August 1955

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Rose Marie - Slim Whitman
2. Cool Water - Frankie Laine
3. Unchained Melody - Jimmy Young
4. Strange Lady In Town - Frankie Laine
5. Ev'ry Day Of My Life - Malcolm Vaughan
6. Evermore - Ruby Murray
7. Ev'rywhere - David Whitfield
8. Dreamboat - Alma Cogan
9. Learnin' The Blues - Frank Sinatra
10. I Wonder - Dickie Valentine

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets
2. A Blossom Fell - Nat King Cole
3. Learnin' The Blues - Frank Sinatra
4. Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
5. Ain't That A Shame - Pat Boone
6. Hard To Get - Giselle Mackenzie
7. Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
8. Something's Gotta Give - McGuire Sisters
9. It's A Sin To Tell A Lie - Somethin' Smith & The Redheads
10. Something's Gotta Give - Sammy Davis Jr

US R&B chart toppers this month:

A Fool For You - Ray Charles & His Band
Maybelline - Chuck Berry & His Combo

US Country chart toppers this month:

I Don't Care - Webb Pierce

Some UK single releases:

Farewell, So Long, Goodbye/I'll Be True - Bill Haley & 
His Comets
(Close Your Eyes) Take A Deep Breath - Four Keys
Leave-a My Gal Alone - Four Tophatters
Drinking Tequila - Jim Reeves
Tired Of Waitin' - Four Tunes
Goodnight And Cheerio - Sir Hubert Pimm
Close The Door - Jim Lowe
You're Love Has Got Me (Reelin' And Rockin') - Billy Valentine
Cynthia's In Love - Chris Dane
The Birds And The Bees - Dusty Rose
Your Love Is Wild As The West Wind - Jim Edward Brown & 
Maxine Brown
The Lone Psychiatrist - Stan Freburg
I'll Never Stop Loving You - Slim Whitman
Oh Me Oh My Oh - Sunnysiders
East Of The Sun - Earl Bostic Orchestra
Pretty Baby - Somethin' Smith & The Redheads 
Snuggle Up - Three Deuces
The Kentuckian Song - Bobby Sherwood
The Kentuckian Song - Hilltoppers
The Kentuckian Song - Ben Bowers
The Barnyard Hop - Bonnie Lou
Barricade - Bette Anne Steele
Ali Baba - Bob Jaxon
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone - Jerry Cornell
Lazy River - Hoagy Carmichael
Hummingbird - Chordettes
Flying Hickory - Tony Crombie Orchestra
I'm Bewildered - De Castro Sisters
Lover Come Back To Me - Ella Fitzgerald
The Banjo's Back In Town - Teresa Brewer
Don't Leave Me Now - Dakota Staton
What A Wonderful Way To Die - Bob Manning
Heavenly Lover - Bill Carey
Annabelle - Nat King Cole
Not As A Stranger - Frank Sinatra
No Arms Can Ever Hold You - Jeffrey Clay
The Yellow Rose Of Texas - Johnny Desmond
I'll Come When You Call - Ruby Murray
Nare - Goofers
Domani - Julius LaRosa
Hey There! - Edmund Hockridge
With Your Love - Malcolm Vaughan
Violin Boogie - Max Jaffa Quintet

Important events:

Top Canadian vocal group The Crew Cuts have a professional 
slickness which their rivals might well envy.  
Last summer, their note-for-note copy of 'Sh-Boom', 
originally recorded by The Chords, outsold all competition 
and was voted 'Rhythm and Blues Record of the Year' by a 
critics' panel in Down Beat magazine.  
Realising that the R&B boom was infiltrating the pop
market, the boys collected more items from that field.  
One was 'Ko Ko Mo',another 'Earth Angel' which has been 
around the British best sellers since April.  
The folks who prophesied a short commercial life for rhythm and
blues had better think again.  
Incidentally, the lads have taken out
insurance with Lloyds of London - against losing their hair and
consequently their tonsorial trademark!

Some people might find it faintly comical that a 42 year-old 
Jewish cabaret singer from Chicago should pose as a hapless 
cowpoke lost in an endless desert - as he does in 'Cool Water' - 
but not the countless fans who have returned Frankie Laine to 
the higher reaches of the charts yet again.  
Of course, Laine is no stranger to western ballads.  His past 
hits include 'Mule Train', 'Cry of the Wild Goose' and 
'High Noon'.  Says Frankie:
'There is something fascinating about the lone adventurer, 
out in the wide open spaces, facing up to adversity.' 
And he should know.  Back in 1932, as a contestant in a 
marathon dance competition held in Atlantic City, he set
a world record of 3,501 hours non-stop dancing!

Decca UK singing star David Whitfield is the third British 
artist in recent years to win a coveted 'Golden Record'.  
Thanks to a spell in the American charts, the sales of his 
'Cara Mia' have now exceeded one million copies. 
Only three years ago, Whitfield was working as a building 
labourer in Hull, Yorkshire.  
The only other British artists to have been awarded a Golden
Record are Vera Lynn (for 'Auf Weidersehn') and trumpeter 
Eddie Calvert
(for 'Oh Mein Papa').

The most consistently successful R&B label, Atlantic, has 
recently begun an extensive jazz album programme.  
The company has also started a new subsidiary, Atco.

Fast-rising New York folk and calypso singer Harry Belafonte 
has become one of the most in-demand entertainers in the 
country.  This month, he begins a six week residency at 
the Waldorf Astoria's plush Empire Room at the
highest salary ever paid to a performer.  
Another project involves Belafonte and Cary Grant starring 
in a movie as two jazz pianists who start out broke, but go ~
to the top as a team.

Despite victory in this year's Down Beat poll, jazz trumpeter 
Miles Davis is, according to his English label boss, 'one 
of our worst sellers'!

Modelled on Bill Haley's Comets, Boyd Bennett & The Rockets 
have a US hit with 'Seventeen'.

************************************

"New Musical Express" headlines this month:

Curtain Up On London's Holiday Highlights. Stapleton, ~
Clooney, Martino,Foster, Mitchell, Revellers.

Dorothy Squires Comes Back to a Triumph

The 'King of Hi-de-ho' Has Been At The Top For 25 Years! 
Story of American Cab Calloway.

You'll Soon Be Meeting The Crew Cuts In Person - So Meet 
Them First In This Article! Bio of American vocal group.

Carmen Miranda Dies Suddenly. Obituary of Brazilian song 
and film star

Eddie Arnold the Tennessee Ploughboy. Bio of American country western
singer.

How the 'Cannonball' Shot to the Top. Story of American 
alto-saxophone player Julian Adderley. 

Unsophisticated Ruby Makes a Hit! Norman Wisdom and Ruby 
Murray in
"Painting the Town".

The Swingy McGuire Sisters. Reviews U.S. vocal trio.

Peggy Lee Triumphs in "Pete Kelly's Blues". Reviews new jazz 
film.

Cab Calloway Opens His Variety Tour in Glasgow and Makes an 
Immediate hit with His New Act. Review.

Other events:

August 22: Nationalist rioting in Morocco and Algeria over 
the weekend cost at least 770 lives.  Of these, 528 were in 
Algeria, where the French yesterday claimed to have 'stamped 
out' the insurrection.  Yesterday, survivors related how 
tribesmen swept down on the Moroccan town of Oued Zem
on Saturday and massacred 50 Europeans, including women 
and children.

August 25: A gun battle on the beach at Broadstairs, Kent, 
in full view of holiday crowds, ended a shooting affray 
yesterday in which an American airman killed three servicemen, 
including an R.A.F. corporal, and wounded nine others, mainly 
civilians.  The airman had gone berserk at the United
States Air Force Base at Manston, near Ramsgate.  
Armed with a .45 service revolver and an automatic carbine, 
he ran through the camp shooting into the huts and at cars.

August 4: Action was taken yesterday to stop the urban sprawl 
which threatens to spoil the countryside around many provincial 
towns.  Mr Sandys, Minister of Housing and Local Government, 
wrote to 140 local councils asking them to establish green 
belts similar to that around London.  Inside these belts there 
would be a general ban on further building.  
Small and large towns would have their rural areas protected in
this way.

August 17: All the arms and the remainder of the ammunition 
stolen by members of the Irish Republican Army from a 
Berkshire R.E.M.E. depot on Saturday were found by Scotland 
Yard yesterday in a derelict shop in Caledonian Road, 
Islington.  A picked squad of 12 Special Branch
detectives, armed with revolvers, had waited all night in 
the dark in rooms above the basement where the arms and 
ammunition were hidden.  It was hoped
the I.R.A. men would return [obviously they didn't].

August 30: The Canberra jet bomber which set up an altitude 
record of 63,668 ft in May, 1953, made another attempt on 
the record yesterday.  The result will not be known until 
recording instruments have been studied.

August 21: Theda Barra, the first of the famous 'sirens' 
of the screen, has died in Hollywood aged 63.

August 1956

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Why Do Fools Fall In Love? - The Teenagers featuring Frankie Lymon 
2. Whatever Will Be Will Be - Doris Day
3. A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl - Teresa Brewer
4. I'll Be Home - Pat Boone
5. Walk Hand In Hand - Tony Martin
6. Bluebottle Blues - The Goons
7. Mountain Greenery - Mel Torme
8. All Star Hit Parade - Various Artists
9. Wayward Wind - Tex Ritter
10. Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You/My Baby Left Me - Elvis Presley
2. Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
3. I Almost Lost My Mind - Pat Boone
4. My Prayer/Heaven On Earth - Platters
5. More/Glendora - Perry Como
6. Whatever Will Be Will Be - Doris Day
7. Be Bop A Lula - Gene Vincent
8. I'm In Love Again/My Blue Heaven - Fats Domino
9. Allegheny Moon - Patti Page
10. Born To Be With You - Chordettes

US R&B chart toppers this month:

Rip It Up - Little Richard & His Band
My Prayer - Platters
Honky Tonk (Parts 1&2) - Bill Doggett

US Country chart toppers this month:

I Walk The Line - Johnny Cash

Some UK single 45 releases:

Hot Dog Buddy, Buddy/Rockin' Through The Rye - Bill Haley & His Comets
When My Dream Boat Comes Home/So Long - Fats Domino
Only You/The Great Pretender - Platters
Corrine Corrina - Joe Turner
I Want You To Be My Girl - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
I Want To Do More - Ruth Brown
You Baby You - Cleftones
One Night Only - Otis Williams & His Charms
When Mexico Gave Up The Rhumba - Mitchell Torok
You Gotta Heart Like A Merry-Go-Round - Jimmy Work
Bring A Little Water Sylvie/Dead Or Alive - Lonnie Donegan
So Doggone Lonesome - Ernest Tubb
I'll Wait - Betty Johnson
Dig - Johnny Webb
Till You Come Back To Me - Barry Sisters
Ghost Town - Don Cherry
One Kiss - Four Coins
Born To Be With You - Chordettes
Born To Be With You - Patti Page
Born To Be With You - Beverly Sisters
Weary Blues - McGuire Sisters
Give Me A Carriage With Eight White Horses - Guy Mitchell
I Almost Lost My Mind - Pat Boone
Love Is Here To Stay - Mel Torme
Lulu's Back In Town - Mel Torme
You Don't Know Me - Jerry Vale
More - Perry Como
I'll Know - Georgia Gibbs
Stack O' Lee Blues - Ken Colyer's Skiffle Group
I'm In Love Again - Alma Cogan
Lay Down Your Arms - Anne Shelton
She Loves To Rock - Stargazers

Important events:

In America, where his latest disc, 'Hound Dog', sold over a 
million copies within days of release, Elvis Presley has been 
scheduled to star in his first movie.  Called 'Love Me Tender', 
it's a western musical based on Margaret Thompson's book, 
The Lonesome Cowboy.  Presley has also signed a
unique merchandising deal, where he will endorse products 
designed for the teenage market - such as jeans, T-shirts and 
charm bracelets.  Meanwhile, in Britain, journalists seem anxious 
to duplicate the over-emotional rantings of their transatlantic 
counterparts. 'I know that this man is dangerous, and I don't want 
to see British youngsters hacking out his name
on their arms with clasp-knives, or see sex treated as an appalling
commercial freak-show,' raved one.  'Neither Sinatra nor Crosby 
have to rely on a tom-cat's caterwauling to achieve their vocal 
effects,'
proclaimed another, 'and their fans are not unhealthily 
stimulated to
morbid hysteria.' The debate continues!

The biggest record industry furore in a long time has been caused 
by the fantastically selling disc 'Flying Saucer', an independent 
production by Bill Buchanan and Dick Goodman on the Luniverse label. 
Currently in the American Top 5, this hilarious record contains 
excerpts of some 15 recent hits.  Luniverse have paid no royalties 
to the song publishers or record companies whose products they 
have 'borrowed'.  All kinds of legal actions
are being threatened, but meanwhile, Buchanan and Goodman are 
laughing all the way to the bank!

After a successful 10 weeks in America, Lonnie Donegan has bought 
a Daimler and formed a new group.

It's reported that Pat Boone has more fan clubs in America than 
any other singing star.

Bill Haley's first LP record has been released in Britain.  

Even Billy Eckstine's got in on the act: his latest waxing is 
Condemned For Life With A Rock And Roll Wife'!

To the horror of London's jazz community, former Ronnie Scott 
drummer Tony Crombie has forsaken be-bop to launch a rock'n'roll band.  
Called Tony Crombie's Rockets, they start a nation-wide tour of one 
night stands at the end of the month.  Tony plans a spectacular visual 
presentation to supplement the unit's musical stylings - including 
a team to demonstrate dance steps.  Crombie has also become the 
first British rocker to win a recording contract - EMI Columbia's 
Norrie Paramor snapped him up - but he's not alone in his conversion.  Several other London-based rock'n'roll
groups have sprung up over the last few months, including Rory 
Blackwell's Rock'n'Rollers, who will play at Studio 51's 
twice-weekly rock'n'roll nights, commencing September 6.

London's oldest established modern jazz centre, the Studio 51 Club 
in Great Newport Street, is closing its doors to faithful supporters 
this month.  A change of policy will be reflected when, after a 
three week period of refurbishing, it reopens as a venue for 
traditional jazz and rock'n'roll.

"New Musical Express" headlines this month:

Tormendous! Mel Torme at Kilburn concert

Tony Martin is Walking 'Hand in Hand' with a hit

Lonnie Donegan Writes [Donegan writes about his 10 weeks in the US]

Sam- the Musical COSTAmonger [About Sam Costa]

Three Kentones: Three Hits and a Miss! [About the vocal group The
Ken-Tones]

Four Grads Have Everything [Review of The Four Grads vocal group]

Colin Beaton - 'Backroom' Pianist [About Colin Beaton - Mel Torme's
pianist]

Alma Warren, Dennis Hale Score in Variety [Alma Warren and 
Dennis Hale at Empress Theatre] 

Meet the Court Jester [About Cecil "Flash" Winston]

Ronnie Carrolled on TV - and a New Star was Born [About Ronnie 
Carroll]

Tormultuous Receptions for Fabulous Mel [Review of Stoll Theatre 
Concert; Torme, Heath, Lewis]

21 Year-old Pat Boone is "Mr. Success" of the Record World 
[Life story of Pat Boone]

Lonnie Donegan - 'Hotter than a Furnace" [Review of Lonnie 
Donegan at Stoll Concert]

Other events:

August 16: Regarded by many as Germany's most significant playwright,
Bertold Brecht, who has died in Berlin aged 58, was best known in Britain
for 'The Threepenny Opera'  This version of 'The Beggar's Opera' was
produced in Berlin in 1928 and translated into eleven languages in the
course of the next few years

August 1: As England beat Australia by an innings and 170 runs, 
Jim Laker has taken 19 wickets in the match for 90 runs - 
a world record.  The win ensures The Ashes for England.

August 1957

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
2. Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley
3. Gambling Man/Puttin' On The Style - Lonnie Donegan
4. We Will Make Love - Russ Hamilton
5. Little Darlin' - Diamonds
6. Love Letters In The Sand - Pat Boone
7. Lucille - Little Richard
8. Around The World - Ronnie Hilton
9. Island In The Sun - Harry Belafonte
10. Yes Tonight, Josephine - Johnnie Ray

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Teddy Bear/Loving You - Elvis Presley
2. Love Letters In The Sand/Bernadine - Pat Boone
3. Bye Bye Love - Everly Brothers
4. So Rare - Jimmy Dorsey
5. Searchin'/Young Blood - Coasters
6. It's You I Love/Valley Of Tears - Fats Domino
7. Send For Me/My Personal Possession - Nat 'King' Cole
8. Old Cape Cod/Wondering - Patti Page
9. Over The Mountain - Johnnie And Joe
10. Dark Moon - Gale Storm

US R&B chart toppers this month:

Short Fat Fannie - Larry Williams & His Band
Send For Me - Nat King Cole

US Country chart toppers this month:

Teddy Bear - Elvis Presley

Some UK single 45 releases:

Paralysed/When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again - Elvis Presley
Jenny, Jenny/Miss Ann - Little Richard
Lotta Lovin'/Wear My Ring - Gene Vincent
Wandering Eyes/I Love You So Much It Hurts - Charlie Gracie
Short Fat Fannie/High School Dance - Larry Williams
What Will I Tell My Heart/When I See You - Fats Domino
Whispering Bells - Del-Vikings
The Ladder Of Love - Flamingos
Goody Goody - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
Goody Goody - Ella Fitzgerald
Stardust - Billy Ward & The Dominoes
Warm Up To Me Baby - Jimmy Bowen
Rockin' Is My Business - Freddie Bell & The Bell Boys
Honey Comb - Jimmie Rodgers
Fascination - Troubadours
I'm Gone - Ella Mae Morse
White Silver Sands - Don Rondo
White Silver Sands - Don Lang & His Frantic Five
White Silver Sands - Jimmy Jackson
White Silver Sands - Joe Loss Orchestra
A Handful Of Songs/Water Water - Tommy Steele
The Careless Years - Sue Raney
Fire Down Below - Shirley Bassey
Three Sheets To The Wind - Four Aces
Money, Marbles And Chalk - Rex Allen
Moonlight Mountain - Faron Young
Mexicali Rose - Ken Griffin
Send For Me - Nat King Cole
Someone Someday - Hawkeyes
How Will I Know? - Alan Copeland
Fascination - Jane Morgan
Tammy - Debbie Reynolds
Tammy - Pat Kirby
Tammy - Kathy Kay
Old Cape Cod - Patti Page
Old Cape Cod - Michael Holliday
Mama Guitar - Andy Griffith
Mama Guitar - Don Cornell
In The Middle Of An Island - Tennessee Ernie Ford
In The Middle Of An Island - Tony Bennett
In The Middle Of An Island - King Brothers
Again 'n' Again 'n' Again - Four Preps
Ev'ry Which Way - Mel Torme
The Northern Line - Sonny Stewart & His Skiffle Kings
Toll The Bell Easy - Les Hobeaux
Oh! My Papa - Malcolm Vaughan
Three Roads - Anne Shelton
El Gato Montes - Madrid Bullfight Band
I'm Aggie From Glasgow Toon - Molly Weir

Important events:

Rhythm & blues acts are increasing their intensive invasion of the 
American pop parade.  Recent Top 20 entrants include The Coasters with 
'Searchin',Fats Domino with 'Valley Of Tears', Larry Williams with 
'Short Fat Fannie',Chuck Willis with 'CC Rider', The Del Vikings with 
'Whispering Bells',Little Richard with 'Jenny jenny', Johnnie & Joe 
with 'Over The Mountain',and Billy Ward with 'Stardust'. 
 And to think that two years ago R&B was viewed as a passing fad!

The fastest selling disc in Britain this month is 'Diana', written and
recorded by Canadian Paul Anka.  Now 16 years old, Anka made his first
night club appearance when he was 12 - doing impersonations of Johnnie Ray
and other famous singers - and then struck out leading a vocal trio, The
Bobbysoxers.  After leaving them, he journeyed from his home in Ottawa to
Hollywood, but failed to make any headway.  His next trip took him to New
York, where A&R manager Don Costa was impressed enough to sign him to ABC
Paramount.  Waxed when he was only 15, 'Diana' is dedicated to an older
girl - Diana Ayoub - with whom Paul sang in Ottawa's Syrian Church Choir. 
Missing her in New York, he poured his sorrow into a poem, which he
promptly set to music.  Apparently, Miss Ayoub is overjoyed about all the
attention her name is attracting!

British fans have been dazzled by the guitar virtuosity of American Charlie
Gracie, currently on a two month UK tour.

Top selling album in America is the soundtrack from Elvis Presley's new
film, 'Loving You'.

Tommy Steele has purchased a four-bedroomed house in South London for his
parents.

Dick Clark's TV show, American Bandstand, has grown so popular that it is
now being transmitted coast to coast.

Emulating its success in America, film actor Sal Mineo's debut single,
'Start Movin' has jumped into the British Top 20.  Born in New York's
toughest neighbourhood, The Bronx, Sal first established himself on
Broadway, in the role of the Crown Prince in 'The King And I' with Yul
Brynner as his father. Hollywood roles in 'Rebel Without A Cause' and
'Giant' followed, and he recently won acclaim as the drum-crazy college
undergraduate in 'Rock Pretty Baby'.

"New Musical Express" headlines this month:

Welcome to Charlie Gracie

Paul Anka is a Teenager who Should Wow Teenagers!

Lonnie Donegan Denies Alleged Attack on Fans and Teenagers

Dickie Valentine May Become New 'Buttons' 

The Movie Critics All Declare: Boone is a New Bing. 

Tommy Steele: He's Just the Same as Before His Fame

She's a Real Pet, is our Petula Clark 

Lucille Mapp Makes Moonlight More Romantic

Elvis Denies Slur. Elvis Presley, racism

Johnny Duncan. C&W: How it Started and Who Made it World Famous 

Cyril Stapleton Relates his American Adventures

The King Brothers Discuss the Joys and Sorrows of Living in Triplicate!

Pat Boone's Education is Agent's Headache! 

Ray Anthony Pays Us A Call 

The Amazing Russ Hamilton: There's a Real 'Rainbow' Round His Shoulders 

BBC to Honour Tommy Steele in Hour-Long Anniversary Show

Billy Writes To Himself and Fame Answers! - Billy Williams

Judy Sues for a Million. Judy Garland, CBS

Ronnie Hilton Says Decisions are Tough at the Top!

Are They Britain's Answer to the Bellboys? John Barry Seven

Other events: 

August 19: After one of the most intensive terrorist attacks for years,
Northern Ireland police last night detained 20 men for questioning in their
hunt for the anonymous telephone caller whose message sent a police
sergeant to his death in a booby-trap last night

August 15: Compulsory fitness tests for cars 10 years old or more will be
started before next spring.  The number of cars concerned is estimated at
1,618,000.  The expectation is that the test will occupy no more than 45
minutes at a fixed charge of between 12s6d and 15s.

August 6:  Despite full employment, the flow of skilled workers and their
families from Britain to the Commonwealth shows no sign of abating.  At
least 2,000 a week are going to Rhodesia, Australia, Canada and New Zealand
under assisted or free passage schemes, and hundreds travel independently

August 8: Oliver Hardy, the American comedian, who has died aged 65, was
associated with his English-born partner, Stan Laurel, for more than 30
years.  Together they appeared in 200 films

August 26: Tottenham Hotspur 1, Chelsea 1.  The first of the London derbies
ended in a draw. Intense local rivalry, fanned by the keenness to start the
season well, is not the ideal cradle for the birth of a star.  Yet
17-year-old Jimmy Greaves, Chelsea's find at inside-left, emerged from the
ordeal of his first League test with a highly enhanced reputation.  Ted
Drake has made a rare discovery in this young Londoner, who, with all the
assurance of a veteran, slipped into the tempo of a battle waged to the
last gasp before 52,580 roaring fans and scored Chelsea's equalising goal.

August 12: Prospects for the grouse season, which opens today, the
'Glorious Twelfth', are reported to be better than for any year since the
war.  After the mild winter, moors are well-stocked with birds strong on
the wing.

August 1958

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. All I Have To Do Is Dream/Claudette - Everly Brothers
2. Hard Headed Woman - Elvis Presley
3. Big Man - Four Preps
4. Rave On- Buddy Holly
5. When - Kalin Twins
6. Tulips From Amsterdam/You Need Hands - Max Bygraves
7. Endless Sleep - Marty Wilde
8. Twilight Time - Platters
9. On The Street Where You Live - Vic Damone
10. Return To Me - Dean Martin

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Hard Headed Woman/Don't Ask Me Why - Elvis Presley
2. Patricia - Perez Prado
3. Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson
4. Splish Splash - Bobby Darin
5. Yakety Yak - Coasters
6. Rebel-Rouser - Duane Eddy
7. When - Kalin Twins
8. Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley
9. My True Love/Leroy - Jack Scott
10. Endless Sleep - Jody Reynolds

US R&B chart toppers this month:

Splish Splash - Bobby Darin
Patricia - Perez Prado & His Orchestra
Just A Dream - Jimmy Clanton & His Rockets

US Country chart toppers this month:

Alone With You - Faron Young
Blue Blue Day - Don Gibson

Some UK single 45 releases:

Bird Dog/Devoted To You - Everly Brothers
Rebel-Rouser/Stalkin' - Duane Eddy
Rocky Road Blues/Yes I Love You Baby - Gene Vincent
Poor Little Fool/Don't Leave Me This Way - Ricky Nelson
Beautiful Delilah/Vacation Time - Chuck Berry
Bim Bam - Sam Butera & The Witnesses
Move It!/Schoolboy Crush - Cliff Richard & The Drifters
Early In The Morning/Now We're One - The Rinky-Dinks featuring Bobby Darin
Early In The Morning/Now We're One - Buddy Holly
Lean Jean - Bill Haley & His Comets
The Greasy Spoon - Billy & Lillie with Billy Ford & The Thunderbirds
Over The Mountain, Across The Sea - Johnnie & Joe
Whipper Snapper - LaVern Baker
Blue Blue Day - Don Gibson
Moonlight Bay/Drip Drop - Drifters
I'm Wanderin' - Jackie Wilson
Rock Baby Rock - Bertice Reading
Gonna Make A Change - Dubs
Little Star - Elegants
Susie Darlin' - Robin Luke
Stupid Cupid/Carolina Moon - Connie Francis
Born Too Late - Poni-Tails
Over The Weekend - Playboys
No Chemise Please - Gerry Granahan
Just Like In The Movies - Upbeats
Don't Look Now, But.. - Honeytones
The Champlain And St Lawrence Line - Stu Phillips
All Of The Monkeys Ain't In The Zoo - Johnny Duncan & The Blue Grass Boys
Teenage Love - Five Chesternuts (Shadows)
Road To Happiness - Beavers
Blue Boy - Jim Reeves
A Certain Smile - Johnny Mathis
A Certain Smile - Sandy Stewart
A Certain Smile - Sunny Gale
A Certain Smile - Jones Boys
Ginger Bread - Frankie Avalon
Dreamsville - Toni Carroll
Dream - Betty Johnson
You Gotta Love Everybody - Della Reese
The Ice Cream Man - Leslie Uggams
Are You Really Mine? - Jimmie Rodgers
Delicious - Jim Backus
Sail Along Silvery Moon - Billy Vaughn Orchestra
Little Bernadette - Harry Belafonte
If Dreams Came True - Pat Boone
Verboten! - Paul Anka
Guitar Boogie - Marino Marini Quartet
Volare - Dean Martin
Volare - Marino Marini Quartet
Volare - Domenico Modugno
Volare - Nelson Riddle Orchestra
Volare - Alan Dale
Volare - McGuire Sisters
Volare - Jimmy Young
Volare - Cyril Stapleton Orchestra
Volare - Ronald Chesney
Moon Talk - Perry Como
The Bird On My Head - Don Lang & His Frantic Five
The Army Game - Ted Heath Music
Our Language Of Love - Millicent Martin
Remember When - Lucille Mapp
A House, A Car And A Wedding Ring - Mike Preston
Splish Splash - Charlie Drake
Soda Pop Hop - Lorrae Desmond
The Only Man On The Island - Dennis Lotis
Gotta Have Rain - Max Bygraves
Gotta Have Rain - Eydie Gorme
Left Right Out Of My Heart - Joan Savage
Kwela No 5 - Little Lemmy & Big Joe
Manx Fisherman's Evening Hymn - Lon Dhoo & Lon Vane Choirs

Important events:

With Elvis temporarily out of the running, the hottest property in American
teenage music right now is young Ricky Nelson.  In just over a year, he has
collected golden discs for 'I'm Walkin", 'Be-Bop Baby', 'Stood Up',
'Believe What You Say' and his current hit, 'Poor Little Fool' - an
American No. l and his first substantial seller in Britain.  As the
long-time child star of US television's 'The Adventures of Ozzie and
Harriet', Ricky was virtually 'the boy next door' for every American
teenager - and it was on this show that his singing career began.  His
growing legion of British fans will shortly be able to see him in a new
Western movie, 'Rio Bravo' also starring John Wayne and Dean Martin.

There's an old saying that two heads are better than one.  Right now,
America's Kalin Twins are living proof of this.  Both had opportunities to
enter show business as 'singles', but they felt they would stand a better
chance if they stuck together - and their chart-topping hit, 'When', has
certainly vindicated their decision!  As alike as two peas in a pod, Harold
and Herbie Kalin were born in Port Jervis, New York, on February 16, 1934 -
and have shared the same hobbies and interests since childhood.  Their
singing career got underway when they met songwriter Clint Ballard Jr, who
became their manager - but the song he selected for them, 'When', was
written not by him, but by another vocalist, Paul Evans. The Kalins now
plan to strike while the iron's hot, and tour Britain within a couple of
months.

Cliff Richard - a new British teenage singer whose debut disc, 'Schoolboy
Crush', is released at the end of the month - has already been snapped up
by producer Jack Good for the first programme of his commercial TV series,
'Oh Boy!'  Cliff, who is 17, records with his own group, The Drifters. 
Reviewer, Keith Fordyce writes: 'Cliff is an expert exponent of
rock'n'roll.  To a steady beat, he puts over a lyric that has plenty of
meaning to the younger listener.  The B-side, 'Move It', is an exciting
number with a throbbing sound.  If you're an addict of the big beat, then
this is a must for your collection'.  'Oh Boy!' - which begins its run on
September 13 in the same Saturday time-slot as BBC-TV's Six-Five Special -
will also feature chart star Marty Wilde.

Johnny Otis has a US bit with 'Willie And The Hand live', inspired by the
craze which originated on BBC-TV's 'Six-Five Special'.

Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records, has lost both Carl Perkins and Johnny
Cash to Columbia; Cash is currently on US charts with 'Guess Things Happen
That Way'.

Buddy Holly has married Maria Elena Santiago - a receptionist at Coral
Records' New York office.

"New Musical Express" headlines this month:

He's back in a big way.Little Richard. After quitting music for evangelism,
he returns to music successfully.

Danny and the Juniors go for Dottie -  new single.

Presley departing for Europe: step nearer British debut. Will be stationed
near Frankfurt, Germany.

Belafonte Bombshell fired by strong union threat.  Musicians Union wants to
cancel Belfonte's tour of Britain.

Sweet and Friendly, that's Georgia Gibbs. Debut tour of Britain.

Was Haley too Samey? Bill Haley "slipped unnoticed into oblivion"

Mantovani's Amazing Feat!  For 52 weeks he's been in the US LP charts. 

Harry Belafonte says "Folk songs give me strength" His full time singing
career since 1950

A happy ending for Belafonte - receives and "all clear" for his British
tour from musicians union. 

Dean Martin is becoming another Sinatra.  Appears in the movie "The Young
Lions"

Plans for Elvis after his army career ends.  Dramatic film for the King

The High Standard girl - Connie Francis.  Successes on both sides of the
Atlantic.

Connie Francis's mother tells all.  Her father and high-school life.

Brilliant Belafonte - crowd of 4,000 at Kilburn State for his British
debut.

Welcome Julius Larosa - new American artist

Sinatra's punch will KO critics.  Sinatra and Billy May's swing tune, "The
Same Song and Dance."

Major disc stars at Minor LP prices.  RCA launches cheap records in
Britain. 

Presley granted compassionate leave to see sick mother.

Two artists, poles apart, become record rivals. Charlie Drake and Bobby
Darin. Both recorded "Splish Splash"

The Coasters have sailed into the charts.  "Yakety Yak" lands at #19 on
charts.

The Italian in their blood puts music in their hearts. Italian artists in
the US

Brother and sister recording teams. The Mudlarks, the Everlys, the De
Castro Sisters, the Kalin Twins.

Buddy Holly heads for the Charts again. "Now We're One"

Connie and Lonnie in "spectacular" - Connie Francis got a TV spot with
Donegan.

Frankie Vaughan's film in West End theatre.  "Wonderful Things" has West
End showing.

Elvis' mom dies.  What Mom meant to Elvis..

Farewell to 'Big Bill".  Big Bill Broonzy dies.

Davis-Sinatra are partners.  The Rat-Pack begins.

Ricky Nelson is here to stay. Elvis is out of the running, so Nelson jumps
in.

It's the year of the 3-D sound. Stereophonic sound.

Connie Francis says conquer your hometown first! How to be a successful
girl singer.

BBC's secret bid to capture listeners - 75 minutes, 5 nights a week of
record celebs.

Luxembourg signs American starts for winter programmes. British and US
stars to Radio Luxembourg

When Keely and Louis record, the studio comes to them.  Husband and wife
team Louis Prima and Keely Smith are popular.

Marty Wilde. One hit doesn't make you famous. It's hard to stay at the top.

Other events:

August 21: President Eisenhower left the distinct impression at his press
conference today that he would, if necessary, send back Federal troops to
Little Rock to see that violence there did not prevent the Supreme court's
integration decisions from being carried out at the central high school.  

August 15: A major relaxation in the embargo on the export of goods from
the U.K. to the Soviet bloc and China was announced yesterday.

August 20: A mile of multi-coloured neon and fluorescent lighting, two
large cockatoos in a cage and a mile and a third of thick Wilton carpet
were among the visible signs yesterday of what £250,000 can do to form a
new form of entertainment, and yet thrust a once-renowned theatre even
further into the past.  Charles Forte, Bernard Delfont and Robert Nesbitt
announced details of their latest venture, 'The Talk Of The Town', which
has replaced the old London Hippodrome.  'The Talk Of The Town' will open
on September 11 and will be 'the most modern theatre-restaurant in the
world'.

August 30: Surrey have won the County Cricket Championship for the seventh
successive season - an all-time record.

August 1959

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Living Doll - Cliff Richard
2. Dream Lover - Bobby Darin
3. Battle Of New Orleans - Lonnie Donegan
4. A Big Hunk O' Love - Elvis Presley
5. A Teenager In Love - Marty Wilde
6. Lipstick On Your Collar - Connie Francis
7. Roulette - Russ Conway
8. Peter Gunn - Duane Eddy
9. Heart Of A Man - Frankie Vaughan
10. Personality - Anthony Newley

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Lonely Boy - Paul Anka
2. A Big Hunk O' Love - Elvis Presley
3. My Heart Is An Open Book - Carl Dobkins Jr
4. The Battle Of New Orleans - Johnny Horton
5. Tiger - Fabian
6. There Goes My Baby - Drifters
7. Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson
8. Lavender Blue - Sammy Turner
9. Sweeter Than You - Ricky Nelson
10. Forty Miles Of Bad Road - Duane Eddy

US R&B chart toppers this month:

What'd I Say - Ray Charles & His Orchestra
Thank You Pretty Baby - Brook Benton

US Country chart toppers this month:

Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson
The Three Bells - Browns

Some UK single 45 releases:

Forty Miles Of Bad Road/The Quiet Three - Duane Eddy
Just A Little Too Much/Sweeter Than You - Ricky Nelson
Right Now/The Night Is So Lonely - Gene Vincent
Katy Too/I Forgot To Remember To Forget - Johnny Cash
Three Girls Named Molly Doin' The Hully Gully - Johnny Otis Show
Sea Of Love - Phil Phillips & The Twilights
Alimony - Frankie Ford
Shaky/Caldonia - Bill Haley & His Comets
There Is Something On Your Mind - Big Jay McNeely
Angel Face - Billy Fury
I'm Gonna Get Married - Lloyd Price
The Shape I'm In - Johnny Restivo
Ten Thousand Drums - Carl Smith
Oh, What A Fool - Impalas
This I Swear - Skyliners
Moonlight Party - Del-Tones
Cherrystone - Addrisi Brothers
The Three Bells - Browns
Thank You Pretty Baby - Brook Benton
My Own True Love - Jimmy Clanton
I Love An Angel - Little Bill & The Bluenotes
Bye Bye Baby Goodbye - Sonny Williams
Bye Bye Baby Goodbye - Teresa Brewer
Bongo In Pastel - Preston Epps
Big Bill - Snappers
I've Been There - Tommy Edwards
Let Them Talk - John Gary
Pretty Face - Inadequates
What Is Love? - Playmates
Sugar Plum - Mel Albert
Plenty Good Lovin' - Connie Francis
A Girl's Work Is Never Done - Chordettes
Ring, Ring, Ring Those Bells - Mark IV
A Corner In Paradise - Teddy Browne
A Hoot An' A Holler - Don Lang & His Frantic Five
Run - Jeri Southern
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon - Louis Prima & Keely Smith
Midnight Flyer - Nat King Cole
High Hopes - Frank Sinatra
High Hopes - Dave King
You Came A Long Way From St Louis - Peggy Lee
With Open Arms - Jane Morgan
I Still Get Jealous - Joni James
He Threw A Stone - Peter Vardas
True True Happiness - Johnny Tillotson
The Beat Generation - Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars
Lonesome Lover Blues - Billy Eckstine
Don't Worry 'Bout Me - Billie Holiday
All My Own - Richard Lyon
Nola - Deep River Boys
Drifting And Dreaming - Castle Sisters
Waterloo - Mudlarks
Listen To The Ocean - Nina & Frederick
China Tea - Russ Conway

Important events:

A top R&B star since the start of the decade, Ray Charles has finally
broken into Billboard's pop listing with his boisterous recording of
'What'd I Say'.  Born in Georgia 29 years ago, Ray lost his sight at the
age of six, and studied music at a school for the blind in Florida.  An
accomplished pianist by his teens, he first made his name on the West
Coast, leading a lounge-jazz trio.  When the Atlantic label signed him,
they encouraged Ray to enlarge his band and incorporate a gospel feeling,
which has paid increasing dividends.  His most exciting release to date,
'What'd I Say' has hit No. 6 in the U. S., where critics are now describing
him as 'The Genius'.

In America, 'Only Sixteen' is Sam Cooke's biggest bit since 'You Send Me' -
but in the UK, radio play has favoured the version by former milkman, Craig
Douglas.

Cliff Richard's 'Living Doll' was composed by Lionel Bart, who previously
supplied Tommy Steele with hits.

Disc-jockey Dick Clark will star in the movie 'Because They're Young',
along with Tuesday Weld and Duane Eddy.

TV producer Jack Good was at the Southend Odeon for the opening night of
'The Big Beat Show' - the latest package presentation by Larry Parnes.  The
most powerful manager in British rock'n'roll, Parnes boasts an
ever-expanding 'Stable of Stars', including Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Terry
Dene, Dickie Pride, Johnny Gentle, Duffy Power and Sally Kelly - all of
whom appeared on the show.  The only artist missing was Larry's first
discovery, Tommy Steele, who has just returned from a successful three-day
visit to Moscow.  Wilde is set to star in Good's new series, 'Boy Meets
Girls', to be unveiled next month.  Also in the cast will be Joe Brown, a
hitherto unknown guitarist who was backing the stars at Southend. 
Apparently, Good thought he was 'quite sensational'.

Other events:

August 1: After meeting obligations to the State and parents, youths and
young men between the ages of 15 and 24 have on an average about £5 a week
to spend as they choose.  The average young woman is left with about £3 a
week.  In all, Britain's 4,200,000 young workers in this group have roughly
£17 million a week to dispose of at their own discretion.  This large sum
is spent mainly on dressing up to impress others of a similar age.  It is
used to buy goods 'which form the nexus of teenage gregariousness outside
the home.'  Their purchases account for at least 25% of all consumer
expenditure on bicycles and motor-cycles, on records and record-players,
and the cinema and other entertainments.  In confectionery, soft drinks,
footwear, women's clothing, recreational and sports goods and cosmetics,
they account for between 15% and 25% of the national total.  

August 5: Britain's hire-purchase debt rose another £37 million, or about
5%, in June, to a new record, according to Board of Trade estimates.  At
the end of the month the total was about £763 million, or £260 million
higher than a year earlier.

August 5: To enable its West End branches to deal with a larger number of
accounts, Barclays Bank has ordered a £125,000  Emidec 1100 electronic data
processing system.  It is scheduled for delivery by the manufacturers in
mid-1961.  The bank's staff organisations have been assured that the
computer's installation will not entail any foreseeable redundancy.  It
will enable more accounts to be kept at each branch.

August 28:  Post Office engineers are working towards providing a service
which will enable motorists to telephone numbers all over Britain from
their cars.  Mr Marples, Post-Master-General, is expected to make a
statement on the scheme to Parliament at the first opportunity.  The
initial area of the scheme will probably be bounded by Liverpool,
Manchester and Preston.  Communication will be by very high frequency radio
and motorists will probably rent telephones in the way ordinary instruments
are rented.

August 28: Average domestic food expenditure in 1957 was 28s 1d a head each
week, compared with 27s 3d in 1956, says the report for 1957 of the
National food Survey Committee.

August 7: Kay Kendall, the actress, who has died aged 32, was the
grand-daughter of Marie Kendall, the old-time variety star.  Her first
important film role was given her when she was 18, by Wesley Ruggles, the
Hollywood director.  She starred opposite Sid Field in the musical 'London
Town'.  She scored her first success in the British comedy 'Genevieve'. 
Kay Kendall was married to the actor Rex Harrison.

August 1960

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Please Don't Tease - Cliff Richard
2. The Girl Of My Best Friend/A Mess Of Blues - Elvis Presley
3. Shakin' All Over - Johnny Kidd
4. Good Timin' - Jimmy Jones
5. Apache - Shadows
6. When Will I Be Loved - Everly Brothers
7. Because They're Young - Duane Eddy
8. If She Should Come To You - Anthony Newley
9. Look For A Star - Gary Mills
10. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Brian Hyland

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. I'm Sorry - Brenda Lee
2. Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Brian Hyland
3. It's Now Or Never - Elvis Presley
4. Only The Lonely - Roy Orbison
5. Alley-Oop - Hollywood Argyles
6. Image Of A Girl - Safaris
7. Tell Laura I Love Her - Ray Peterson
8. Please Help Me I'm Falling - Hank Locklin
9. Mule Skinner Blues - Fendermen
10. That's All You Gotta Do - Brenda Lee

US R&B chart toppers this month:

A Woman, A Lover, A Friend - Jackie Wilson
Kiddio - Brook Benton

US Country chart toppers this month:

Please Help Me, I'm Falling - Hank Locklin
Alabam - Cowboy Copas

Some UK single 45 releases:

Let's Have A Party - Wanda Jackson
Dreamin'/Cincinatti Fireball - Johnny Burnette
Finger Poppin' Time - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
My Babe - Little Walter
Little Bitty Pretty One - Frankie Lymon 
Let's Think About Living - Bob Luman
Cool Water - Jack Scott
I Shot Mr Lee - Bobbettes
Ta Ta - Clyde McPhatter
Your Memory - Five Satins
Fantasy - Mack Vickery
Red Sails In The Sunset - Platters
Shimmy Shimmy - Bobby Freeman
Here Today And Gone Tomorrow - Janis Martin
Happy Shades Of Blue - Freddy Cannon
I Just Go For You - Jimmy Jones
Kiddio - Brook Benton
Run Samson Run - Neil Sedaka
McDonald's Cave - Piltdown Men
Image Of A Girl - Safaris
Image Of A Girl - Mark Wynter
Volare - Bobby Rydell
Too Young To Date - Delicates
Too Young To Go Steady - Connie Stevens
Eveybody's Somebody's Fool - Connie Francis
A Kookie Little Paradise - Jo Ann Campbell
A Kookie Little Paradise - Frankie Vaughan
Is She All You Thought She'd Be? - Faron Young
I'm Gettin' Better - Jim Reeves
No - Dodie Stevens
Sweet Thing - Grady Chapman
A Lovely Work Of Art - Jimmy Newman
Green Jeans - Fabulous Flee-Rakkers
Hot Chick-A-Roo - Ricky Wayne & The Flee-Rakkers
Swingin' Down The Lane - Jerry Wallace
My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You - Guy Mitchell
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter - Fabian
Nice'n'Easy - Frank Sinatra
This Bitter Earth - Dinah Washington
In My Little Corner Of The World - Anita Bryant
In My Little Corner Of The World - Ruby Murray
Tell Laura I Love Her - Ray Peterson
Tell Laura I Love Her - Ricky Valance
Tell Laura I Love Her - John Leyton
Lonely And Blue - Danny Hunter
Geraldine - Terry Dene
Fancy Pants - Acker Bilk
Them There Eyes - Emile Ford
Gotta Get A Date - Frank Ifield
Broken Doll - Tommy Bruce
Don't Weep (Little Lady) - Perry Ford
Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Paul Hanford
Cinderella Jones - Petula Clark
Football Crazy - Robin Hall & Jimmy MacGregor
Donald, Where's Your Troosers? - Andy Stewart

Important events:

Controversy has erupted as Cliff Richard's fancy-footwork backing group The
Shadows enjoy chart-topping solo status with their instrumental hit,
'Apache'.  The question on BBC disc jockeys lips is: was 'Apache' written
for 'Play-Guitar-In-A-Day' personality Bert Weedon (the loser in the
singles race), or was it penned for The Shadows?  So what does 'Apache'
composer Jerry Lordan have to say?  'I don't write specifically for any
artist - I've never really tried.  I'm not like Lionel Bart - I wish I
was!' he laughs.  'I gave no thought at all who should play it until it was
completed,' he says, but lets slip that when 'Apache' was still in
manuscript form, Bert Weedon was the first name that sprang to mind. 
Nevertheless, while on tour together, The Shadows asked Lordan if he had
any material that might be suitable for them.  'As I don't write
exclusively for any artist, and I wasn't certain if Bert Weedon was even
considering recording the tune, I suggested "Apache" to The Shadows,'
Lordan says.

Lonnie Donegan has received a gold disc for one million-plus UK sales of
'My Old Man's A Dustman'.

Stateside, record moguls have insisted that the 45 rpm single is about to
be discontinued and soon all records will spin at a uniform 33 1/3 rpm.

Top British dance band leader Ted Heath has celebrated his 15th anniversary
as a front man.

Gene Vincent takes time out during his hectic UK schedule to chew the fat
with the NME in a question-and-answer session:
Q: How does British TV compare with the US in terms of rock'n'roll
presentation?
A: 'In Britain, they try to achieve perfection.  In the States, they just
put you in front of a camera, and tell you to sing!'
Q: How do you think UK rock artists would fare in the US?
A: 'I felt inferior compared to many British singers.  Artists over here
know all kinds of music - they discuss keys, arrangements and so on. 
Speaking for myself, somebody just gives me a chord and I sing.  That's all
I can do!'
Q:  Have you thought about branching out into other fields of
entertainment?
A: 'I'm a rock singer and I reckon that's the way I'll stay.  I don't think
that I could alter if I tried!'

He who hesitates is hitless!  Two British cover versions of American singer
Ray Peterson's controversial death-disc, 'Tell Laura I Love Her' have been
rush-released.  And, as Ricky Valance and John Leyton competed for
attention, Decca Records commenced the first of five high-level boardroom
discussions to determine whether or not they should release the 'offending'
Peterson original.  In doing so, they lost valuable sales - and the No. 1
slot.

"New Musical Express" headlines this month:

Tin Pan Alley's Shop Window is Radio Luxembourg.  Exclusive NME tribute to
Radio Luxembourg

Bassey's back with big Bart ballad. Shirley Bassey, "As Long As He Needs
Me"

'Look for a Star'. Tony Hatch, Gary Mills, "Look For A Star"

Brenda's Sweet Somethin'. Brenda Lee, American success

Alma's Train Really Rocks!  Alma Cogan, "Train Of Love"

David Whitfield Has to Relearn Rose Marie. David Whitfield, "Rose Marie",
musical theatre

Bobby Darin Washed up - Never!  Bobby Darin, new releases

Hold Everything. Johnny Ray is Coming Back. Johnny Ray, re-emergence

Is the Exciting Lloyd Price Losing His Excitement?  Lloyd Price, losing
fame

Meet the British Brothers who don't copy the Everlys!  The Brooks Brothers,
The Bachelors

Gene Vincent Tells What He Thinks About Elvis. Interview, opinion

Girls who gave lads' quivers down the membranes inspired my hit.  Johnny
Kidd, autobiographical, "Shakin' All Over"

Brian Hyland's First LP. Brian Hyland, "The Bashful Blonde", American
success

Ten Years of Fats Domino. Fats Domino, biographical

Johnny Preston has reason to 'Feel So Fine'. Johnny Preston, "Feel So
Fine", re-emergence

Record Buyers are loving 'Laura'. Ricky Valance, "Tell Laura I Love Her"

Happy Anniversary, Cliff. Cliff Richard, "Move It", biographical

Last Tribute to the Great Oscar Hammerstein. Oscar Hammerstein, death,
biographical

Dickie Valentine is Ready, Willing, and Able! Dickie Valentine, film

Look Back In Wonder. 5 years of NME history

'Roses' Hit Makes Everyone Happy. The Kaye Sisters, "Paper Roses"

Johnny Mathis Is By No Means on the Wane!  Johnny Mathis, losing fame

August 1961

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Well I Ask You - Eden Kane
2. You Don't Know - Helen Shapiro
3. Temptation - Everly Brothers
4. Halfway To Paradise - Billy Fury
5. Pasadena - Temperance Seven
6. A Girl Like You - Cliff Richard
7. Runaway - Del Shannon
8. Hello Mary Lou/Travelin' Man - Ricky Nelson
9. Romeo - Petula Clark
10. Don't You Know It - Adam Faith

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Tossin' And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis
2. I Like It Like That - Chris Kenner
3. Boll Weevil Song - Brook Benton
4. Dum Dum - Brenda Lee
5. Hats Off To Larry - Del Shannon
6. Quarter To Three - U.S. Bonds
7. Last Night - Mar-Keys
8. Together - Connie Francis
9. Let's Twist Again - Chubby Checker
10. Yellow Bird - Arthur Lyman

US R&B chart toppers this month:

Tossin' And Turnin' - Bobby Lewis

US Country chart toppers this month:

I Fall To Pieces - Patsy Cline
Tender Years - George Jones

Some UK single 45 releases:

Wild In The Country/I Feel So Bad - Elvis Presley
I'm Going Home (To See My Baby)/Love Of A Man - Gene Vincent
Last Night - Mar-Keys
Rainin' In My Heart - Slim Harpo
Sea Of Heartbreak - Don Gibson
I'll Never Smile Again - Platters
What A Sweet Thing That Was - Shirelles
That's What Girls Are Made For - Spinners
Runaround - Regents
You Are My Sunshine - Marcels
Music, Music, Music - Sensations
I Just Don't Understand - Ann-Margret
Mr Happiness - Johnny Maestro
Let's Twist Again - Chubby Checker
The Fish - Bobby Rydell
Never On A Sunday - Chordettes
Michael - Highwaymen
Michael, Row The Boat - Lonnie Donegan
Breakaway - Springfields
Yellow Bird - Arthur Lyman 
Manana - Peggy Lee
The Greenwood Tree - Connie Stevens
Starlight, Starbright - Linda Scott
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea - Frankie Avalon
I'll Be There - Damita Jo
Tears On My Pillow - McGuire Sisters
Someday (You'll Be Sorry) - Kenny Ball
'Avengers' Theme - Johnny Dankworth Orchestra
What Kind Of Fool Am I? - Anthony Newley
Sweet Little Sixteen - Michael Cox
Ain't Gonna Wash For A Week - Brook Brothers
Too Many Beautiful Girls - Clinton Ford
Girl For Ev'ry Day - Mark Wynter
Oh! You Beautiful Doll - Jess Conrad
Frankfurter Sandwiches - Streamliners & Joanne
Be Not 'Notty' - Elke Sommer

Important events:

As a front-office exercise intended to erase the recent memory of the
much-less-than-anticipated box-office business of Elvis Presley's two 20th
Century Fox productions 'Flaming Star' and 'Wild in the Country', Paramount
Pictures (the makers of last year's more commercially successful 'G.I.
Blues') have taken steps to protect the five-year deal they signed with the
singer in January, and staged one of their most lavish, no-expense-spared,
'theme' launches in ages.  For the grand-slam trade preview party for
Elvis' upcoming movie, 'Blue Hawaii', Paramount chose 'The Big Easy' - New
Orleans.  They air-lifted in a large plane-load of Hawaiian cooks (and
food) to cater for a guest list of one thousand movie-house owners from all
over North America. The guests' verdict?  'More of the same please!' 

In the two years that have elapsed since Berry Gordy secured an $800 loan
to launch his Detroit-based Tamla Record label with, 'Come To Me' by Marv
Johnson and, more recently, his Motown label, his companies have discovered
and developed such local black talent as Eddie Holland, The Miracles, The
Supremes, Mary Wells, Mabel John, Marvin Gaye, The Contours, Barrett Strong
and, most recently, The Marvelettes.  Previously called The Marvels, this
all-girl vocal group has given the label one of its most successful singles
to date, with 'Please Mr. Postman'.  Asked about his fabulously successful
labels' names, Gordy explains: 'Tamla Records was called after the song
"Tammy", and Motown is named after Detroit itself - the Motor City or Motor
Town'.

Mentally and physically broken by the auto smash in which his friend Eddie
Cochran was fatally injured, accident-prone US rocker Gene Vincent has
broken off his current UK tour to jet back to the States.  Five days before
his departure, Vincent was detained in hospital for 48 hours after
collapsing backstage following a Glasgow show.

Elvis Presley has once again been suggested as the obvious lead in a
proposed Hank Williams movie-biography.

New from Ray Charles - 'Hit The Road Jack'.

One-time boy preacher, now rock and soul supremo, Solomon Burke has gone
country for his Atlantic debut, 'Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)'.

'Ever since I have been knee-high to a Fender guitar, I've hated
photographers.  The yearly trip to the local 'snapper' in Phoenix, Arizona,
with the rest of the family, was a real ordeal.  That hate of having my
picture taken has stayed with me through the years.' - Duane Eddy

"New Musical Express" headlines this month:

'Old Smokie' is Taking Time to Get Hurricanes On Top

You Agree About those Morbid Songs. Controversy, lyrical content, opinion.

Filming took Me Back to a Theatre I Loved. Cliff Richard, film music.

'Trad Fan' Run Extended by 4 Weeks. Trad music

Matt Monro Hits U.S. Top Twenty: Stewart One-Two in Australia. Matt Monro,
Andy Stewart, success

Edmundo Ros has Been on Radio 21 Years. Edmundo Ros, radio success.

Connie's Disappointed - But Not Broken-Hearted. Connie Frances, current
release.

"It's Marvellous Playing to the Teenagers Again". Adam Faith, success,
upcoming LP.

Vic Damone Rushes Here to Star in Variety

Karl's Songs Come from Four Corners of the World. Karl Denver, songs.

Helen Shapiro's hits bring fame to new British song team. John Schroeder
and Mike Hawker, lyricist team.

Hank Marvin's Vocalising Has Cliff Scared - Says Hank. Shadows, new LP

Tommy Sands still hopes that he will make good in Britain. Tommy Sands, LP.

Sam Cooke. To be a Success, You've Got to Combine 'Show' with 'Business' 

Bobby Vee Passes on his Views about Dating Girls

Donegan Heads for Third Million Seller. Lonnie Donegan, success, album
sales

Acker Bilk Protests 'Trad Is Not Just a Fad' 

Andy Stewart was founded on Rock. Andy Stewart, style.

Paul Anka's Return is Overdue. Paul Anka, TV, Profile

Linda Scott Pays Us Her First Visit. Profile, tour

John Leyton. Sudden Fame Is So Frightening. ATV, fame

Elvis has become a Hero in Hawaii. Elvis, film

After her first song, Helen Shapiro's smile meant all is well! Helen
Shapiro, concert review

It was nearly time up for Craig. Craig Douglas, success, profile.

August 1962

UK Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. I Remember You - Frank Ifield
2. I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles
3. Speedy Gonzales - Pat Boone
4. A Picture Of You - Joe Brown
5. Don't Ever Change - Crickets
6. Come Outside - Mike Sarne
7. Here Comes That Feeling - Brenda Lee
8. Little Miss Lonely - Helen Shapiro
9. English Country Garden - Jimmie Rodgers
10. Right Said Fred - Bernard Cribbins

US Top Ten (first week of the month):

1. Roses Are Red - Bobby Vinton
2. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do - Neil Sedaka
3. Sealed With A Kiss - Brian Hyland
4. The Wah-Watusi - Orlons
5. Ahab The Arab - Ray Stevens
6. Speedy Gonzales - Pat Boone
7. I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles
8. The Loco-Motion - Little Eva
9. The Stripper - David Rose
10. Theme From Doctor Kildare - Richard Chamberlain

US R&B chart toppers this month:

You'll Lose A Good Thing - Barbara Lynn
The Loco-Motion - Little Eva

US Country chart toppers this month:

Wolverton Mountain - Claude King

Some UK single 45 releases:

She's Not You/Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello - Elvis Presley
Sweet Little Sixteen/How's My Ex Treating You? - Jerry Lee Lewis
Dance With Mr Domino - Fats Domino
Little Diane - Dion
Teenage Idol - Rick Nelson
The Ballad Of Paladin - Duane Eddy
The Loco-Motion - Little Eva
The Loco-Motion - Vernons Girls
Party Lights - Claudine Clark
Cry Myself To Sleep - Del Shannon
She's Gone - Buddy Knox
Mary Jane - Ernie Maresca
Telstar - Tornados
Rocket Man - Spotnicks
Too Bad - Ben E. King
So Wrong - Patsy Cline
Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes) - Dee Dee Sharp
The 2,000 Pound Bee - Ventures
Bristol Twistin' Annie - Dovells
Dancin' Party - Chubby Checker
One Kiss - Deke Rivers
Summertime, Summertime - Jamies
It'll Be Me - Cliff Richard & The Shadows
Sweet And Lovely - April Stevens & Nino Tempo
What's-A Matter Baby - Timi Yuro
Forgive Me - Babs Tino
I'll Wait Forever - Anita Wood
Mr Songwriter - Connie Stevens
Comes The Day - Joe Brown
Baby, Baby (Don't You Worry) - Perry Ford & The Sapphires
If I Had A Hammer - Peter, Paul And Mary
Ahab The Arab - Ray Stevens
Keep Your Love Locked (Deep In Your Heart) - Paul Petersen
No One will Ever Know - Jimmie Rodgers
A Miracle - Frankie Avalon
Mary's Little Lamb - James Darren
Spinnin' My Wheels - String-A-Longs
Roses Are Red (My Love) - Bobby Vinton
Roses Are Red (My Love) - Ronnie Carroll
A Swingin' Safari - Billy Vaughn Orchestra
Call Me Mr In-Between - Burl Ives
Don't That Beat All - Adam Faith
Down The River Nile - John Leyton
It's A Sin To Tell A Lie - Mike Preston
So Do I - Kenny Ball
Will I What? - Mike Sarne & Billie Davis
Cry Upon My Shoulder - Billy Dainty
Keep Your Love Locked - Russ Sainty & The Nu Notes
What Now My Love? - Shirley Bassey
Steptoe And Son - Geoff Love Orchestra

Important events:

It's not so much a case of biting the beat that feeds him, but for all the
hysteria that has surrounded The Twist phenomenon, 20-year-old Chubby
Checker has still been able to take a realistic and unbiased view of the
circumstances that have placed his records on all the world's major charts,
and elevated him to the position of being the first major star of the
Sixties.  As far as Chubby is concerned, his seemingly overnight success
was as much a case of inspired opportunism than any other fancy theory that
has been put forward. 'There is absolutely nothing new about The Twist,'
Checker admits.  'People have been doing the same sort of thing for
centuries - wiggling their hips and their shoulders in time to music,
especially people who can't dance properly.  'Now, I've just been smart
enough to exploit something which the public failed to recognise was no
more than swaying naturally to musical rhythms.  'And, I'm not worried if
it doesn't last.  Right now, I'm looking for something else that's been
done for years, so that I can exploit that in a way the public won't
recognise!'

Previously The Four Lovers, VeeJay Records' The Four Seasons have hit
pay-dirt first time out with 'Sherry'.

Memphis-based Booker T & The MGS are charting everywhere with 'Green
Onions'. 

Robert Allen Zimmerman has legally changed his name to Bob Dylan.

Motown vocal group, The Contours, are enjoying heavy action with 'Do You
Love Me'.

Officially a Beatle, drummer Ringo Starr has made his controversial Cavern
Club debut on August 14, during which scuffles broke out inside the venue,
guitarist George Harrison received a black eye and manager Brian Epstein's
car was vandalised in the street outside the club.  The series of events
began five days earlier when Epstein contacted Ringo Starr, then resident
at Butlin's Holiday Camp, Skegness, with Rory Storme & The Hurricanes, to
offer him the soon-to-be-vacant drum stool with The Beatles.  It was too
good an offer for Mr Starr to refuse!  The fact that Pete Best was easily
the most popular member of the group was - in the opinion of John, Paul and
George - quite incidental.  The fact remained that EMI's George Martin had
expressed concern about Best's potential as a recording drummer.  On
hearing these remarks, Epstein and The Beatles instantly rectified the
problem, which could easily have jeopardised their upcoming recording
plans.  On August 16, Epstein - at the behest of John, Paul and George -
informed Pete Best that he was no longer The Beatles' drummer.  Two days
later, Ringo Starr made his public debut with the group at the Hulme Hall,
Port Sunlight.  Liverpool fans were not happy - hence the Cavern kerfuffle.

"New Musical Express" headlines this month:

New to the charts: Bobby Vinton is bandleader first, singer second

Elvis as a film boxer. Hollywood, "Kid Galahad" film, "King of the Whole
Wide World"

Jimmie Rogers is latest to switch labels

Shane celebrates hit with holiday. Shane Fenton, "Cindy's Birthday", band
breakup

Ed Sullivan says Cliff right to avoid Oxford accent

Conway and Squires team again. Russ Conway & Dorothy Squires - team up at
end of Conway's summer show. 

Storm rages round Shadow's new hit. Shadow's new song "Guitar Tango."

A Blues-Chasing Vocal from Kenny Ball. 

How we've Changed by the Crickets - new releases exclusively for Britain. 

Faith - On Film and Stage. Review of Adam Faith's "Mix me a Person."

Lonnie Donegan goes back to skiffle and jumps into the charts. 

Cliff's latest film will hit 'Young Ones' for six. "Summer Holiday" movie,
spectacular, lavish, embarrassing

It will be Marty with strings on new label.

After months of secret practice - Jet Harris is ready for his solo debut. 

Man behind Freddy Cannon's hits listens to the fans. Frank Slay

Mr. Blue saw 'Red' and knew it could give him another hit. "Roses are Red",
gold disc for Bobby Vinton, David Macbeth

The best of Ball, Barber, and Bilk. "is the re-issuing of years-old
material a good thing?"

"Bashful Blond" Brian in Top Ten again!  Bryan Hyland. Comeback to the
charts.

Shirley Bassey's new album has 8 of 12 songs that Sinatra already recorded.

Pat Boone wants to write his own hit. Pat Boone - didn't write last hit
-hoping new one will be a hit.

Duane Eddy escapes from "Wilderness".  Duane Eddy comes back after a lapse
in popularity.

Adam Faith tells why he's made his disc break from John Barry. Adam Faith -
new single release - new accompaniment.

Ever-improving Elvis!  Better actor than before - evident in 'Girls Girls
Girls'

Exciting Jet Harris solo stage debut!  Jet Harris - solo stage premiere at
the Torquay Princess 4 months after leaving Shadows.

A big 'welcome back' to the 'King of Twist'. Chubby Checker, full houses, 

"Thank Your Lucky Stars" TV program

Controversy, "Spanish Harlem", Ben E. King

UA Label wins independence. HMV, opposition, dealers, distributors, UA
records

Mother taught Ray Charles to cope with blindness