This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1955. [edit] Events - 1955 was one of the most prolific years for new artists, many of whom would revolutionize country music. Some of the more prominent names were Johnny Cash, George Jones, Elvis Presley and Porter Wagoner; it was also the year one of the best-known duos ever — the Louvin Brothers (Charlie and Ira) — would join the Grand Ole Opry. Many of them would go on to record and popularize the best known songs in the genre, and have recording careers that lasted for decades. It would be more than 30 years before another gifted group this prominent would rise to fame and create a revolution in country music.
- January 22 — Ozark Jubilee debuts on ABC-TV, the first popular country music show on network TV. It would run through September 1960.
[edit] Top hits of the year [edit] Number one hits (As certified by Billboard magazine) - Note: Several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played in Juke Boxes," "Most Played by Jockeys" and "Best Sellers in Stores" charts.
[edit] Other major hits - "Mystery Train"-[Elvis Presley]
- That's What Makes The Jukebox Play"-[Jimmy Work]
[edit] Top new album releases [edit] Births - March 11 — Jimmy Fortune, songwriter and member of The Statler Brothers (he sang tenor).
- March 17 — Paul Overstreet, singer-songwriter who penned hit singles for artists such as Randy Travis and Tanya Tucker, and also had a career as a recording artist as well.
- March 26 — Dean Dillon, songwriter whose works were instrumental in the new traditionalist movement of the 1980s.
- March 28 — Reba McEntire, singer and actress who has enjoyed fame since the early 1980s.
- May 11 — Mark Herndon, member of Alabama.
- May 12 — Kix Brooks, half of Brooks & Dunn; host of radio's American Country Countdown.
- May 24 — Roseanne Cash, daughter of Johnny Cash; rose to fame in the early 1980s for her "alternative country" style.
- September 24 — Lane Brody, female vocalist best known for dueting with Johnny Lee on 1984's "The Yellow Rose."
- November 1 — Keith Stegall, record producer who enjoyed a string of hits in the mid 1980s.
[edit] Deaths [edit] Further reading - Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947-1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 (ISBN 0-8118-3572-3)
- Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 (ISBN 0-06-273244-7)
- Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944-2005 - 6th Edition." 2005.
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