UK Singles Chart: 1955

So now we have the first Rock n Roll single in the charts, surely now is the time for Rock n Roll to dominate the charts. Well again, not quite.

The second week of 1955 saw Bill Haley & the Comets - Rock Around the Clock enter the charts, but would only reach number 17 before falling out of the charts 2 weeks later. Shake Rattle and Roll on the other hand proved to be more successful, reaching number 4 and remaining in the charts until March. In April, Bill Haley & the Comets released Mambo Rock which reached number 14 and fell out the charts 2 weeks later. That would be it for Rock n Roll's presence in the charts for a while.

The second week of the year saw the Stargazers score their third number one, collaborating with Dickie Valentine on Finger of Suspicion which would see them tie with Frankie Laine for most number ones. Frankie Laine maintained his record of total number of hits with 19 by the end of the year, but had no further number ones.

We were still in an era where several artists would record the same songs and nothing illustrated this better than the song Stranger in Paradise where there was 6 different versions of this song which charted this year. They were recorded by Four Aces featuring Al Alberts, Eddie Calvert, Bing Crosby, Don Cornell, Tony Martin and Tony Bennett whose version reached number one. Another notable song of the year was Unchained Melody, which had 4 different versions. They were recorded by Liberace, Les Baxter, Al Hibbler and Jimmy Young whose version reached number one.

There were 3 new nationalities in the charts this year, there was the De Castro Sisters and Perez 'Prez' Prado who were from Cuba, Eve Boswell from Hungary and Caterina Valente from France. In addition to the De Castro Sisters there were four more groups charting for the first time, Ames Brothers, McGuire Sisters, Ink Spots and Five Smith Brothers.

In October after several months of the usual traditional pop music dominating the charts, Rock Around the Clock would re enter the charts. This time proved to be more successful reaching number one at the end of November and remaining in the charts well into 1956. Also in November we saw the first Rock n Roll song by a different artist with Pat Boones cover of Ain't That a Shame by Fats Domino, somebody yet to have a hit in the UK at this point. Then in December we had Boyd Bennett & His Rockets - Seventeen and another Bill Haley & the Comets tune, Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie. These two were the only songs of the year which were performed by the songwriter. We would have no further hits from Boyd Bennett & His Rockets, but it wouldn't be the last we would hear of Bill Haley & His Comets.

So will we have the Rock n Roll explosion we've all been waiting for in 1956? We'll see in a couple of weeks.