Rockabilly

===Rockabilly goes national: 1956===
In January 1956, three now-classic rockabilly songs were released: "[[Folsom Prison Blues]]" by Johnny Cash, and "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins, both on Sun; and "[[Heartbreak Hotel]]" by Elvis Presley on RCA Victor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atomicplatters.com/more.php?id=75_0_1_80_M|title=CONELRAD - ATOMIC PLATTERS: Uranium by The Commodores [1955]|website=Atomicplatters.com|access-date=January 8, 2018|archive-date=June 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607135029/http://www.atomicplatters.com/more.php?id=75_0_1_80_M|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://globaldogproductions.info|title=50s,60s discographies|publisher=Globaldogproductions.info|access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> Perkins's "Blue Suede Shoes" sold 20,000 records a day at one point, and it was the first million-selling country song to cross over to both rhythm and blues and pop charts.<ref name="NPR story on Blue Suede Shoes">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1070070|title=The Story Of 'Blue Suede Shoes'|website=Npr.org|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> Perkins first performed "Blue Suede Shoes" on television March 17 on ''[[Ozark Jubilee]]'', a weekly ABC-TV program. From 1955 to 1960, the live national radio and TV show from [[Springfield, Missouri]] featured [[Brenda Lee]] and [[Wanda Jackson]] and guests included [[Gene Vincent]] and other rockabilly artists.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} On February 11, Presley appeared on the Dorsey Brothers' ''[[Stage Show]]'' for the third time, singing "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel". Both songs topped the ''Billboard'' charts.<ref name="billboard1956" />

Sun and RCA were not the only record labels releasing rockabilly music in 1956. In March Columbia released "[[Honky Tonk Man (song)|Honky Tonk Man]]" by [[Johnny Horton]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hort1000.htm|title=RCS-Johny Horton page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315204756/http://www.rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hort1000.htm|archive-date=March 15, 2010}}</ref> King put out "Seven Nights to Rock" by Moon Mullican, Mercury issued "Rockin' Daddy" by [[Eddie Bond]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/b/bond1000.htm|title=RCS - Eddie Bond page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317113514/http://www.rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/b/bond1000.htm|archive-date=March 17, 2010}}</ref> and Starday released [[Bill Mack (songwriter)|Bill Mack]]'s "Fat Woman".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/m/mack1000.htm|title=RCS - Bill Mack page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Two young men from Texas made their record debuts in April 1956: [[Buddy Holly]] on the Decca label, and, as a member of the Teen Kings, [[Roy Orbison]] with "Ooby Dooby" on the New Mexico/Texas based Je-wel label.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/labels/j/j624.htm|title=RCS - Je-wel label page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Holly's big hits would not be released until 1957. Janis Martin was only fifteen years old when RCA issued a record with "Will You, Willyum" and the Martin-composed "Drugstore Rock 'n' Roll", which sold over 750,000 copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabilly.net/articles/janis.shtml|title=Janis Martin - Rockabilly Central|website=Rockabilly.net|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref> King records issued a new disk by forty-seven-year-old Moon Mullican: "[[Seven Nights to Rock]]" and "Rock 'N' Roll Mr. Bullfrog". Twenty more sides were issued by various labels including 4 Star, Blue Hen, Dot, Cold Bond, Mercury, Reject, Republic, Rodeo, and Starday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/search.php?type=date&key=Apr.&key2=1956|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121203060141/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/search.php?type=date&key=Apr.&key2=1956|url-status=dead|title=RCS Search Results|date=December 3, 2012|archive-date=December 3, 2012|website=Archive.is|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref>

In April and May 1956, [[The Rock and Roll Trio]] played on [[Ted Mack (television host)|Ted Mack]]'s [[Original Amateur Hour|TV talent show]] in New York City. They won all three times and guaranteed them a finalist position in the September supershow.<ref name=rockabillyhall:PB/> Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps' recording of "[[Be-Bop-A-Lula]]" was released on June 2, 1956, backed by "Woman Love". Within twenty-one days it sold over two hundred thousand records, stayed at the top of national pop and country charts for twenty weeks, and sold more than a million copies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/v/vinc5000.htm|title=RCS - Gene Vincent page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326065652/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/v/vinc5000.htm|archive-date=March 26, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d04/4404.htm|title=RCS - pics of Gene Vincent recordings|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>The Rockabilly Legends; They Called It Rockabilly Long Before they Called It Rock and Roll by Jerry Naylor and Steve Halliday page 220 {{ISBN|978-1-4234-2042-2}}</ref> These same musicians would have two more releases in 1956, followed by another in January 1957. "Queen of Rockabilly" Wanda Jackson's first record came out in July, "I Gotta Know" on the Capitol label; followed by "Hot Dog That Made Him Mad" in November. Capitol would release nine more records by Jackson, some with songs she had written herself, before the 1950s were over.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/mar/jackson/|title=NPR : Wanda Jackson, Rockabilly Queen|website=[[NPR]]|date=February 21, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030221041151/http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/mar/jackson/|archive-date=February 21, 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/j/jack7000.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713131548/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/j/jack7000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 13, 2012|title=RCS - Wanda Jackson page|publisher=Rcs-discography.com|access-date=May 22, 2014}}</ref> The first record by [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], who would later be known as a pioneer of rockabilly and rock and roll, came out on December 22, 1956, and featured his version of "[[Crazy Arms]]" and "End of the Road".<ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d02/2539.htm]{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Lewis would have big hits in 1957 with his version of "[[Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On]]", issued in May, and "[[Great Balls Of Fire]]" on Sun.<ref name="pc8" /><ref>[http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/pics/d02/2540.htm]{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>