1960s British Rock and Pop Chronology

Before the Flood: 1950-1955

	1950 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
	January
1	The Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, Soho, London: Stephen Morgan Fisher. Organist, keyboardist: The Private Eyes, The Beat Circuit, The Soul Survivors, The Love Affair
6	London: Britain recognizes the communist government of China
12	Thames Estuary: British submarine, HMS Truculent sinks after a collision with a Danish tanker killing 60.
21	London: George Orwell (47) dies
22	London: George Formby re-records his hit songs from the 30s (e.g., "When I'm Cleaning Windows")
27	Bradford, Yorkshire: Michael Jackson [Love Affair]
	February
2	Bloomsbury, London: Steven Richard Hackett. Guitar, vocal: Canterbury Glass, Sarabande, Quiet World, Genesis
3	London: Atomic scientist, Klaus Fuchs arrested for espionage
22	Washington, D.C.: Senate Foreign Relations Committee begins investigating Joseph McCarthy's allegations concerning communists in the State Department
23	Britain: Labour wins general elections
26	Strathaven, Lanarkshire: Music Hall star Harry Lauder dies
	Other February Artifacts
	Chicago: Muddy Waters records "Rollin' Stone"
	March
8	Moscow: Marshal Voroshilov states that the USSR has atomic bombs
12	Sigginston, Wales: Air crash kills 80 — world's worst air disaster
28	Nashville: Hank Snow records "I'm Moving On"
	Other March Artifacts
	Chicago: Muddy Waters records "Rollin' and Tumblin'"
	April
19	London: dock strikes Sir Stafford Cripps forcasts a budget surplus
24	British ports: Government deploys troops to load/unload ships
27	London: Britain recognizes the state of Israel
	May
1	London: End of dock strike
7	Edgware, Middlesex: Stephen ("Steve") John Ellis. Vocals; Love Affair.
14	Leamington Spa, Warkwickshire: Arthur ("Art") Grant. Bass, vocals: The Edgar Broughton Band
20	Warwick, Warkwickshire: Stephen Alexander Broughton. Drums, vocals: The Edgar Broughton Band
26	Britain: End of petrol rationing
	June
6	Washington: Truman signs $3,121,450,000 Foreign Aid Authorization Bill
8	West Germany: Britain, France, and the US grant right to determine foreign policy
17	New York City: FBI agents question Julius Rosenberg about espionage for the USSR
25	Korea: North Korea invades South Korea
27	New York City: The UN votes to assist South Korea
28	Seoul, Korea: North Korean forces capture the South Korean capital
30	Washington, D.C.: US agrees to give military and economic aid to South Korea
	Other June Artifacts
	UK: Josh White begins concert tour
	July
1	Churchill warns of World War III
25	London: UK publishes civil defense pamphlet on atomic warfare
26	Korea: Britain, Australia, and New Zealand send troops for United Nations
	August
25	Washington: Truman deploys Army to seize control of the nation's railroads to thwart a strike
	September
9	Britain: Soap rationing ends
26	Seoul, South Korea: United Nations troops recapture the South Korean capital from the North Koreans
	Other September Artifacts
	London: George Martin meets with Oscar Preuss about becoming his assistant at Parlophone Records
	October
1	Korea: UN & South Korean troops cross 38th parallel
19	Pyongyang, North Korea: United Nations forces enter the North Korean capital
	November
1	Eniwetok, Marshall Islands: The United States secretly explodes the first hydrogen bomb
2	George Bernard Shaw dies
4	Rome: European Cnvention on Human Rights creates the European Court of Human Rights to implement the Genocide Convention. Britain signs the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.
5	Korea: MacArthur warns that Chinese troops are prepared to the war on the side of N. Korea
24	BBC-TV, CH1: Pet's Parlour debuts featuring Petula Clark and guests.
26	Korea: China enters the Korean conflict, launching a counter-offensive against soldiers from the United Nations
27	New York City: First Beijing representatives arrive at the UN
30	Washington: Truman announces that the US reserves the right to use atomic weapons in the Korean conflict
	December
13	Washington-London: US-UK announce end of Marshal Plan aid to UK by 1 Jan '51
16	Washington: Proclamation of state of emergency in the US to combat Communism
	Other 1950 Artifacts
	Fullerton, California: Fender introduces its Esquire and Broadcaster (later renamed theTelecaster for copyright reasons) electric guitars. These are the first "Spanish" style guitars by Fender, who had already been producing electric "Hawaiian" lap steel guitars.
	Back to Index
	1951 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
	January
2	London: Britain ends diplomatic relations with Nationalist China
3	Seoul, Korea: Evacuation as North Korean & Chinese troops advance
	February
23	Britain: Labour wins general election, retaining only a 6-seat majority
27	Washington: Congress ratifies the 22nd Amendment limiting Presidents to 2 terms
	Other February Artifacts
	Fullerton, California: Fender renames its Broadcaster theTelecaster for copyright reasons.
	March
6	London: Ivor Novello Davies (58), dramatist and composer, dies
14	South Korea: UN forces recapture Seoul
	April
5	New York City: Julius & Ethel Rosenberg convicted of revealing nuclear secrets
11	Washington: Truman announces dismissal of MacArthur
16	English Channel near Alderney: Submarine HMS Affray sinks after its snorkle breaks from metal fatigue
22	Beckemham, Kent: Peter Frampton
29	Cambridge: Ludwig Wittgenstein (62), Austrian-born philosopher, dies
	May
3	South Bank, London: The Festival of Britain opened
12	Eniwetok Atoll: The first hydrogen bomb was tested
18	New York City: The United Nations moves to its permanent home and out of its temporary headquarters in Lake Success, New York
25	Foreign service officials, Burgess and Maclean, disappear from their posts
	June
7	London: Burgess and Maclean indicted as spies
16	Portland Harbour: The submarine HMS Sidon sinks after a torpedo explosion
21	Abadan: Iran seizes British refineries
	July
9	London-Berlin: Formal termination of state of war between Great Britain and Germany
13	Los Angeles: Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), Austrian composer, dies
20	Jerusalem: Abdullah (1882-1951), King of Jordan 1946-51, assassinated
	Other July Artifacts
	London: The Festival of Britain includes a "monster" jazz concert in the Royal Festival Hall.
	August
16	Britain: Steel rationing re-imposed
	September
4	SanFrancisco: President Truman appears in first coast-to-coast American broadcast at the Japanese peace treaty conference
8	London-Tokyo: Britain terminates state of war with Japan 48 countries recognize Japan's sovereignty
27	London: George VI undergoes lung surgery
	Other September Artifacts
	London: "Big" Bill Broonzy performs a series of concerts
	October
8	Montreal: Princess Elizabeth arrives for Canadian tour
16	Suez: British troops occupy strategic points along the canal
25	Britain: Conservatives win national elections
27	London: Winston Churchill returns as Prime Minister
	Other October Artifacts
	London: Watson and Crick begin their modelling of the structure of DNA at Cavendish Laboratory
	November
7	Britain: Bank lending rate raised from 2% to 2.5%
10	US: Direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins
27	New York-Pyonyang: UN and North Korea announce truce
28	Leicester: Lynton Guest [Love Affair]
	Other November Artifacts
	Fullerton, California: Fender introduces its Precision Bass, the first solid-body electric bass
	December
3	Suez Zone: British and Egyptian forces clash
	Other December Artifacts
	London: Trade in foreign exchange renewed (after 12 years)
	Cairo: Egypt declares a state of emergency. The Egyptian government recalls their ambassador from the UK.
	Other 1951 Artifacts
	Britain: Introduction of the General Certificate of Education London: Alfred Hitchcock: Strangers on a Train [Swank Motion Pictures]
	Chicago: Muddy Waters records "Honey Bee"
	Back to Index
	1952 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
	January
8	Washington-London: US and Britain agree on mutual consent before launching a nuclear attack on the USSR
21	Bradford, Yorkshire: Michael "Mick"Jackson. Guitar: Love Affair
26	Southgate, North London: Maurice Bacon. Drums: Love Affair
	February
6	Sandringham, Norfolk: George VI dies
8	London: State funeral for George VI Kenya: Elizabeth becomes queen while on international tour
21	Britain: End of identity cards
26	London: Churchill announces that Britain has developed its own atomic bomb
	March
25	US, Britain, and France reject soviet proposal for unified Germany
	April
22	US, Nevada: first nuclear explosion shown on live network television
	May
2	London: British Overseas Air Service begins first commercial jet service
21	London: Conservatives win motion to de-nationalize the trucking industry
	July
23	Cairo: The Free Officers Movement overthrows King Farouk's monarchy and his British advisors, installing Muhammad Naguib first as Prime Minister and then, as President. The new government promises to respect British citizens and their possessions.
	August
13	Los Angeles: Willie Mae Thornton records Lieber and Stoller's "Hound Dog"
	September
2	Britain signs treaty controlling the shipment of strategic materials
6	Montreal: Canadian television broadcasting begins
8	New York City: Ernest Hemingway publishes The Old Man and the Sea
	October
	London: EMI issues records in both 45 and 33 1/3 rpm formats
	November
1	Enewetak, Marshall Islands: The US secretly detonates hydrogen bomb
4	London: Elizabeth II opens parliament Britain secretly detonates its first atomic bomb
5	US: Dwight D. Eisenhower elected President of the United States
14	New Musical Express: First British charts. Based on sales at 20 outlets.
	Al Martino: "Here in My Heart" [UK#1 for 9 weeks] Vera Lynn: "Forget Me Not" [Decca F 9985, chrts, UK#5] Max Bygraves: "Cowpuncher's Cantata" [HMV B 10250, chrts, UK#6] Ray Martin: "Blue Tango" [Columbia DB 3051, chrts, UK#8] Vera Lynn: "Homing Waltz" [Decca F 9959, chrts, UK#9] Vera Lynn: "Auf Wiedersehen" [Decca F 9927, chrts, UK#10]
	December
5-8	London: Dense fog/smog stops traffic and kills about 4,000 people
12	Winifred Atwell: "Britannia Rag" [Decca F 10015, chrts, UK#11]
19	Mantovani: "White Christmas" [Decca F 10017, chrts, UK#6] Tony Brent: "Walkin' to Missouri" [Columbia DB 3147, chrts, UK#9]
29	New Orleans, USA: Ken Colyer arrested for overstaying his visitor's visa. He had been writing to Melody Maker and reporting for the BBC.
	Other 1952 Artifacts
	Lonnie Johnson visits Britain for performances
	Kalamazoo: Gibson introduces its Les Paul electric guitar Chicago: Muddy Waters records "She Moves Me" (US R&B #10)
	Back to Index
	1953 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
	January
1	Canton, Ohio: Hank Williams dies of a drug and alcohol overdose en route to a concert
2	Tony Brent: "Make It Soon" [Columbia DB 3187, chrts, UK#9]
7	Tony Brent: "Walkin' to Missouri" [Columbia DB 3147, rechrts, UK#7]
	Washington: Harry Truman confirms the development of a hydrogen bomb
9	Winifred Atwell: "Britannia Rag" [Decca F 10015, rechrts, UK#5] Jimmy Young: "Faith Can Move Mountains" [Decca F 9986, chrts, UK#11]
16	Jo Stafford: "You Belong to Me" [UK#1 for 1 week] Ted Heath: "Vanessa" [Decca F 9983, chrts, UK#11]
20	Washington: Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of the USA
23	Kay Starr: "Comes A-Long A-Love" [UK#1 for 1 week]
30	Eddie Fisher: "Outside of Heaven" [UK#1 for 1 week]
31	Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex Counties: Widespread flooding from a storm kills 307.
	February
1	Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK: Continued widespread flooding from a storm kills 1,835 in Holland and another 28 in Belgium in addition to British losses.
4	Britain: End of sweets rationing
6	Perry Como: "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" [UK#1 for 5 weeks]
12	Britain and Egypt sign agreement providing independence of Sudan in 1956
13	The Stargazers: "Broken Wings" [Decca F 10047, chrts, UK#1]
20	Dickie Valentine: "Broken Wings" [Decca F 9954, chrts, UK#12]
28	London: Watson and Crick piece together the structure of DNA
	March
5	Moscow: Marshal Stalin dies
6	Moscow: Malenkov named Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR
13	Guy Mitchell : "She Wears Red Feathers" [UK#1 for 4 weeks] Lita Roza: "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" [Deca F 10070, chrts, UK#1] Dickie Valentine: "All the Time and Everywhere" [Decca F 10038, chrts, UK#9]
24	London: Queen Mary dies
31	New York City: Dag Hammarskjöld endorsed as Secretary General of the UN by the Security Council
	April
3	Frank Chacksfield's Tunesmiths, featuring Jack Jordan, clavioline: "Little Red Monkey" [Parlophone R 3658, chrts, UK#10]
7	New York City: UN General Assembly elects Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden, secretary-general
8	London: A Central Line Underground train collides with another train near the Stratford Station, killing 11.
10	The Stargazers: "Broken Wings" [UK#1 for 1 week] Johnston Brothers: "Oh Happy Day" [Decca F 10171, chrts, UK#4]
17	Lita Roza : "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window" [UK#1 for 1 week]
24	Frankie Lane: "I Believe" [UK#1 for 9 weeks]
	London: Winston Churchill knighted
27	London: House of Commons passes bill denationalizing the trucking industry
	May
1	Billy Cotton and His Band, with Doreen Stephens: "In a Golden Coach" [Decca F 10058, chrts, UK#3]
5	UK: End of iron and steel rationing
8	UK: Labour gains seats in municipal elections
15	Muriel Smith: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" [Philips PB 122, chrts, UK#3] Winifred Atwell: "Coronation Rag" [Decca F 10110, chrts, UK#5]
22	Frank Chacksfield: "Terry's Theme from 'Limelight'" [Decca F 10106, chrts, UK#2]
25	Frenchman Flat, Nevada: US successfully tests first atomic artillery shell
29	Mantovani: "Moulin Rouge" [Decca F 10094, chrts, UK#1]
	Mount Everest, Nepal: Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tensing Norkay of Nepal reach the summit
	June
2	London: Coronation of Elizabeth (first televised coronation)
5	Dickie Valentine: "In a Golden Coach" [Decca F 10038, chrts, UK#7] Dorothy Squires: "I'm Walking behind You" [Polygon P 1068, chrts, UK#12]
15	Vera Lynn: "Windsor Waltz" [Decca F 10092, chrts, UK#11]
17	East Berlin: Demonstrations against soviet-backed government
19	New York: The execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
26	Eddie Fisher (featuring Sally Sweetland): "I'm Walking behind You" [UK#1 for 1 week]
28	New York City: Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters record "Money Honey"
	Other June Artifiacts
	Memphis: Truck driver Elvis Presley records a demo at the Memphis Recording Service
	July
2	Heyford: USAF bomber crashes
3	Frankie Laine: "I Believe" [UK#1 for 6 weeks] Ted Heath: "Hot Toddy" [Decca F 10093, chrts, UK#6]
18	BBC-TV: The Quartermass Experiment debuts, a science fiction series about British scientists investigating alien contact
26	Cuba: Fidel Castro attempts a revolution
27	Korea: armistice agreement
	August
8	The United States and South Korea sign a mutual security pact
12	Kazakhstan: The Soviet Union secretly tests its first hydrogen bomb
14	Mantovani: "Moulin Rouge" [UK#1 for 1 week]
21	Frankie Laine: "I Believe" [UK#1 for 3 weeks] Jimmy Young: "Eternally" [Decca F 10130, chrts, UK#8]
25	Winifred Atwell: "Flirtation Waltz" [Decca F 10161, chrts, UK#10]
	September
11	Guy Mitchell: "Look at that Girl" [UK#1 for 6 weeks]
12	UK: End of sugar rationing
25	Winifred Atwell: "Flirtation Waltz" [Decca F 10161, chrts, UK#10]
	Other September Artifacts
	Moscow: Kruschev appointed 1st Secretary of the Central Committee
	October
2	David Whitfield: "Bridge of Sighs" [Decca F 10129, chrts, UK#9]
16	David Whitfield: "Answer Me" [Decca F 10192, chrts, UK#1]
23	Frankie Lane: "Hey Joe" [UK#1 for 2 weeks] Mantovani: "Swedish Rhaspsody" [Decca F 10168, chrts, UK#2] Ted Heath: "Dragnet" [Decca F 10176, chrts, UK#9]
	November
6	David Whitfield: "Answer Me" [UK#1 for 1 week]
9	London: Britain condemns Israel for Palestinian massacre New York City: Author-poet Dylan Thomas (39) dies
13	Frankie Lane: "Answer Me" [UK#1 for 1 week]
20	Lee Lawrence: "Crying in the Chapel" [Decca F 10177, chrts, UK#7]
21	London: Weiner, Oakley and Clark release their article, "The Solution of the Piltdown Problem," officially announcing the Piltdown Man forgery. The journal, Nature publishes the article the next week.
23	Elizabeth and Phillip begin world tour
27	The Beverley Sisters: "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" [Philips PB 188, chrts, UK#6]
	December
4	Winifred Atwell: "Let's Have a Party" [Philips PB 213, chrts, UK#2] Ray Martin: "Swedish Rhapsody" [Columbia DB 3346, chrts, UK#4]
5	London-Tehran: Britain and Iran resume diplomatic relations
10	Stockholm: Churchill wins Nobel Prize for Literature
11	Frankie Lane: "Answer Me" [shared UK#1 for 1 week] David Whitfield: "Answer Me" [shared UK#1 for 1 week] David Whitfield: "Rags to Riches" [Decca F 10207, chrts, UK#3] Joan Regan: "Ricochet" [Decca F 10193, chrts, UK#8]
18	Frankie Lane: "Answer Me" [UK#1 for 1 week] Eddie Calvert: "Oh Mein Papa" [Columbia DB 3337, chrts, UK#1] Billy Cotton and His Band, with the Mills Girls and the Bandits: "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" [Decca F 10206, chrts, UK#11]
	Other 1953 Artifacts
	RCA choses not to renew its distribution agreement with EMI. Decca and RCA reach a separate agreement.
	Aldous Huxley experiments with mescaline Ian Fleming publishes his first Bond book, Casino Royale
	The first commercial 2 and 3-track stereo tape machines
	Back to Index
	1954 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955
	January
4	Memphis: Elvis Presley meets Sam Phillips
8	Eddie Calvert: "Oh Mein Papa" [UK#1 for 9 weeks]
15	Ken MacKintosh: "The Creep" [HMV BD 1295, chrts, UK#10]
21	Connecticut, US: The US launches the 1st nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus
23	Billie Holiday begins her first European tour
29	Frankie Vaughan: "Istanbul" [HMV B 10599, chrts, UK#11]
	February
12	Frank Chacksfield: "Ebb Tide" [Decca F 10122, chrts, UK#9] Ted Heath: "Skin Deep" [Decca F 10246, chrts, UK#9]
15	Joe Turner records "Shake, Rattle, and Roll"
19	The Stargazers: "I See the Moon" [Decca F 10213, chrts, UK#1] Norman Wisdom: "Don't Laugh at Me" [Columbia DB 3133, chrts, UK#3] David Whitfield: "The Book" [Decca F 10242, chrts, UK#5]
25	Egypt: Nasser assumes full powers of Prime Minister
	March
1	Washington: US Atomic Energy Commission announces explosion of a hydrogen bomb
12	The Stargazers: "I See the Moon" [UK#1 for 1 week]
19	Alma Cogan: "Bell Bottom Blues" [HMV B 10653, chrts, UK#4]
25	Indiana: RCA begins manufacturing color television sets
	April
9	The Stargazers: "Happy Wanderer" [Decca F 10259, chrts, UK#12]
12	New York: Bill Haley and His Comets record "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock"
16	Doris Day: "Secret Love" [UK#1 for 1 week] Ruby Wright: "Bimbo" [Parlophone R 3816, chrts, UK#7]
23	The Stargazers: "I See the Moon" [UK#1 for 1 week]
30	Johnnie Ray: "Such a Night" [UK#1 for 1 week] Billy Cotton and His Band, with the Bandits: "Friends and Neighbours" [Decca F 10299, chrts, UK#3]
	May
6	Oxford: Roger Bannister breaks the four-minute mile with 3:59.4
7	Doris Day: "Secret Love" [UK#1 for 8 weeks]
14	Joan Regan: "Someone Else's Roses" [Decca F 10257, chrts, UK#5] Max Bygraves: "Heart of My Heart" [HMV B 10654, chrts, UK#7]
17	Washington: US Supreme Court rules in "Brown versus Board of Education of Topeka" that racially segregated public schools are inherently unequal
	Other May Events
	Kingsway Hall Studios, London: Decca makes its first stereo recordings
	June
7	New York: Bill Haley and His Comets record "Shake, Rattle, and Roll"
9	Washington, D.C.: Joseph Welch, special counsel for the US Army, asks Senator Joseph McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir?" after McCarthy accused a young assistant of Welch of being a communist. The audience applauded. This event marks the beginning of McCarthy's decline.
11	Petula Clark: "The Little Shoemaker" [Polygon P 1117, chrts, UK#7]
18	David Whitfield and chorus with the Mantovani Orchestra: "Cara Mia" [Decca F 10327, chrts, UK#1]
	July
2	David Whitfield and chorus with the Mantovani Orchestra: "Cara Mia" [UK#1 for 10 weeks]
5	Memphis: Elvis Presley, Scotty Moore, and Bill Black record three songs for Sam Phillips
7	Memphis: Elvis Presley makes his radio debut on station WHBQ with "That's All Right (Mama)"
13	Decca, West Hampstead, London: Lonnie Donegan records "Rock Island Line" and "John Henry" during a break in a recording session with Chris Barber's band. Barber plays bass and Beryl Bryden plays washboard. Decca will release the recording as part of Barber's New Orleans Joys LP. They will later release "Rock Island Line" as a single in December 1955.
19	London: J. R. R. Tolkein publishes the first volume of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
23	Winifred Atwell: "Rachmaninoff's 18th Variation on a Theme by Paganini (The Story of Three Loves)" [Philips PB 234, chrts, UK#9]
30	London: Royal assent confirms the Television Act 1954 passed by Parliament permitting the creation of an independent commercial television network and the Independent Television Authority to regulate broadcasting.
	August
11	Vietnam: The French government and the Communist Vietminh begin a formal peace Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting and recognizing North Vietnam
24	London: Parliament appoints a committee to examine the laws governing homosexuality and prostitution
	The "Communist Control Act" goes into effect, banning the Communist Party in the United States
27	Alma Cogan: "Little Things Mean a Lot" [HMV B 10717, chrts, UK#11]
	Other August Artifacts
	Elvis Presley, "Blue Moon of Kentucky" / "That's All Right Mama" [US release; recorded 5 July; UK release in 11/56]
	September
4	Sea of Japan: USSR shoots down US surveillance aircraft
10	Kitty Kallen: "Little Things Mean a Lot" [UK#1 for 1 week] Max Bygraves: "Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea" [HMV B 10734, chrts, UK#7]
17	Frank Sinatra: "Three Coins in the Fountain" [UK#1 for 3 weeks]
24	Ronnie Harris: "Story of Tina" [Columbia DB 3499, chrts, UK#12]
	October
1	Joan Regan: "If I Give My Heart to You" [Decca F 10373, chrts, UK#3]
8	Don Cornell: "Hold My Hand" [UK#1 for 4 weeks]
15	Vera Lynn: "My Son, My Son" [Decca F 10372, chrts, UK#1] Billie Anthony: "This Ole House" [Columbia DB 3519, chrts, UK#4]
18	Industrial Development Engineering Associates, Indianapolis, Indiana: first commercial transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, announced. Available for sale in November for $49.95.
30	Royal Festival Hall, London: N.J.F. Traditional Jazz Concert. Lonnie Donegan performs of "I Don't Care Where They Bury My Body" and "Digging My Potatoes" with Chris Barber, Pat Halcox, Jim Bray, and Ron Bowden.
	Elvis Presley: "Good Rockin' Tonight" / "I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine" [US release]
	November
5	Vera Lynn: "My Son, My Son" [UK#1 for 2 weeks] Joan Regan and the Johnston Brothers: "Wait for Me, Darling" [Decca F 10362, chrts, UK#18] Dickie Valentine: "Endless" [Decca F 10346, chrts, UK#19]
12	David Whitfield: "Santo Natale" [Decca F 10399, chrts, UK#2]
18	Ray Charles: "I Got a Woman" [recording made]
19	Don Cornell: "Hold My Hand" [UK#1 for 1 week]
26	Rosemary Clooney : "Hold My Hand" [UK#1 for 1 week] Winifred Atwell: "Let's Have Another Party" [Philips PB 268, chrts, UK#1] Ronnie Hilton: "I Still Believe" [HMV B 10785, chrts, UK#3]
	December
2	Washington: US Senate votes to condemn Joseph McCarthy
3	Winifred Atwell: "Let's Have Another Party" [UK#1 for 5 weeks] Ruby Murray: "Heartbeat" [Columbia DB 3542, chrts, UK#3] Alma Cogan: "I Can't Tell a Waltz from a Tango" [HMV B 10786, chrts, UK#6]
10	Big Ben Banjo Band: "Let's Get Together No. 1" [Columbia DB 3549, chrts, UK#6] Ronnie Hilton: "Veni Vidi Vici" [HMV B 10785, chrts, UK#12]
17	Dickie Valentine with the Stargazers: "Finger of Suspicion" [Decca F 10394, chrts, UK#1] Bill Haley and His Comets: "Shake, Rattle, and Roll" [Brunswick 05338, charts, UK #4] Dickie Valentine: "Mr Sandman" [Decca F 10415, chrts, UK#5]
	Other 1954 Artifacts