See also: 1955 in music, other events of 1956, 1957 in music, 1950s in music and the list of 'years in music'

Events

• Cameo-Parkway Records formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Kal Mann & Bernie Lowe .
• Foundation of the Korean piano brand Young Chang.
• January 26 - Buddy Holly's first recording sessions for Decca Records take place in Nashville, Tennessee
• Roy Orbison signs with Sun Records
• January 28 - Elvis Presley makes his national television debut on The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show
• December 4 - Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash record together at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. The sessions are later released under the name, the "Million Dollar Quartet"
• March 22 - Carl Perkins is injured in a car accident near Wilmington, Delaware and spends several months in the hospital. Perkins had been on his way to New York City to make an appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.
• March 31 - Elvis Presley films a screen test for Paramount Pictures.
• April 3 - Elvis Presley makes his first appearance on The Milton Berle Show
• April 6 - Paramount Pictures signs Elvis Presley to a three picture deal.
• April 7 - The first regularly scheduled nationally broadcast rock & roll show, Rock 'n Roll Dance Party, with Alan Freed as host, premieres on the CBS Radio Network.
• April 10 - Nat King Cole is severely beaten by a group of racial segregationists in Birmingham, Alabama while performing
• May 2 - For the first time in Billboard magazine history, five singles appear in both the pop and R&B Top Ten charts. They are Elvis Presley's "Heatbreak Hotel" (#1 pop, #6 R&B), Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" (#4 pop, #3 R&B), Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" (#9 pop, #1 R&B), the Platters' "Magic Touch" (#10 pop, #7 R&B) and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (#7 pop, #4 R&B). Presley's and Perkins' singles also appeared on the country and western Top Ten chart at #1 and #2 respectively
• May 6 - Elvis Presley appears on the Milton Berle show
• May 24 - First ever Eurovision Song Contest
• June 5 - Elvis Presley introduces his new single, Hound Dog, on The Milton Berle Show, scandalizing the audience with his sugestive hip movements.
• July 1 - Elvis Presley appears on the Steve Allen show
• July 9 - Dick Clark hosts American Bandstand for the first time
• September 9 - Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• Nat King Cole becomes the first major black performer to host a variety show on national television. The Nat King Cole Show was first broadcast on November 5, 1956
• December 19 - Breaking the record for the highest number of concurrent singles by a single artist, Elvis Presley holds 9 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Presley would hold the record until 1964 when the Beatles held 14 positions on the chart.
• Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock stars.
• Aretha Franklin's musical career begins
• Gene Vincent's musical career begins
• The Coasters' musical career begins
• Charlie Rich's musical career begins
• Bobby Darin's musical career begins
• Willie Nelson's musical career begins
• Dalida's musical career begins on Barclay Record in Europe as (one of) the first biggest "world pop star" and sex symbol
• Chrysler Corporation provides an in-car turntable 16⅔ rpm record player with 7-inch ultramicrogroove records in its luxury model, the "Imperial". The machine was developed by Peter Goldmark — the man who invented the 33⅓ rpm long playing (LP) record format

Albums released

• The Ames Brothers - The Ames Brothers
• Ames Brothers Concert - The Ames Brothers
• The Ames Brothers With Hugo Winterhalter - The Ames Brothers & Hugo Winterhalter
• Dinner Music For People Who Aren't Very Hungry - Spike Jones
• Do You Remember When? - McGuire Sisters
• The East Side - Patti Page
• Ella and Louis - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
• The Four Aces - The Four Aces
• Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems Of Color - Frank Sinatra
• Frankie Laine & The Four Lads - Frankie Laine
• A Girl Named Jo - Jo Stafford
• High Society - Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong & Celeste Holm
• Holding Hands At Midnight - Dinah Shore
• Howdy! - Pat Boone
• In The Land Of Hi Fi - Patti Page
• Kay Starr Country - Kay Starr
• Latin Kick - Cal Tjader
• Listen To The Hi-Lo's - The Hi-Lo’s
• Love Songs Sung - Dinah Shore
• Love's Old Sweet Song - The Ames Brothers
• Lullaby Time - Bing Crosby
• Manhattan Tower - Patti Page
• Most Happy Fella - Doris Day
• Music And Memories - Georgia Gibbs
• New Jazz Conceptions - Bill Evans
• Pat Boone - Pat Boone
• On Hand - The Hi-Lo’s
• On The Sunny Side Of The Street - The Four Lads
• Shillelaghs And Shamrocks - Bing Crosby
• Singin' And Swingin' - The Mills Brothers
• Ski Trails - Jo Stafford
• Song Favorites - Georgia Gibbs
• Songs By Kay Starr - Kay Starr
• Swingin' With Her Nibs - Georgia Gibbs
• Swingin' With Kay Starr - Kay Starr
• The Best Of - The Eisenhowers
• This Is Sinatra - Frank Sinatra
• Two For Tonight - Bing Crosby
• Under Glass - The Hi-Lo’s

No. 1 hit singles

These singles reached the top of Billboard magazine's charts in 1956.

Top hits on record

• "(Heigh, Ho) Addison Road " - The Eisenhowers
• "Ain't Got No Home" - Clarence Frogman Henry
• "All The Way" - Frank Sinatra
• "Allegheny Moon" - Patti Page
• "And This Is My Beloved" - Mario Lanza
• "Any Way You Want Me" - Elvis Presley
• "Bambino" - Dalida
• "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps
• "Blueberry Hill" - Fats Domino
• "Can I Steal A Little Love" - Frank Sinatra
• "Che bambola" - Fred Buscaglione(Italy)
• "Don't Be Cruel" - Elvis Presley
• "Don't Forbid Me" - Pat Boone
• "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)" - Pat Boone
• "Glad Rag Doll" - Kay Starr
• "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" - Patience & Prudence
• "The Great Pretender" - The Platters
• "The Green Door" - Jim Lowe
• "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Happiness Street" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Heartbreak Hotel" - Elvis Presley
• "Hell Hath No Fury" - Frankie Laine
• "Hey! Jealous Lover" - Frank Sinatra
• "Hound Dog" - Elvis Presley
• "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know" - Frank Sinatra
• "I Almost Lost My Mind" - Pat Boone
• "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" - Georgia Gibbs
• "I Remember You" - Doris Day
• "I Want To Be Loved" - Johnnie Ray
• "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" - Elvis Presley
• "I Was The One" - Elvis Presley
• "I'll Be Home" - Pat Boone
• "Inamorata" - Dean Martin
• "I've Got You Under My Skin" - Frank Sinatra
• "Ivory Tower" - Cathy Carr
• "Just Walkin' In The Rain" - Johnnie Ray
• "Lonesome Road" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Long Tall Sally" - Little Richard
• "Lotus Blossom" - Johnnie Ray
• "Love Is A Golden Ring" - Frankie Laine & The Easy Riders
• "Love Me Tender" - Elvis Presley
• "(You've Got) The Magic Touch" - The Platters
• "Mama From The Train" - Patti Page
• "The Man That Got Away" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Memories Are Made Of This" - Dean Martin
• "My Blue Heaven" - Fats Domino
• "My Prayer" - The Platters
• "No, Not Much" - The Four Lads
• "On The Road To Mandalay" - Frankie Laine
• "On The Street Where You Live" - Vic Damone
• "Picnic" - The McGuire Sisters
• "Rock Right" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Roll Over Beethoven" - Chuck Berry
• "See You Later Alligator" - Bill Haley and His Comets
• "Shake A Hand" - Johnnie Ray
• "Singing The Blues" - Guy Mitchell
• "Standing On The Corner" - The Four Lads
• "Suddenly There's A Valley" - Gogi Grant
• "Sweet Old Fashioned Girl" - Teresa Brewer
• "A Tear Fell" - Teresa Brewer
• "Tra La La" - Georgia Gibbs
• "Tutti-Frutti" - Little Richard
• "The Wayward Wind" - Gogi Grant
• "Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" - Doris Day
• "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" - The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon
• "Without Him" - Frankie Laine
• "You Don't Know Me" - Jerry Vale

Top R&B and Country hits on record

• "Blue Suede Shoes" - Carl Perkins
• "In The Still Of The Night" - Five Satins
• "I've Loved And Lost Again" - Patsy Cline
• "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" - Brenda Lee
• "My Pink Cadillac" - Hal Willis
• "Ooby Dooby" - Roy Orbison
• "I Walk The Line" - Johnny Cash

Published popular music

• "11th Hour Melody"     w. Carl Sigman m. King Palmer
• "Abbondanza"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "After The Lights Go Down Low"     w.m. Alan White & Leroy Lovett
• "Ain't Got No Home"     w.m. Clarence Henry
• "Allegheny Moon"     w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
• "Anastasia"     w. Paul Francis Webster m. Alfred Newman
• "Anyway You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)"     w.m. Aaron Schroeder & Cliff Owens
• "Around The World"     w. Harold Adamson m. Victor Young
• "The Banana Boat Song"     trad arr. Alan Arkin, Bob Carey & Erik Darling
• "Be-Bop-A-Lula"     w.m. Tex Davis & Gene Vincent
• "Bells Are Ringing"     w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne
• "The Best Of All Possible Worlds"     w. Richard Wilbur m. Leonard Bernstein
• "Big D"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "The Birds And The Bees"     Mack David, Harry Warren
• "Bloodnock's Rock And Roll Call"     T. Carbone
• "Bluebottle Blues"     Spike Milligan, Carbone
• "Bo Weevil"     w.m. Dave Bartholomew & Antoine "Fats" Domino
• "Boppin' The Blues"     w.m. Carl Perkins & Howard Griffin
• "Born To Be With You"     w.m. Don Robertson
• "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"     Chuck Berry
• "The Bus Stop Song" (aka "A Paper Of Pins")     w.m. Ken Darby
• "Can I Steal A Little Love"     w.m. Phil Tuminello
• "Canadian Sunset"     w. Norman Gimbel m. Eddie Heywood
• "Chain Gang"     w.m. Sol Quasha & Herb Yakus
• "Cindy, Oh Cindy"     w.m. Bob Barron & Burt Long
• "Don't Be Cruel"     w.m. Otis Blackwell & Elvis Presley
• "Don't Forbid Me"     w.m. Charles Singleton
• "Eddie My Love"     A. Collins, M. Davis, S. Ling
• "Fever"     w.m. Eddie Cooley & John Davenport
• "Flying Saucer"     w. Bill Buchanan & Dickie Goodman
• "Fools Fall In Love"     Leiber, Stoller
• "Friendly Persuasion"     w. Paul Francis Webster m. Dimitri Tiomkin
• "The Garden Of Eden"     w.m. Dennise Haas Norwood
• "Get Me To The Church On Time"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Glendora"     w.m. Ray Stanley
• "Glitter And Be Gay"     w. Richard Wilbut m. Leonard Bernstein
• "The Gnu"     Michael Flanders & Donald Swann
• "Good Golly Miss Molly"     w.m. John Marascalco & Robert Blackwell
• "Goodnight My Love"     G. Motola, J. Marascalco
• "The Green Door"     w. Marvin Moore m. Bob Davie
• "Happy To Make Your Acquaintance"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "The Happy Whistler"     m. Don Robertson
• "Heartbreak Hotel"     w.m. Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden & Elvis Presley
• "Hey! Jealous Lover"     w.m. Sammy Cahn, Kay Twomey & Bee Walker
• "High Society Calypso"     w.m. Cole Porter
• "The Hippopotamus"     Michael Flanders & Donald Swann
• "Honky Tonk"     w. Henry Glover m. Bill Doggett, Billy Butler, Shep Shephard & Clifford Scott
• "Hot Diggity"     w. m.(adapt) Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
• "A House With Love In It"     w. Sylvia Dee m. Sid Lippman
• "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know(1)"     w. Carolyn Leigh m. Philip Springer
• "I Could Have Danced All Night"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "I Love You, Samantha"     w.m. Cole Porter
• "I Walk The Line"     w.m. Johnny Cash
• "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You"     w. George Mysels m. Ira Kosloff
• "I Was The One"     w.m. Claude Demetrius, Bill Peppers , Hal Blair , Aaron Schroeder
• "If I Had My Druthers"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
• "I'm An Ordinary Man"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "I'm Walkin"'     w.m. Antoine "Fats" Domino & Dave Bartholomew
• "I'm Walking Backwards For Christmas"     Spike Milligan, T. Carbone
• "In The Still Of The Nite"     w.m. Fred Parris
• "It Only Hurts For A Little While"     w. Mack David m. Fred Spielman
• "It's Not For Me To Say"     w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
• "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Ivory Tower"     w.m. Jack Fulton & Lois Steele
• "Joey, Joey, Joey"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Jubilation T. Cornpone"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
• "Juke Box Baby"     w. Noel Sherman m. Joe Sherman
• "Just In Time"     w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne
• "Knee Deep In The Blues"     w.m. Melvin Endsley
• "Lay Down Your Arms"     w.(Eng) Paddy Roberts (Swed) Ake Gerhard m. Ake Gerhard & Leon Land
• "Let The Good Times Roll"     w.m. Leonard Lee
• "Long Before I Knew You"     w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne
• "Long Tall Sally"     w.m. Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman & Robert A. Blackwell
• "Look Homeward Angel"     w.m. Wally Gold
• "Love Me Tender"     w. Elvis Presley & Vera Matson m. George R. Poulton
• "Love Me"     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "Lucky Lips"     w.m. Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
• "The Magic Touch"     w.m. Buck Ram
• "Mama From The Train"     w.m. Irving Gordon
• "Mama, Teach Me To Dance"     w.m. Al Hoffman & Dick Manning
• "Mangos"     w.m. Sid Wayne & Dee Libbey
• "Marianne"     w.m. Terry Gilkyson , Frank Miller & Richard Dehr
• "Married I Can Always Get"     w.m. Gordon Jenkins
• "Mary's Boy Child"     w.m. Jester Hairston
• "Mind If I Make Love To You" w.m. Cole Porter. Introduced by Frank Sinatra in the film High Society
• "The Money Tree"     w. Cliff Ferre m. Mark McIntyre
• "Moonlight Gambler"     w. Bob Hilliard m. Philip Springer
• "More"     w. Tom Glazer m. Alex Alstone
• "The Most Happy Fella"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Mutual Admiration Society"     w. Matt Dubey m. Harold Karr. Introduced by Ethel Merman and Virginia Gibson in the musical Happy Hunting
• "My Heart Is So Full Of You"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "My Lucky Charm"     Sammy Cahn & Nicholas Brodszky
• "Namely You"     w. Johnny Mercer m. Gene De Paul
• "Now You Has Jazz"     w.m. Cole Porter
• "Oh What A Nite"     w.m. Marvin Junior & John Funches
• "On The Street Where You Live"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Our Language Of Love"     w.m. Monte Norman, David Heneker, Julian More, Alexander Breffort & Marguerite Monnot
• "The Party's Over"     w. Betty Comden & Adolph Green m. Jule Styne
• "The Portuguese Washerwomen" (Original title "Las Lavanderas De Portugal")     m. André Popp & Roger Lucchesi
• "Que Sera, Sera"     w.m. Jay Livingston & Ray Evans
• "The Rain In Spain"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Rock With The Caveman"     Steele, Pratt, Lionel Bart, Frank Chacksfield
• "Roll Over Beethoven"     w.m. Chuck Berry
• "A Rose And A Baby Ruth"     w.m. John D. Loudermilk
• "Round And Round"     w.m. Lou Stallman & Joe Shapiro
• "Shape Of Things"     w.m. Sheldon Harnick
• "Show Me"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Singing The Blues"     w.m. Melvin Endsley
• "(A Little Boy Called) Smiley"     Clyde Collins
• "Soft Summer Breeze"     w. Judy Spencer m. Eddie Heywood
• ""     w. Sammy Cahn m. Bronislau Kaper
• "Somebody, Somewhere"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Song For A Summer Night"     w.m. Robert Allen
• "Standing On The Corner"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "Sweet Heartaches"     w.m. Nat Simon & Jimmy Kennedy
• "A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl"     w.m. Bob Merrill
• "A Tear Fell"     w.m. Eugene Randolph & Dorian Burton
• "Teen Age Crush"     w.m. Audrey Allison & Joe Allison
• "Theme From Picnic"     w. Steve Allen m. George Duning
• "There's Never Been Anyone Else But You"     w. Paul Francis Webster m. Dimitri Tiomkin
• "This Could Be The Start Of Something"     w.m. Steve Allen
• "This Is What I Call Love"     w. Matt Dubey m. Harold Karr
• "A Thousand Miles Away"     J. Shephard, N. H. Miller
• "Too Close For Comfort"     w. Larry Holofcener & George David Weiss m. Jerry Bock
• "Too Much"     w.m. Lee Rosenberg & Bernard Weinman
• "A Town Like Alice"     w.m. Letty Katts
• "Transfusion"     w.m. Jimmy Drake
• "True Love"     w.m. Cole Porter
• "Two Different Worlds"     w. Sid Wayne m. Al Frisch
• "Walk Hand In Hand"     w.m. Johnny Cowell
• "Warm All Over"     w.m. Frank Loesser
• "The Wayward Wind"     w.m. Stan Lebowsky & Herb Newman
• "When Sunny Gets Blue"     w. Jack Segal m. Marvin Fisher
• "Who Needs You"     w. Al Stillman m. Robert Allen
• "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"     w.m. Cole Porter
• "With A Little Bit Of Luck"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Without You"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?"     w. Alan Jay Lerner m. Frederick Loewe
• "Wringle Wrangle"     w.m. Stan Jones
• "Written On The Wind"     w.m. Sammy Cahn & Victor Young
• "Ying Tong Song"     w.m. Spike Milligan
• "Young Love"     w.m. Carole Joyner & Ric Cartey

Classical music

• Reginald Smith Brindle - El Polifemo de Oro
• Mario Davidovsky - Three Pieces for Woodwind Quartet
• Mario Davidovsky - Noneti for Nine Instruments
• Armstrong Gibbs - Threnody
• Lars-Erik Larsson - Concertino for Violin
• Luigi Nono - Il Canto Sospeso
• Francis Poulenc - Dernier poème
• Roger Sessions - Piano Concerto
• Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No.6 in G major, Op.101

Opera

• Douglas Moore - The Ballad of Baby Doe
• Robert Ward - He Who Gets Slapped; libretto by Bernard Stambler

Musical theater

• At The Drop Of A Hat      London revue opened at the New Lindsey Theatre on December 31 and transferred to the Fortune Theatre on January 24, 1957 for a total run of 808 performances
• Bells Are Ringing     Broadway production opened at the Shubert Theatre on November 29 and ran for 924 performances
• Candide (Leonard Bernstein) - Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on December 1 and ran for 73 performances
• Fanny     London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on November 15 and ran for 347 performances
• Happy Hunting Broadway production opened at the Majestic Theatre on December 6 and ran for 412 performances
• Irma La Douce     Paris production opened at the Théâtre Gramont on November 12
• Li'l Abner (Gene De Paul and Johnny Mercer) - Broadway production opened at the St. James Theatre on November 15 and ran for 693 performances
• The Most Happy Fella     Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on May 3 and ran for 676 performances
• Mr Wonderful      Broadway production opened at the Broadway Theatre on March 22 and ran for 383 performances
• My Fair Lady (Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe) - Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on March 15 and ran for 2717 performances
• Plain And Fancy      London production opened at the Drury Lane Theatre on January 25

Musical films

• Carousel
• The Court Jester
• High Society
• The King And I
• King's Rhapsody
• The Vagabond King

Births

• January 3 - Julie Miller, singer
• January 4 - Bernard Albrecht/Summer , Joy Division, New Order
• January 17 - Paul Young
• January 25 - Andy Cox, The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals
• January 31 - Johnny Rotten, The Sex Pistols
• February 3 - Lee Renaldo , Sonic Youth
• February 13 - Peter Hook, Joy Division, New Order
• March 2 - John Cowsill , The Cowsills
• May 9 - John Jay Ruskin , fiddle player
• May 25 - Sugar Minott, singer
• June 6 - Kenny G
• June 23 - Glenn Danzig, leader of Danzig
• July 15 - Ian Curtis, Joy Division
• July 20 - Paul Cook, The Sex Pistols
• August 27 - Glen Matlock, The Sex Pistols
• September 10 - Siobhan Fahey
• September 22 - Debby Boone
• September 30 - Basia
• October 2 - Freddie Jackson
• October 23 - Dwight Yoakam
• October 25 - Matthias Jabs , The Scorpions
• November 4 – Igor Talkov, Russian singer/songwriter (d. 1991)
• December 6 - Peter Buck, R.E.M.
• December 8 - Warren Cuccurullo of Missing Persons, Duran Duran

Deaths

• January 5 - Mistinguett
• January 27 - Erich Kleiber, conductor
• June 11 - Frankie Trumbauer, US saxophonist, bandleader and sometime singer
• June 23 - Reinhold Glière, composer
• September 27 - Gerald Finzi, composer
• October 1 - Albert Von Tilzer
• October 19 - Isham Jones, US bandleader and composer
• November 24 - Guido Cantelli, conductor
• November 26 - Tommy Dorsey
• December 7 - Henry Fillmore

Awards

Eurovision Song Contest

• Eurovision Song Contest 1956