1954 in music
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See also: 1953 in music, other events of 1954, 1955 in music, 1950s in music and the list of 'years in music'
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Events
- Frank Sinatra wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here To Eternity, 1953; resuscitating his singing career in the process
- Bing Crosby received a Best Actor nomination for his work in The Country Girl
- January 14 - First documented use of the abbreviated term "Rock 'n' Roll" to promote Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Jubillee, held at St. Nicholas Arena in New York, New York. Previously the genre term was just called "Rock and Roll"
- April 12 - Bill Haley and His Comets record "Rock Around the Clock" in New York City for Decca Records.
- May 10 - "Rock Around the Clock" released as the b-side to "Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)". The song is only a moderate success until it is featured in the film Blackboard Jungle the next year.
- July 5 - Elvis Presley has his first commercial recording session at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. He sang That's All Right (Mama) and Blue Moon of Kentucky.
- Fall - A cover version of Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" by Bill Haley and His Comets becomes the first internationally popular rock and roll recording.
- Record companies deliver 7 inch 45 rpm record singles to radio stations instead of 78s
- Pat Boone begins his recording career at Republic Records
- Les Paul commissions Ampex to build the first eight track tape recorder, at his own expense
- The Drifters form
- The Everly Brothers form
- The Isley Brothers form
- Carl Perkins' musical career begins
Albums released
- And I Thought About You - Patti Page
- Clap Yo' Hands - The Four Lads
- Crew Cut Capers - The Crew Cuts
- Favorite Songs - The Ames Brothers
- Guy Mitchell Sings - Guy Mitchell
- In The Wee Small Hours - Frank Sinatra
- Irving Berlin Favorites - Eddie Fisher
- It Must Be True - The Ames Brothers
- Louis Armstrong And The Mills Brothers - Louis Armstrong & The Mills Brothers
- Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy - Louis Armstrong
- The Man That Got Away - Georgia Gibbs
- Meet The Mills Brothers - The Mills Brothers
- Mr. Rhythm - Frankie Laine
- My Heart's In The Highland - Jo Stafford
- Old Masters - Bing Crosby
- Romance On The Range - Patti Page
- Some Fine Old Chestnuts - Bing Crosby
- Song Souvenirs - Patti Page
- Songs For Young Lovers - Frank Sinatra
- Souvenir Album - The Mills Brothers
- Swing Easy - Frank Sinatra
- Till I Waltz Again With You - Teresa Brewer
No. 1 hit singles
These singles reached the top of Billboard magazine's charts in 1954.
Top hits on record
- "Am I A Toy Or A Treasure" - Kay Starr
- "Answer Me, My Love" - Nat King Cole
- "Back Where I Belong" - Frankie Laine & Jo Stafford
- "Baubles, Bangles & Beads" - Georgia Gibbs
- "Baubles, Bangles & Beads" - Peggy Lee
- "The Christmas Song" - Nat King Cole
- "Cross Over The Bridge" - Patti Page
- "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup" - Nat King Cole
- "Ebb Tide" - Roy Hamilton
- "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" - The McGuire Sisters
- "Hearts Of Stone" - The Fontane Sisters
- "How Did He Look?" - Georgia Gibbs
- "I Cried" - Patti Page
- "I Need You Now" - Eddie Fisher
- "I Speak To The Stars" - Doris Day
- "I Took Him From You" - The DeJohn Sisters
- "If I Give My Heart To You" - Doris Day
- "If I Give My Heart To You" - Denise Lor
- "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)" - Kay Starr
- "In the Beginning" - Frankie Laine
- "In The Wee Small Hours" - Frank Sinatra
- "Let Me Go, Lover" - Joan Weber
- "Little Things Mean A Lot" - Kitty Kallen
- "Make Love to Me" - Jo Stafford
- "The Man That Got Away" - Georgia Gibbs
- "The Man Upstairs" - Kay Starr
- "Melancholy Baby" - Georgia Gibbs
- "Melody Of Love" - Frank Sinatra & Ray Anthony
- "Mr. Sandman" - Chordettes
- "Money Burns A Hole In My Pocket" - Dean Martin
- "Muskrat Ramble" - Matys Brothers
- "My Friend" - Frankie Laine
- "My Sin" - Georgia Gibbs
- "Oh! My Pa-Pa" - Eddie Fisher
- "Opus One" - The Mills Brothers
- "Out Of Nowhere" - Frankie Laine
- "Rain, Rain, Rain" - Frankie Laine & The Four Lads
- "Secret Love" - Doris Day
- "Sh-Boom" - Crew-Cuts
- "Sincerely" - McGuire Sisters
- "Smile" - Nat King Cole
- "Someone To Watch Over Me" - Frank Sinatra
- "Such A Night" - Johnnie Ray
- "Sway" - Dean Martin
- "Tenderly" - Nat King Cole
- "Three Coins In The Fountain" - Four Aces
- "Till My Love Comes To Me" - Doris Day
- "Tweedle Dee" - Georgia Gibbs
- "When The World Was Young" - Felicia Sanders
- "You'll Never Walk Alone" - Roy Hamilton
- "Your Heart, My Heart" - Frankie Laine
- "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" - The Mills Brothers
Top R&B and Country hits on record
- "Bimbo" - Jim Reeves
- "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" - Spaniels
- "Gypsy Heart" - Jim Reeves
- "Hearts Of Stone" - Jewels
- "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" - Muddy Waters
- "Shake Rattle And Roll" - Joe Turner
- "That's All Right" - Elvis Presley
- "The Things That I Used To Do" - Guitar Slim
- "Work With Me Annie" - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters
Published popular music
- "All Of You" w.m. Cole Porter
- "Annie Had A Baby" w.m. Henry Glover & Lois Mann
- "Bless Your Beautiful Hide" w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
- "A Blossom Fell" w.m. Howard Barnes, Harold Cornelius & Dominic John
- "Cara Mia" w.m. Tulio Trapani & Lee Lange
- "Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White" w. (Eng) Mack David (Fr) Jacques Larue m. Louiguy
- "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Cross Over The Bridge" w.m. Bennie Benjamin & George David Weiss
- "Dim, Dim The Lights" w.m. Beverly Ross & Julius Dixon
- "Earth Angel" w.m. Jesse Belvin, Curtis Williams & Gaynel Hodge
- "The Finger Of Suspicion Points At You" w.m. Paul Mann & Al Lewis
- "Friends And Neighbours" Marvin Scott & Malcolm Lockyear
- "From The Vine Came The Grape" w.m. Leonard Whitcup & Paul Cunningham
- "Gilly, Gilly, Ossenfeffer, Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea" w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
- "Goin' Co'tin'" w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
- "Hearts Of Stone" w. Eddy Ray m. Rudy Jackson
- "Hernando's Hideaway" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
- "He's A Tramp" Sonny Burke, Peggy Lee
- "Hey There" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
- "The High And The Mighty" w. Ned Washington m. Dimitri Tiomkin
- "Honeycomb" w.m. Bob Merrill
- "I Can't Tell A Waltz From A Tango" Al Hoffman, Dick Manning
- "I Could Be Happy With You" w.m. Sandy Wilson
- "I Don't Hurt Anymore" w. Jack Rollins m. Don Robertson
- "I Got A Woman" w.m. Ray Charles & Renald Richard
- "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" w. Douglas Cross m. George Cory
- "If I Give My Heart To You" w.m. Jimmy Brewster, Jimmie Crane & Al Jacobs
- "I'll Walk With God" w. Paul Francis Webster m. Nicholas Brodszky
- "I'm Gonna File My Claim" w. Ken Darby m. Lionel Newman
- "I'm Not At All In Love" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
- "In Other Words" (aka "Fly Me To The Moon") w.m. Bart Howard
- "It's A Woman's World" w. Sammy Cahn m. Sammy Cahn & Cyril Mockridge
- "It's Never Too Late To Fall In Love" w.m. Sandy Wilson
- "Let Me Go, Lover!" w.m. Jenny Lou Carson & Al Hill
- "The Little Shoemaker" w.(Eng) John Turner & Geoffrey Parsons (Fr) Avril Lamarque m. Rudi Revil
- "Lost In Loveliness" w. Leo Robin m. Sigmund Romberg
- "Make Yourself Comfortable" w.m. Bob Merrill
- "Mambo Italiano" w.m. Bob Merrill
- "Marilyn Monroe Mambo" Perez Prado
- "Mister Sandman" w.m. Pat Ballard
- "Misty" w. Johnny Burke m. Errol Garner
- "My Own True Love" w. Mack David m. Max Steiner Music is "Tara's Theme" 1939.
- "My Son, My Son" w. Bob Howard m. Melville Farley & Eddie Calvert
- "The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane" w.m. Sid Tepper & Roy C. Bennett
- "Oh, Look At Me, I'm Dancing" w. Dorothy Reynolds m. Julian Slade
- "Only You (and You Alone)" w.m. Buck Ram & Ande Rand
- "Open Up Your Heart (And Let The Sunshine In)" w.m. Stuart Hamblen
- "Papa Loves Mambo" w.m. Al Hoffman, Dick Manning & Bix Reichner
- "Pledging My Love" w.m. Ferdinand Washington & Don Robey
- "The Poor People Of Paris" w.(Eng) Jack Lawrence (Fr) Rene Rouzaud m. Marguerite Monnot "La Goulante du Pauvre Jean"
- "Release Me" w.m. Eddie Miller & W. S. Stevenson
- "River Of No Return" w. Ken Darby m. Lionel Newman from the film River Of No Return.
- "Shake, Rattle And Roll" w.m. Charles Calhoun
- "Sh-Boom" w.m. James Keyes, Claude & Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae & James Edwards
- "Sincerely" w.m. Harvey Fuqua & Alan Freed
- "Sisters" w.m. Irving Berlin
- "Skokiaan" w. Tom Glazer m. August Msarurgwa
- "Smile" w. John Turner & Geoffrey Parsons m. Charles Chaplin
- "Sobbin' Women" w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
- "Steam Heat" w.m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
- "There Once Was A Man" w. m. Richard Adler & Jerry Ross
- "This Ole House" w.m. Stuart Hamblen
- "Three Coins In The Fountain" w. Sammy Cahn m. Jule Styne
- "Tweedle Dee" w.m. Winfield Scott
- "We Said We Wouldn't Look Back" w. Dorothy Reynolds m. Julian Slade
- "Wonderful, Wonderful Day" w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
- "Work With Me, Annie" w.m. Hank Ballard
- "Young And Foolish" w. Arnold B. Horwitt m. Albert Hague
Classical music
- Jean Barraqué - Sequence
- Arnold Bax - Autumn Legend
- Pierre Boulez - Le Marteau sans Maître
- Mario Davidovsky - Concertino for Percussion and String Orchestra
- Armstrong Gibbs - Dale and Fell
- Alexander Karamanov - Symphony No. 1
- Edmund Rubbra - Sixth Symphony and Viola Concerto
- Igor Stravinsky - In Memoriam Dylan Thomas
- Henri Tomasi - Concerto for Horn
- Edgar Varèse - Déserts (1950-54)
- Stefan Wolpe - Symphony for 24 Instruments
Opera
- Benjamin Britten - Turn of the Screw
- Bohuslav Martinu - Mirandolina
- Arnold Schoenberg - Moses und Aron
Musical theater
- The Pajama Game (Richard Adler and Jerry Ross) - Broadway production
Musical films
Musical television
Births
- January 16 - Cheryl Bentyne, The Manhattan Transfer
- January 25 - Richard Finch, K.C. and the Sunshine Band
- February 1 - Mike Campbell, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
- February 18 - John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever
- February 19 - Jimmy Pursey, Sham 69
- February 20 - Jon Brant, Cheap Trick
- February 26 - Michael Bolton, singer, songwriter
- February 27 - Neal Schon, Journey
- March 10 - Tina Charles, singer
- March 15 - Jon King, Gang Of Four
- March 16 - Julian Marshall, Marshall Hain
- March 22 - Jake Burns, Stiff Little Fingers
- March 24 - Steve Diggle, The Buzzcocks
- March 25 - Helen Terry, singer
- March 27 - Wally Stocker, The Babys
- March 28 - Reba McEntire
- March 31 - Tony Brock, The Babys
- April 5 - Peter Case
- April 13 - Jimmy Destri, Blondie
- April 17 - Michael Sembello
- May 1 - Ray Parker, Jr.
- May 20 - Jimmie Henderson, Black Oak Arkansas
- May 31 - Vicki Sue Robinson, US disco singer. (+2000)
- June 3 - Dan Hill
- June 5 - Nicko McBrain, Iron Maiden
- June 8 - Greg Ginn, punk guitarist and member of Black Flag
- June 13 - Robert Donaldson, Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods
- June 15 - Terri Gibbs
- August 11 - Joe Jackson, British singer
- August 17 - Eric Johnson
- August 25 - Elvis Costello
- September 14 - Barry Cowsill
- October 3 - Stevie Ray Vaughan (+1990)
- October 9 - James Fearnley, The Pogues
- October 12 - Michael Roe, guitarist, lead singer of The 77s
- October 21 - Eric Faulkner, Bay City Rollers
- November 4 - Chris Difford, Squeeze
- November 9 - Dennis Stratton, Iron Maiden
- November 10 - Mario Cipollina, Huey Lewis & The News
- November 23 - Bruce Hornsby
- December 6 - Edward Tudor-Pole
- December 11 - Jermaine Jackson, The Jackson 5
- December 25 - Annie Lennox, Eurythmics
- December 25 - Robin Campbell, UB40
- Marty Dieckmeyer, Daniel Amos
- Marc Ribot, guitarist, Sam Phillips, Elvis Costello, others
Deaths
- March 3 - Noel Gay, English songwriter
- March 27 - Carl Fischer, American composer and jazz pianist, aged 41. Fischer was best known for his work as Frankie Laine's accompaniest and musical director, and for standard "We'll Be Together Again," which he and Laine wrote.
- May 19 - Charles Ives, American composer
- August 17 - Billy Murray, US singer
- October 27 - Franco Alfano, composer and pianist
- November 11 - J. Rosamond Johnson, US composer and singer
- November 30 - Wilhelm Furtwängler, conductor
- August 24 - Fred Rose, songwriter, music publishersv:Musikåret 1954