of 12.  He would later be known as Little Stevie Wonder and then as the great Stevie Wonder.
1963:  The Beatles recorded "I Wanna' Be Your Man", a song originally written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney to provide friends the Rolling Stones with a hit song.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 22

           There haven't been many better than Tony Williams, lead singer of the Platters...

1955:  The Platters finally ended Chuck Berry's monopoly on the R&B chart with their great song "Only You (And You Alone)".  

1957:  Dick Clark interviewed Ricky Nelson by phone on American Bandstand.  It would be the closest Ricky ever got to appearing on the show. 

1961:  Chubby Checker performed "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again" on The Ed Sullivan Show.  Both songs received renewed radio airplay despite already being hits and, amazingly, "The Twist" went all the way to #1 again, becoming the only song of the Rock Era to reach #1...twice.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 21

1957:  A new talented singer emerged on the scene today as Sam Cooke's first single, "You Send Me" debuted on the chart.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 20

1955:  Harry Belafonte recorded "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)".

1955:  Elvis Presley, Pat Boone and Bill Haley & the Comets filmed a performance at Brooklyn High School in Cleveland, Ohio in the afternoon and a concert at St. Michael's Hall at night.  (Note:  numerous sites show the date as the 19th, but the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website shows it as October 20.) 
1956:  Elvis Presley entered the chart with "Love Me Tender".

This Date in Rock Music History: October 19

1955:  Elvis Presley and Pat Boone were in concert in Cleveland, Ohio.

1958:  Brenda Lee recorded "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree".
1959:  "Mack The Knife" spent a third week at #1 for Bobby Darin and it wasn't close to done.  Paul Anka would have to settle for #2 with "Put Your Head On My Shoulder".  The Fleetwood had song #3--"Mr. Blue" while Sandy Nelson's great instrumental "Teen Beat" took #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  The Everly Brothers and "('Til) I Kissed You", Santo & Johnny with another of The Top 100 Instrumentals of the Rock Era*--"Sleep Walk", Andy Williams and "Lonely Street" at #7, the Coasters with "Poison Ivy", Frankie Avalon was back with "Just Ask Your Heart" and the Browns with their former #1 "The Three Bells".
1963:  The Beatles performed at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, England.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 18

1957:  Paul McCartney performed with the Quarrymen for the first time at the New Clubmoor Hall in Liverpool, England.  McCartney, who played lead guitar, didn't perform well in his solo, which eventually led to George Harrison being invited into the group and Paul switching to bass.

1957:  Peggy Sue Gerron first heard the song that was named for her when she went to see Buddy Holly & the Crickets in concert in Sacramento, California.  Gerron later married Crickets drummer Jerry Allison.
1963:  Chuck Berry was released from federal prison in Springfield, Missouri after serving 19 months for transporting a minor across state lines for an immoral purpose.

This Date in Rock Music History: October 17

1956:  Mickey & Sylvia recorded "Love Is Strange".

1957:  The Elvis Presley movie Jailhouse Rock premiered in Memphis, Tennessee at the same theater where Elvis used to work as an usher-- Loew's State Theatre.