1956 in country music

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1956.

Events

• January 30 — Despite a 4-inch snowstorm, 17,000 fans attend a Coliseum concert in Denver, Colorado. On the bill are Webb Pierce, Red Foley, the Foggy River Boys, Ray Price, Floyd Cramer, Roy Hill, the Echo Valley Boys and others.
• March 15 — Colonel Tom Parker becomes manager of Elvis Presley.
• March 22 — Carl Perkins is seriously injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Delaware, while en route to perform on The Perry Como Show.
• November 10 — George Jones is named the most promising country and western artist, according to Billboard magazine's annual nationwide disc jockey poll. Elvis Presley is the most played C&W artist.

No dates

• Although he already has had one No. 1 hit (with "I Forgot to Remember to Forget") and several other smaller-scale hits, Elvis Presley's national star power explodes when "Heartbreak Hotel" soars to the top of all three of Billboard<nowiki>'s</nowiki> country charts by the end of March. The song also completes a rare feat by topping each of the Billboard pop and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
• With release of Ray Price's "Crazy Arms", the 4/4 shuffle is established and would transform country music, especially honky tonk.

Top hits of the year

Number one hits

United States

(as certified by Billboard)

Notes

• 1<span id="endnote_1" ></span>^ No. 1 song of the year, as determined by Billboard.
• 2<span id="endnote_2" ></span>^ Song dropped from No. 1 and later returned to top spot.
• A<span id="endnote_A" ></span>^ First Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.
• B<span id="endnote_B" ></span>^ Only Billboard No. 1 hit for that artist.

Note: Several songs were simultaneous No. 1 hits on the separate "Most Played C&W in Juke Boxes," "Most Played C&W by Jockeys" and "C&W Best Sellers in Stores" charts.

Other major hits

Top new album releases

Births

• January 18 — Mark Collie, country artist of the early 1990s.
• March 26 — Charly McClain, country vocalist of the early-to-mid-1980s.
• June 19 — Doug Stone, popular country vocalist during the early- to mid-1990s.
• July 6 — John Jorgenson, member of The Desert Rose Band.
• July 26 — Scott Hendricks, record producer (Restless Heart, Blake Shelton)
• August 12 — Danny Shirley, lead singer of Confederate Railroad
• September 22 — Debby Boone, granddaughter of Red Foley who enjoyed country success of her own in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• October 23 — Dwight Yoakam, neotraditionalist since the mid-1980s who helped revitalize interest in the Bakersfield Sound.
• December 9 — Sylvia, pop-styled female vocalist of the early-1980s who became best known as "Sylvia."
• December 18 – Ron White, comedian, member of Blue Collar Comedy with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy
• December 21 — Lee Roy Parnell, alternative country star who enjoyed mainstream country success during the mid-1990s.
• December 30 — Suzy Bogguss, folk-styled country artist who rose to fame in the early 1990s.

References

Further reading

• Kingsbury, Paul, "Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers 1947–1989," Country Music Foundation, 2003 ()
• Millard, Bob, "Country Music: 70 Years of America's Favorite Music," HarperCollins, New York, 1993 ()
• Whitburn, Joel. "Top Country Songs 1944–2005 – 6th Edition." 2005.

Other links

• Country Music Association