Elvis Presley Unravelled #17
…..Elvis’s Meteoric Rise to Fame in 1956
The future King of Rock’n’Roll spent 18 months and released five singles at Sun Records but, sadly, all this brought him very little national success. That all changed, with Elvis’s meteoric rise to fame in 1956. He signed to RCA in January 1956, released his first single on his new label in March and in the Christmas Chart at the end the year he scored 10 singles on the Hot-100.
31 December to 6 January
…guest feature on the Mop Tops and The King show
Derek Shelmerdine presents the feature segment Elvis Presley Unravelled (alternating with The Beatles Unravelled)
…fortnightly on Steve Chelmsford’s Mop Tops and the King show.
……It’s a one-minute snapshot of Elvis Presley (and The Beatles) history.
The MTK Network broadcasts the show, syndicated to nearly 100 radio stations around the world.
See the Show Schedule for broadcast details of times and radio stations.
(The times on the Show Schedule are Eastern Time, the UK is five hours ahead.)
Listen Again – PODCAST
Elvis’s Meteoric Rise to Fame in 1956
Elvis Presley’s meteoric rise to fame in 1956 didn’t make him an overnight success. He spent the previous 18 months at Sun Records, where he released five singles to very limited national success.
Elvis signed to RCA at the end of 1955 and recorded his first single, heartbreak Hotel on 10 January 1956. It entered the charts two months later and spent eight week at the top spot.
Blue Suede Shoes took him back into the charts in the April. More #1s hits followed with I Want You, I Need you I Love You in June and both sides of Don’t Be Cruel c/w Hound Dog in August.
He made his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on 9 September, to an estimated audience of 60 million viewers.
Love Me Tender, Elvis’s first movie opened in New York in November. It was originally intended to be called The Reno Brothers but Elvis’s growing popularity prompted a change to the tile of on of Elvis’s hit records.
On the week of 29 December 1956, Elvis had 10 singles on the Billboard Hot-100. Guy Mitchell kedpt Elbis off the #1 slot because his song Singing the Blues was spending it’s fouth week there.
1956, what a year for Elvis. He went from being virtually unknown, to becoming the undisputed King of Rock’n’Roll.
Extracts from Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
All of Elvis Presley/The Beatles Unravelled podcasts are based on extracts from Derek Shelmerdine‘s book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled.
THE EXTRACTS FOR THIS STORY
Elvis’s Meteoric Rise to Fame 1956
10 January 1956: Elvis recorded Heartbreak Hotel
9 September 1956: First appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show
15 November 1956: Love Me Tender opened in New York
29 December 1956: Ten singles on the Billboard Hot-100
About the book – Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
With its unique three-part structure, Rock’n’Roll Unravelled tells the story of rock’n’roll from its roots to mid-1970s punk. Click on the link for lots more information…
TO BUY – a signed copy of Rock’n’Roll Unravelled
Mop Tops and The King Radio Show
Derek Shelmerdine presents the feature segments Elvis Presley Unravelled and The Beatles Unravelled on Steve Chelmsford’s weekly Mop Tops and The King radio show.
Derek is a fortnightly guest on Steve’s show.
The MTK NETWORK of nearly 100 radio stations around the world carries the Mop Tops and The King show. This means that every day, someone, somewhere in the world is broadcasting the Mop Tops and the King show.
For the broadcast time for each station – check out the WEEKLY SCHEDULE.
(The times in the weekly schedule are Eastern Time – the UK is five hours ahead.)
The Mop Tops and the King show is all about the music, lives and times of The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
For all the previous editions of…
The Beatles Unravelled and Elvis Presley Unravelled
First Broadcast: Elvis’s Meteoric Rise to Fame 1956
This show was first broadcast 3-9 December 2021, on the MTK network of nearly 100 radio stations around the world.
