1958   1959   1960   1961   1962   1963   1964   1965   1966   1967   1968   1969   1970   1971   1972   1973   1974   1975   1976   1977
Home Page   List of Acts
List of Songs

END

1

Title: Wake Up Little Susie
Artist: Everly Brothers
Writer(s): Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
Entered chart 8 Nov 1957; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 13; at number 3 at beginning of 1958.

These two brothers had roots in American Country Music, but soon became major Rock 'n' Roll stars.  They were Don Everly (1 Feb 1937 - 21 Aug 2021) and Phil Everly (19 Jan 1939 - 3 Jan 2014).  They moved to Nashville in 1955 and made a couple of recordings, but they did not enter the charts.  However, in early 1957 they signed with Cadence Records and recorded "Bye Bye Love" which it is said had been turned down by 30 other acts.  The recording reached number two on the USA pop charts and sold a million copies.  "Bye Bye Love" became their first hit in the UK too, peaking at number six.  After three years with Cadence they moved to Warner Brothers records and the hits continued. They amassed 29 hit singles by 1968, after which the hits stopped.  They both went solo in the 1970s after a falling out, and they did not speak for some years.  However, they reunited in 1983 with a sell-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and they made a number of concert tours into the 1990s.
# This song was written by the husband and wife team who provided several hits for the brothers.

2

Title: Peggy Sue
Artist: Buddy Holly
Writer(s): Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, Norman Petty (Allison was in Holly's band, The Crickets; Petty was his record producer)
Entered chart 15 Nov 1957; Highest Position: 8; Weeks on chart: 12; still on the charts in Jan 1958.

Buddy Holly is one of the legendary early Rock 'n' Roll stars.  He was born in Lubbock, Texas, USA on 7 Sep 1936, and died on 3 Feb 1959.  He was highly influential to immerging musicians of the time, and his records are still widely played on radio stations throughout the world.  He had learned to play guitar whilst at school, and he formed a band after graduation.  The band played on local radio, and even provided the opening act for stars performing in Lubbock, including Elvis Presley.  He and his band moved to Nashville in 1956, and began making demo recordings, which led to a record contract.  Unusually for the time, his debut single was self-penned, and most of his output was written by Holly with contributions from band members and manager Norman Petty.  His career flourished with hit records and TV appearances during 1957 and 1958.  He died in a plane crash whilst on a tour of the USA, along with two other stars of the period, aged just 22.  
# This record was his first UK hit with a solo credit.  However, The Crickets, with uncredited Holly as vocalist, first hit the UK charts in 1957 with "That'll Be The Day".

3

Title: Reet Petite
Artist: Jackie Wilson
Writer(s): Berry Gordy Jr (founder of Tamla Motown Records), Billy Davis & Gwen Gordy Fuqua
Entered chart 15 Nov 1957; Highest Position: 6; Weeks on chart: 14; reached its peak in Jan 1958.

Soul singer Jackie Wilson (9 Jun 1934 - 21 Jan 1984) was born in Detroit, USA.  In his early teens Jackie joined a quartet, the Ever Ready Gospel Singers, which became a popular feature of churches in the area. Jackie was not particularly religious, but enjoyed singing, and this provided an opportunity.  In his late teens he formed a group called the Falcons, which included his cousin Levi Stubbs, who later went on to lead the Motown group The Four Tops.  He worked with other groups, but went solo in 1957.  He became noted for his dynamic stage performances, and during one such a performance in 1975 at Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Wilson suffered a heart attack when only aged 41.  Although he was rushed to hospital, he mostly remained in a coma for 9 years until his death in 1984.
# The recording was reissued in 1986 and went to Number One in the UK, where it stayed for four weeks over the Christmas season.

4

Title: Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)
Artist: Petula Clark
Writer(s): Morty & Selma Craft
Entered chart 15 Nov 1957; Highest Position: 8; Weeks on chart: 12; still on the charts in Jan 1958.

Petula Clark was born on 15 Nov 1932 in Surrey, England.  She became a child star at the age of nine when she broadcast on radio for the first time.  This led to numerous singing opportunities on wartime radio.  In 1944 she was given her first film role, and she had appeared in 14 films by 1950.  In the early 1950s she began making records, and her first hit came in the summer of 1954 when she was 21 years old.  Clark went on to become a major international star with numerous world-wide hits, particularly in the 1960s with songs written and produced by Tony Hatch.  In the 1990s and 2000s she went into stage musicals, both in the UK and America.  She  was still recording and performing in the 2010s, and issued a new album in 2016.
# This recording, her fifth chart hit, was a cover of an American song.  It had been written for The Shepherd Sisters who reached number 18 on the USA charts in November 1957.  They also reached number 14 in the UK, and a third version by Jamaican/British band The Southanders made it to number 17 in the UK, also in November 1957.

5

Title: My Special Angel
Artist: Malcolm Vaughan
Writer(s): Jimmy Duncan (American songwriter, singer, arranger and producer)
Entered chart 29 Nov 1957; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 14; reached its peak in Jan 1958.

Malcolm Vaughan (22 Mar 1929 - 9 Feb 2010) was born in south Wales.  He first charted in 1955 with "Ev'ry Day of My Life", and achieved nine hits by 1959.  He was a big-voiced tenor balladeer, who was first a successful actor.  But he was championed by radio DJ Jack Jackson, and a recording contract with HMV followed.  Hit records and TV appearances earned him a place as one of the big British stars of the second half of the 1950s.
# This song was a cover of the original recording by American Country singer Bobby Helms, who made Number One in the USA Country Music charts with it.  It also charted in the UK, reaching number 22.  

6

Title: April Love
Artist: Pat Boone
Writer(s): Sammy Fain & Paul Francis Webster (Prolific American composers)
Entered chart 6 Dec 1957; Highest Position: 7; Weeks on chart: 23; reached its peak in Feb 1958.

Pat Boone was born on 1 Jun 1934 in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, but he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee - his parents having moved there when Boone was only two years old.  He began recording in 1955, mostly covering black R&B hits by the likes of Fats Domino and Little Richard for the white American market, but he soon turned to original material - mostly love songs.  He cultivated a clean, wholesome image, which was appreciated by parents who thought Elvis Presley was too sexual in performance.  His popularity earned him a TV series, "The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom" (obviously sponsored by Chevrolet cars), which ran from 1957 to 1960.  Boone became something of a teenage heart-throb on both sides of the Atlantic, and his good looks took him into the film industry.  He made numerous films in the late 1950s and through the 1960s, all for family viewing.  The hits dried up in the early 1960s, and being a committed Christian, Boone toured with his wife and four daughters as Gospel singers during the second half of the 1960s and through the 1970s, 
# This song was featured in the 1957 film, also titled "April Love", in which Pat Boone starred.

7

Title: Great Balls of Fire
Artist: Jerry Lee Lewis
Writer(s): Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer
Entered chart 20 Dec 1957; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 12; reached number 1 on 10 Jan 1958.

Jerry Lee Lewis (29 Sep 1935 - 28 Oct 2022) was born in Ferriday, Louisiana, USA.   He was one of the great Rock 'n' Roll pioneers who made his hit recordings at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.  He was the only white early Rock 'n' Roll star to play piano rather than guitar.  His antics at the piano earned him the nickname "The Wild Man of Rock".   He was never far from controversy, and in 1958 he married his 13-year-old cousin, which shocked fans in the UK.  Not only was she considered just a child, but this was his third wife, and he was only 22!  Adverse comments from the press and public resulted in his May 1958 UK tour being cancelled after just three performances.  He continued recording and touring, but In 1968 he turned to Country Music and enjoyed considerable success.  However, he returned to Rock 'n' Roll in the late 1970s, and toured with other artists of his era throughout the 1980s and 1990s.  He had continued performing occasionally into his early eighties, but died aged 87 in 2022.

8

Title: Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
Artist: Jimmie Rodgers
Writer(s): The Weavers (folk band that included Pete Seeger)
Entered chart 20 Dec 1957; Highest Position: 7; Weeks on chart: 11; reached its peak in Jan 1958.

Jimmy Rodgers (18 Sep 1933 - 18 Jan 2021) was born in Washington State, USA.  After serving with the US Air Force in the early fifties, he entered talent contests, and eventually got a recording contract.  His style was that of a Folk/Country singer, rather than the Rock 'n' Roll of the era.  He enjoyed numerous hit records in the USA from 1957 to the end of the 1970s, and had a surprise Top-5 hit in the UK in 1962.
# This song was first recorded by The Weavers, a folk band, who released the song as a single in 1951, and which peaked at number 19 on the USA charts.

9

Title: Oh Boy
Artist: The Crickets
Writer(s): Sonny West, Bill Tilghman & Norman Petty
Entered chart 27 Dec 1957; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 15; reached its peak in Feb 1958.

The Crickets was the name chosen for Buddy Holly's band.  He was the singer on the recording, although he was not credited on the label.  For contractual reasons, Holly recorded under his own name and as The Crickets during his short recording career.
# The song's co-writer, Sonny West, recorded the song himself first, but it failed to make the charts.
# In 1975, British group, Mud, recorded a slower version of the song, which went all the way to Number One in the UK during April that year.

10

Title: Raunchy
Artist: Bill Justis
Writer(s): Bill Justis & Sid Manker
Entered chart 10 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 11; Weeks on chart: 8.

Alto Saxophone player Bill Justis (14 Oct 1926 - 15 Jul 1982) was born in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, but grew up in Memphis, USA.  After he left university he joined Sun Records in Memphis where he arranged the music for several early Rock 'n' Roll stars.  In 1961 he moved to Nashville where he became a successful producer and music arranger.  He died from cancer in Nashville in 1982 at the age of 55.
# The guitar which features throughout this recording is played by the co-writer Sid Manker.

11

Title: The Story of My Life
Artist: Michael Holliday
Writer(s): Burt Bacharach & Hal David (Became major songwriters in the 1960s)
Entered chart 17 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 15.

Michael Holliday (26 Nov 1924 - 29 Oct 1963) was born in Liverpool, England.  After winning talent contests he was awarded a recording contract with EMI in 1955.  This was his first major hit.  More hits followed until 1960, and he enjoyed many appearances on radio, television and the stage.  He had a mental breakdown in 1961 and died from a suspected drug overdose in 1963.  
# The song was a cover of the USA hit recording by Country Music singer Marty Robbins, who reached number 15 with it in the USA.

12

Title: Bony Moronie
Artist: Larry Williams
Writer(s): Larry Williams
Entered chart 17 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 11; Weeks on chart: 10.

Larry Williams (10 May 1935 - 7 Jan 1980)  was born in New Orleans, USA.  He became an R&B and Rock 'n' Roll singer after befriending Little Richard, and being introduced to Richard's record producer.  He enjoyed several hits in the late 1950s, but drug addiction and dealing resulted in him being jailed in 1960 for three years.  After that he made several come-back attempts and moved to Los Angeles, but the drug habit continued.  He died in Los Angeles from a gun shot wound to the head in 1980, aged 44.  It was deemed to be suicide.

13

Title: You Send Me
Artist: Sam Cooke
Writer(s): Sam Cooke
Entered chart 17 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 29; Weeks on chart: 1.

Sam Cooke (22 Jan 1931 - 11 Dec 1964) was born in Mississippi, USA, but he moved with his family to Chicago when he was two.  He started singing with his siblings at a young age, and by his late teens he was singing with a local Gospel group called the Soul Stirrers who made a number of Gospel records.  In 1957 he signed a recording contract and began his career as a Soul singer.  His first hit was "You Send Me", which topped the charts in the USA. It was less successful in the UK, but later releases confirmed him as an international star.  He was shot dead at a motel in Los Angeles in December 1964.
# Sam Cooke wrote the song but gave the writer credit to his younger brother L.C. Cook (Sam added the "e" to the end of his showbiz name).  
# Rod Stewart recorded the song, and it reached number seven in the UK charts as part of a double A-side release with "Farewell" in October 1974.  Stewart recorded the song again in 2005 for his album "The Great American Songbook volume 4".

14

Title: At The Hop
Artist: Danny & The Juniors
Writer(s): Artie Singer, John Medora and David White
Entered chart 17 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 14.

This band originated in Philadelphia, USA in 1955.  Lead singer Danny Rapp (9 May 1941 - 3 Apr 1983) formed the band with his friends when they were young teenagers.  This song was their only major hit, although they were recording into the early 1960s.  Rapp continued performing, with new band members, through to the 1980s as Danny & The Juniors.  Two original members of the group had left and formed a new band, and they also toured as Danny & The Juniors.  Some members of the group are still performing on the nostalgia circuit.  Danny Rapp took his own life with a shot to the head in 1983 at age 41.  The song has been featured on numerous 1950s compilation albums since, and is regarded as a Rock 'n' Roll classic.

15

Title: Jailhouse Rock
Artist: Elvis Presley
Writer(s): Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (They wrote numerous hits for many recording artists.)
Entered chart 24 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 20.

The King of Rock 'n' Roll (8 Jan 1935 - 16 Aug 1977) was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA.  He and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13 years old.  Soon afterwards he acquired his first guitar and began playing and singing.  He started his recording career at Sun Records in Memphis, USA.  It took several attempts to get Sun owner Sam Phillips to let Presley record, but eventually a session was arranged with guitarist Scotty Moore and upright bass player Bill Black providing backing.  The resultant track "That's Alright" was soon on local radio in Memphis, and it became a local hit.  Public performances followed, including numerous appearances on the "Louisiana Hayride" radio show which was broadcast to half the USA.  Eventually he became famous enough for RCA records to buy out his Sun contract and take him to Nashville, in 1956.  He rose to be arguably the biggest music star of the 20th century, with world-wide record sales of over one billion.  Also in 1956 Elvis made his movie debut in the film "Love Me Tender".  By the end of 1969 he had completed 31 films.  He made no more movies after that, instead concentrating on live concert performances, including many in Las Vegas.  His home in Memphis, "Graceland", is now a museum and major tourist attraction, and his recordings continue to be heard throughout the world.
# This song was featured on the soundtrack of his film "Jailhouse Rock".  The record was the top-selling single of 1958 in the UK.

16

Title: Love Me Forever
Artist: Marion Ryan
Writer(s): Beverly Guthrie & Gary Lynes
Entered chart 24 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 5; Weeks on chart: 11.

Marion Ryan (4 Feb 1931 - 15 Jan 1999) was born in Middlesbrough, England.  She began as the singer with the Edmundo Ros orchestra, and then sang with the Ray Ellington Quartet from 1953.  She became a TV star when she joined TV musical quiz show "Spot The Tune", in which she sang the first few words of a song that contestants had to identify.  The show ran for seven years from 1956.  A contract with Pye Records resulted in several record releases - mostly covers of American hits, but they were largely unsuccessful in the charts.  This recording was her only hit single.  In 1967 she retired after her (second) marriage.  Her new husband was the millionaire impresario Harold Davison, who handled Frank Sinatra.  The couple moved to Florida in 1988, where she died eleven years later, at age 67.
# The song was originally recorded by the American vocal group, the Four Esquires, their version peaking at number 23 in the UK also in January 1958.  It was covered too by American, Eydie Gormé who reached number 21 in the UK in early 1958.

17

Title: You Are My Destiny
Artist: Paul Anka
Writer(s): Paul Anka
Entered chart 31 Jan 1958; Highest Position: 6; Weeks on chart: 13.

Canadian Paul Anka was born on 30 Jul 1941, in Ottawa, Canada.  He went to New York at the age of 14 to audition for a record deal.  His first release, the self-penned "Diana" was a world-wide smash, and his career grew from there, becoming one of the biggest recording stars of the Rock 'n' Roll era.   He wrote most of his big hits himself, and he also wrote songs recorded by other performers including Buddy Holly, Tom Jones and Frank Sinatra.  He continued recording (mostly albums) and performing throughout the remainder of the 20th century, often in Las Vegas, and was working well into the 2000s.   In 2005 he issued an album, "Rock Swings", featuring big band arrangements of rock hits.  A follow-up in similar style, "Classic Hits, My Way", was issued in 2007.  His most recent album was released in 2013.

18

Title: Mandy
Artist: Eddie Calvert
Writer(s): Renato Carosone
Entered chart 7 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 9; Weeks on chart: 14.

Trumpeter, Eddie Calvert (15 Mar 1922 - 7 Aug 1978) was born in Preston, Lancashire, England.  After World War II, he began playing trumpet with popular dance bands of the day.  He very soon became well-known, appearing on radio and TV as "The Man with The Golden Trumpet".  His first hits were covers of American songs, and he enjoyed two chart toppers in 1953 and 1955 respectively.  His popularity waned in the 1960s, and he emigrated to South Africa where he continued to perform and record for the local market.  He died from a heart attack at his home in Johannesburg, aged 56.

19

Title: Magic Moments
Artist: Perry Como
Writer(s): Burt Bacharach & Hal David (Became major songwriters in the 1960s)
Entered chart 7 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 17.

Perry Como (18 May 1912 - 12 May 2001) was born in Pennsylvania, USA to Italian immigrants.  In 1933 he took part in a talent spot, singing with a dance band and was immediately offered a job with the band.  By 1943 he had his own radio show, and a recording contract with RCA.  His first hit in the UK came in 1953 when "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" reached Number One in the charts.  The mid 1950s and 1960s saw him with many hit records, plus his popular TV show that was broadcast in the UK as well.  Between 1953 and 1962 he scored 20 hits in Britain, of which eleven reached the Top 10.  Although his hits initially dried up at the end of 1962, he returned to the UK charts with a series of ballads in the early 1970s, with three hitting the Top 10.
# This song was a double A-side with song 20 below.

20

Title: Catch A Falling Star
Artist: Perry Como
Writer(s): Paul Vance & Lee Pockriss
Entered chart 7 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 17.

This recording was a double A-side with song 19 above.  These hits turned out to be Como's last visit to the top of the UK singles charts, although he enjoyed several more Top 10 entries. 
Some record charts of the time listed each side of the record separately, with different dates, highest positions and weeks on the chart.  However, as the songs were on each side of one physical disc, it is reasonable to show the data as identical.

21

Title: Sugartime
Artist: Alma Cogan
Writer(s): Charlie Phillips & Odis Echols
Entered chart 14 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 16; Weeks on chart: 11.

Alma Cogan (19 May 1932 - 26 Oct 1966) was born in east London, England.  She began singing when just 14.  By the early 1950s she was appearing regularly on the big radio shows of the time.  A recording contract followed and from 1954 to 1961 she had 21 hits.  Most of her hits were light novelty songs, and she became known as "The Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice".  In the late 1950s she frequently appeared on television, and became famous for her huge ball gowns which she designed herself.  By the early 1960s her popularity in the UK had dwindled, but she remained successful in Sweden, Denmark and Germany, and had several hits in those countries until 1965.   She died in 1966 from ovarian cancer at the age of 34.
# The song was a cover of the original American hit by the McGuire Sisters.  That version reached Number One in the USA and number 14 in the UK, also in February 1958.

22

Title: Buona Sera
Artist: Louis Prima
Writer(s): Carl Sigman & Peter DeRose
Entered chart 21 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 25; Weeks on chart: 1.

Singer and band leader Louis Prima (7 Dec 1910 - 24 Aug 1978) was born in New Orleans, USA, to Italian immigrant parents.  He decided at a young age that music was to be his life, joining a band in 1929.  He moved to New York in 1934, formed his own band, and began recording.  He remained in New York for some while, performing in clubs there, but a new manager arranged for him to play in several cities on the east coast, plus St Louis and New Orleans.  His reputation increased during the war years, when Swing music was at its height of popularity.  He continued performing throughout the 1950s, notably with singer Keely Smith (1932 - 2017) who he married and later divorced.  In 1967, Prima landed a role in Walt Disney's animated feature "The Jungle Book", as the raucous orangutan King Louie.  He performed the hit song "I Wan'na Be like You" on the soundtrack.  He died from a brain stem tumor in 1978.
# The song was written in the late 1940s and first recorded by Louis Prima in 1950.  This is a re-recording.  It was a hit a little later for Acker Bilk who reached number 7 in the UK charts in December 1960 with his version.  (See year 1960, song 98 in these lists).
# Buona Sera is Italian for Good Evening.

23

Title: Stood Up
Artist: Ricky Nelson
Writer(s): Dub Dickerson & Erma Herrold
Entered chart 21 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 27; Weeks on chart: 2.

Ricky Nelson (8 May 1940 - 31 Dec 1985) was born in New Jersey, USA.  After a one-off recording in 1956, which resulted in his first hit, he signed a deal with Imperial Records and his career took off.  He began TV appearances, and built a strong fan base.  With Elvis Presley in the army from 1958 to 1960, there was little competition for Nelson.  However, he never enjoyed the same level of popularity in the UK that he did in the USA where he had 17 Top 10 hits, as opposed to just four in Britain.  He died in a plane crash in 1985.

24

Title: Good Golly Miss Molly
Artist: Little Richard
Writer(s): John Marascalco & Robert Blackwell
Entered chart 28 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 8; Weeks on chart: 9.

Little Richard (Richard Penniman) (5 Dec 1932 - 9 May 2020) was born in Macon, Georgia, USA.  Like so many singers from the American South, Richard started his career by singing Gospel music.  He left his home in 1948 and began performing with various touring bands.  In the early 1950s he formed his own band and again began touring.  After meeting with record producers, he had his first hit record in 1956, and the hits continued through the 1950s.  After a spell away from Rock 'n' Roll, touring as an evangelist, he returned in 1962 with a series of concert tours.  He again turned his back on pop music in 1979 and recorded a Gospel album.  But from the mid-1980s he combined his religious work with Rock 'n' Roll concert tours which continued into the 21st century.  Failing health reduced his appearances in the 2010s, and he died from bone cancer at the age of 87 in May 2020.
# Two other versions of the song have been in the UK charts subsequently.  They are by Jerry Lee Lewis (1963, number 31) and the Swinging Blue Jeans (1964, number 11).

25

Title: Baby Lover
Artist: Petula Clark
Writer(s): Bob Merrill (Successful American composer)
Entered chart 28 Feb 1958; Highest Position: 12; Weeks on chart: 7.

This follow-up to Petula's previous hit, "Alone" did not fare as well.  The song was featured in the film "Six Five Special", based on the TV pop music show of the same name.  Petula Clark performed the song in the film, along with other stars of the day who performed their own songs.  There would be no more hits for her until 1961 when she reached the top of the charts with "Sailor".

26

Title: Whole Lotta Woman
Artist: Marvin Rainwater
Writer(s): Marvin Rainwater
Entered chart 7 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 15.

Marvin Rainwater (2 Jul 1925 - 17 Sep 2013) was born in Wichita, Kansas, USA.  In the early 1950s he began writing songs with reasonable success, and performed with his brothers.  By the mid-1950s he had a recording contract and was appearing on televised Country Music shows.  This song was his only UK hit of significance, although he continued performing into the 1970s.

27

Title: Nairobi
Artist: Tommy Steele
Writer(s): Bob Merrill
Entered chart 7 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 11.

Tommy Steele was born on 17 Dec 1936 in Bermondsey, London, England.  He took to performing after a spell in the merchant navy, and got a recording deal with Decca in 1956.  He is regarded as Britain's first Rock 'n' Roll star, having his first hit, "Rock With The Caveman" in October 1956.  By the following year he was making films, with two released in 1957 including the semi-biographical "The Tommy Steele Story".  His 1958 film was "The Duke Wore Jeans".  By the 1960s he was more of a film star than a Rock 'n' Roll singer.  His movies in the 1960s were more musical-style productions such as "Half A Sixpence (1967) and "Finian's Rainbow (1968).  He made eleven films for cinema release and two for TV only between 1957 and 1979.  From the 1980s to the 2010s he performed in several long-running stage musicals, often touring the UK with them.
# Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya in east Africa.

28

Title: Maybe Baby
Artist: The Crickets
Writer(s): Buddy Holly & Norman Petty
Entered chart 14 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 4; Weeks on chart: 10.

As mentioned with song 9 in this list, Buddy Holly recorded as himself and as The Crickets at this time.  Although credited to The Crickets, it is Buddy Holly's voice that is heard on this recording.  As well as Holly, at this time The Crickets comprised Jerry Allison (drums) (born 1939), Joe Maudlin (bass) (1940-2015) and Niki Sullivan (rhythm guitar) (1937-2004).
# "Maybe Baby" was recorded at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Oklahoma in the early hours of 29 September 1957, while Buddy Holly and The Crickets were touring.
# Buddy Holly was in the UK for a concert tour in March 1958.  The tour started at the Elephant & Castle Trocadero (south London).

29

Title: Listen To Me
Artist: Buddy Holly
Writer(s): Buddy Holly & Norman Petty
Entered chart 14 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 16; Weeks on chart: 2.

Co-writer of the song, Norman Petty (25 May 1927 - 15 Aug 1984) was a record producer, and this song was recorded at Petty's studios in Clovis, New Mexico, USA.  Petty also recorded some other emerging stars of the day, such as Roy Orbison, Buddy Knox and Waylon Jennings.  He was also Buddy Holly's manager until late in 1958 .  Most of Holly's and the Crickets' hits were recorded at Petty's studio.

30

Title: Swinging Shepherd Blues 
Artist: Ted Heath & His Music
Writer(s): Moe Koffman (Canadian musician and composer)
Entered chart 14 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 14.

Trombonist and band leader, Ted Heath (30 Mar 1902 - 18 Nov 1969) was born in south London, England.  He began playing at a young age and was a member of various dance bands of the time during the 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s. Heath formed his band in 1945 and began touring the UK and Europe.  Radio broadcasts soon followed, as did a recording contract with Decca.   He began regular Sunday Night Swing Sessions at the London Palladium in 1947, and these continued until 1955.  Ted Heath and His Music was one of the most popular acts of the 1950s - a time when big band music was still relevant.
# The composer, Moe Koffman, and his quartette, entered the UK charts with his original version at the same time as Heath, reaching number 23.  Lyrics were later added by Rhoda Roberts and Kenny Jacobson, and vocal versions have been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, and Natalie Cole.

31

Title: The Grand Coulee Dam 
Artist: Lonnie Donegan
Writer(s): Woody Guthrie (American Folk music singer-songwriter)
Entered chart 14 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 14.

Lonnie Donegan (29 Apr 1931 - 3 Nov 2002) was born in Glasgow, Scotland, but moved to London with his family when he was only two years old.  His first interest was jazz, and in 1952 he formed his own jazz band.  He also performed with other jazz bands, notably Chris Barber's.  He was interested also in Blues and created a jazz-blues hybrid called Skiffle.  His first hit came in 1956 - "Rock Island Line" - a fast version of the Lead Belly blues number.  He became a well-known performer, with many live and TV appearances in the UK, and was known as 'The King of Skiffle'.  Although the hits dried up in 1962, he continued performing to loyal fans, and also worked as a record producer at Pye Records.  He died from a heart attack at age 71.
# This song was written by Woody Guthrie in 1941 when he was asked write songs for a documentary about the dam project.  Built between 1933 and 1942, the Grand Coulee Dam is on the Columbia River in Washington State, USA.

32

Title: To Be Loved
Artist: Jacky Wilson
Writer(s): Berry Gordy Jr (founder of Tamla Motown Records), Billy Davis & Gwen Gordy Fuqua
Entered chart 14 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 23; Weeks on chart: 8.

This follow-up to "Reet Petite" was a ballad written by the same composers.  It did less well in the UK than the previous hit, and it would be 1972 before he was back in the UK Top 10.

33

Title: Oh Oh I'm Falling In Love Again
Artist: Jimmie Rodgers
Writer(s): Al Hoffman, Dick Manning and Mark Markwell
Entered chart 28 Mar 1958; Highest Position: 18; Weeks on chart: 6.

This was Rodgers' second hit of 1958.  Also in 1958 he sang the opening theme song of the movie "The Long, Hot Summer", starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Orson Welles.  This was followed by his own short-lived televised variety show on NBC TV.  For info about Rodgers, see song 8 in this list.

34

Title: Tequila
Artist: The Champs
Writer(s): Daniel Flores
Entered chart 4 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 5; Weeks on chart: 9.

The writer, Daniel Flores (11 Jul 1929 - 19 Sep 2006), was also the saxophone player who takes the lead on this instrumental track.  He led the Flores Trio who played on this recording, but as there were various session men in the studio joining in, it was issued under the name of The Champs.  It was a Number One hit in the USA.  Flores also wrote and worked under the name Chuck Rio.
# After a dispute with a fellow band member, he signed away his rights to "Tequila", and did not receive any royalties from the tune, despite its success.  In the intervening years, he formed another group called the Original Champs and recorded for Saturn Records in 1963.  Flores continued to perform across California for the rest of his life.  It was not until the early 2000s that he finally received royalties for "Tequila", albeit only for sales in Europe.
# The Ted Heath band covered the song in the UK, and their version peaked at number 21 in April 1958.
# Tequila is an alcoholic distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Mexico.  Thought of as the Mexican national drink, it is popular in most parts of the western world, especially in the USA.

35

Title: It's Too Soon To Know
Artist: Pat Boone
Writer(s): Deborah Chessler
Entered chart 4 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 17.

This was his twelfth UK hit and the follow-up to "April Love" which had reached number seven in the UK charts earlier in the year (song 6).
# This song was originally recorded by the Doo Wop group The Orioles in 1948 when it reached Number One on the American R&B chart.  Boone's recording was a double A-side with song 36 below.
Some record charts of the time listed each side of the record separately, with difference dates, highest positions and weeks on the chart.  However, as the songs were on each side of one physical disc, it is reasonable to show the data as identical.

36

Title: A Wonderful Time Up There 
Artist: Pat Boone
Writer(s): Lee Roy Abernathy
Entered chart 4 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 17.

This was part of the double A-side with song 35, above.  The recording was initially banned by the BBC for its religious connotations, but the ban was lifted upon appeal. 
# The song's writer, Lee Roy Abernathy (13 Aug 1913 - 25 May 1993), specialised in writing Gospel music.  He wrote this song in 1948 for his Gospel group The Homeland Harmony Quartet.  It was subsequently recorded by many artists, and became one of the best-selling Gospel songs of all time.  Info on Pat Boone is with song 6 in this list.

37

Title: Who's Sorry Now 
Artist: Connie Francis
Writer(s): Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar, & Harry Ruby
Entered chart 4 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 25.

Connie Francis was born on 12 Dec 1938 in Newark, New Jersey, USA.  She entered talent contests as a young teenager, and even made some records, but none were hits until the issue of this song written some 35 years earlier.  She went on to record several old songs, but usually put a modern Rock 'n' Roll number on the B-side of the discs.  Her record success continued into the early 1960s, but she has been performing live, with some long breaks, into the 21st century.
# The song was published in 1923, and was recorded by numerous acts before Connie Francis' version, most notably by Johnnie Ray, who reached number 17 in the UK charts in 1956 with the song.

38

Title: Breathless 
Artist: Jerry Lee Lewis
Writer(s): Otis Blackwell
Entered chart 11 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 8; Weeks on chart: 7.

This was Lewis' third UK hit.  He was recording for Sun Records in Memphis, and his tracks were released on the London American label in the UK.
# Writer, Otis Blackwell (1931-2002), was a New York singer, writer and pianist.  He wrote several Rock 'n' Roll songs including Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" (song number 7 in this list), and a few for Elvis Presley amongst others.

39

Title: Teacher's Pet
Artist: Doris Day
Writer(s): Joe Lubin
Entered chart 21 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 54; (USA chart data - not a UK hit).

Doris Day (3 Apr 1922 - 13 May 2019) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.  She began as a dancer, but soon turned to singing, quickly gaining a chance to sing on a local radio station.  By 1939 she was a singer with a dance band, and after a move to Les Brown's band in 1945, she made her first record.  With more radio work and concert tours, she was offered a chance to star in her own film in 1948.  During the 1950s she became an internationally famous film and recording star.  She made 39 films until 1968, then moved into TV with her own sitcom, "The Doris Day Show", which ran until 1973.  In the 1980s she became an animal welfare activist, and founded the Doris Day Animal Foundation.  She celebrated her 97th birthday in April 2019, but died three weeks later from pneumonia.
# This song is from the film of the same name, starring Doris Day and Clark Gable.  Despite the popularity of the film and Doris Day at the time, the record failed to chart in the UK.  However, she had two hits later in 1958, the next coming in June (song 57).

40

Title: Sweet Little Sixteen
Artist: Chuck Berry
Writer(s): Chuck Berry
Entered chart 25 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 16; Weeks on chart: 5.

Chuck Berry (18 Oct 1926 - 18 Mar 2017) was born in St Louis, Missouri, USA. He started performing in the early 1950s, and in 1955 began his recording career with "Maybellene" which reached Number One on the US R&B chart.  By the end of the 1950s he was an established star, and he had more hits during the 1960s.  He often courted controversy and had two spells in prison.  This never seemed to adversely effect his popularity, and he continued performing into the 21st century.  He died in March 2017 at the age of 90.  In June 2017 a new album, "Chuck", was released comprising new recordings made over a few years, his first album of new material since 1979.
# Jerry Lee Lewis recorded the song in 1962 and took it to number 38 in the UK charts.

41

Title: Happy Guitar 
Artist: Tommy Steele
Writer(s): Lionel Bart, Michael Pratt, Tommy Steele
Entered chart 25 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 20; Weeks on chart: 5.

This single was taken from the soundtrack of Steele's film "The Duke Wore Jeans".  This was Steele's third film, made at a time when singing stars were encouraged to branch out into different aspects of show business.  It was also a time when not everyone had a TV, but many people went to the cinema weekly, and were thus able to see their favourite singers performing.
# The song's co-writer, Lionel Bart, would become a house-hold name in the 1960s, with more pop hits and stage musicals.

42

Title: Tom Hark 
Artist: Elias & His Zig Zag Jive Flutes
Writer(s): Jack Lerole & Rupert Bopape
Entered chart 25 Apr 1958; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 14.

This band was led by Jack Lerole (1940-2003).  He was a South African penny whistle player and singer, who grew up in a township outside of Johannesburg.  He formed a band with his brother (Elias) and friends, playing Kwela music based on the penny whistle (jive flute).  They signed with EMI South Africa and recorded several songs including Tom Hark.  Although Jack Lerole left the band in the early 1960s, he continued as a musician until the end of the 1990s.
# The Ted Heath band covered the song in the UK, and they peaked at number 24 in July 1958, three months after the original entered the charts.

43

Title: Lollipop 
Artist: The Mudlarks
Writer(s): Julius Dixson & Beverly Ross
Entered chart 2 May 1958; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 9.

The Mudlarks were a British family trio from Luton, England, comprising brothers Jeff Mudd (born 1935) and Fred Mudd (1937-2007), plus sister Mary Mudd (born 1939).  They were singing in local venues in 1958 when they were invited to appear on the BBC TV music show Six-Five Special.  Following the appearance they gained a recording contract with EMI.  Despite early promise, they only achieved three hit records between May 1958 and February 1959 - less than a year.  They continued making records into the 1960s, but none reached the charts.
# The song was a hit in the USA and the UK by American female quartet, The Chordettes.  They reached number 6 in the UK with their version.

44

Title: Wear My Ring Around Your Neck 
Artist: Elvis Presley
Writer(s): Bert Carroll & Russell Moody
Entered chart 2 May 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 10.

This was Presley's 13th Top 10 hit in the UK and the start of 17 consecutive Top 10 hits through to November 1962.  By the time this was in the UK charts, Presley had already been drafted into the US Army, where he would be for two years.
# In American high schools at this time, the wearing a boy's ring on a chain around a girl's neck indicated that the two were dating regularly and exclusively, but were not engaged to be married.  The practice was and is unknown in the UK.

45

Title: Tulips From Amsterdam 
Artist: Max Bygraves
Writer(s): Klaus-Günter Neumann, Ernst Bader and Ralf Arnie (German song with English translation by Gene Martyn)
Entered chart 2 May 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 25.

Max Bygraves (16 Oct 1922 - 31 Aug 2012) was an English entertainer, comedian and singer, born in Rotherhithe, London, England.  After the second world war, he went into show business and was pretty much an all-round entertainer.  He made some radio broadcasts in the late 1940s, and appeared in several comedy films from 1949.  In 1950 he became a star in the popular, long-running radio series "Educating Archie".  He began making records in 1952, and during his long career, he had 18 hit singles, seven of which reached the Top 10.  In 1972 he started recording albums in his "sing-along" series, which ran into the 1980s and gave him 12 entries in the album chart.  He was a major comedy TV star in the 1960s and 1970s and TV game show host in the 1980s.  He retired to Australia in 2008 and died there in 2012.
# This song was a double A-side with Bygraves' iconic song "You Need Hands".

46

Title: On The Street Where You Live 
Artist: Vic Damone
Writer(s): Frederick Loewe & Alan Jay Lerner (Stage musical writers)
Entered chart 9 May 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 17.

Vic Damone (12 Jun 1928 - 11 Feb 2018) was born in New York to Italian immigrants.  He entered a talent show in 1947 and was awarded a recording contract the same year.  Hit records followed as did a radio series, and by the 1950s he was a major star - also appearing in several films.  In the 1970s he performed in Las Vegas, and toured the USA and Europe in the 1980s.  His final album was recorded and released in 2002, after which he retired.  This was his only significant hit in the UK.  He died in February 2018 at the age of 89.
# The song, by Lerner and Loewe, is from the stage musical and film "My Fair Lady".

47

Title: Kewpie Doll 
Artist: Perry Como
Writer(s): Sid Tepper & Roy C Bennett (American writers of many pop hits)
Entered chart 9 May 1958; Highest Position: 9; Weeks on chart: 7.

This was Como's 12th hit in the UK, and came at the peak of his popularity in both the USA and UK.
# The song was covered by Frankie Vaughan in the UK, and he reached number 10 in the British charts with his version during May 1958.
# Kewpie is a brand of dolls and figurines that were initially conceived as comic strip characters by artist and writer Rose O'Neill. The first dolls appeared in 1912. Kewpie dolls were initially made out of bisque porcelain, but various modern plastic materials have been used to manufacture the dolls up to the present time.

48

Title: Stairway of Love 
Artist: Michael Holliday
Writer(s): Sid Tepper & Roy C Bennett
Entered chart 16 May 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 13.

This was Holliday's second Top 10 hit, and confirmed him as a major star in the UK.  There had been a release between this and his January 1958 Number One, but that had stalled at number 26 on the UK charts.  Strangely, the follow-up to this recording only reached number 27, before he had his second chart-topper in January 1960.  He had no hits during 1959.
# This American song was originally recorded in the USA by Country music singer, Marty Robbins, as was Holliday's first big hit "The Story of My Life" (song 11).
# In the UK, the song was also covered by Terry Dene, who reached number 16 with his version.

49

Title: Twilight Time 
Artist: The Platters
Writer(s): Buck Ram, Morty Nevins, Al Nevins and Artie Dunn
Entered chart 16 May 1958; Highest Position: 3; Weeks on chart: 18.

The Platters formed in Los Angeles in 1952.  By 1955 they had their first hits in the USA, quickly followed by hits in the UK.  There were several personnel changes, even during their hits period.  Subsequently, changes have been frequent, and ex-members have formed new groups also called The Platters, which led to various legal challenges.  Such legal activity continued right up to 2014, even though most of the original members had died by then.  The current line up has no original members.
# The song was written in 1944 by members of the group The Three Suns who recorded it first.  Buck Ram, the lyricist, wrote more hits for The Platters and other acts.

50

Title: Witch Doctor 
Artist: Don Lang & His Frantic Five
Writer(s): Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (David Seville)
Entered chart 23 May 1958; Highest Position: 5; Weeks on chart: 11.

Don Lang (19 Jan 1925 - 3 Aug 1992) was born in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.  He was a singer and big band trombone player who found solo fame after he was asked to record the theme song to a BBC TV music show called "Six-Five Special", and to form the resident band on the show.  The show ran weekly from Feb 1957 to Dec 1958.  In 1958 Lang issued this cover of the American "chipmunk" song "Witch Doctor".  This was his only Top 10 hit.  In the 1960s he played with different bands and was also a session trombonist, and as such performed on the Beatles' so called White Album.  He continued through the 1980s with his own band, and with appearances in other big bands.  He died from cancer at age 67.
# The song had been written and recorded by American Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. under the pseudonym of David Seville and featuring The Chipmunks.  The song  included speeded up sections which were the "chipmunks".  Don Lang's version included this feature, but without reference to any small rodents.  The Seville original reached number 11 in the UK charts.
# In 1999, Danish band The Cartoons recorded the song, and they climbed as high as number two in the UK charts with their version. 

51

Title: All I Have To Do Is Dream 
Artist: Everly Brothers
Writer(s): Felice and Boudleaux Bryant
Entered chart 23 May 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 21.

The Everly's follow up to "Wake Up Little Susie" was this hit from the same song writers.  It is regarded as one of the all-time great Rock 'n' Roll love songs, and is frequently heard on oldies radio stations.
# Felice and Boudleaux Bryant wrote a large number of songs for the Everly Brothers, many of them major hits.  They also wrote for many other artists.  In a career from 1948 to their deaths (Boudleaux in 1987; Felice in 2003) they wrote over 1,500 recorded songs, and won numerous awards.
# Two other versions of the song have been in the UK charts.  They are by Bobby Gentry & Glen Campbell (1969, number 3), and Cliff Richard & Phil Everly (1994, number 14)

52

Title: Claudette 
Artist: Everly Brothers
Writer(s): Roy Orbison
Entered chart 23 May 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 21.

This song was a double A-side with song 51 above.
# Written by 1960s recording star, Roy Orbison, he said it was a tribute to his wife, who was indeed called Claudette.  Orbison was largely unknown at this time, but was recording at the famous Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, and he recorded this song there a couple of months before the Everly Brothers recorded their version.  Orbison's first UK hit, "Only The Lonely", came in summer 1960.

53

Title: Johnny B Goode 
Artist: Chuck Berry
Writer(s): Chuck Berry
Entered chart 26 May 1958; Highest Position: 8 (US chart data - not released in the UK).

Another Rock 'n' Roll classic from Chuck Berry, but it was never released as a single in the UK, so never entered any British charts.  It reached number 8 on the USA pop charts.  It is ranked at Number 7 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
# In 1977, NASA put a copy of this song on the Voyager space probe as part of a package that was meant to represent the best in American culture, and which might be found by extra-Terrestrial life forms.
# Three cover versions of the song have hit the UK charts from 1972 onwards: Jimi Hendrix (1972, number 35); Peter Tosh (1983, number 48); and Judas Priest (1988, number 64).

54

Title: Crazy Love 
Artist: Paul Anka
Writer(s): Paul Anka
Entered chart 30 May 1958; Highest Position: 26; Weeks on chart: 1.

This follow-up to his previous Top 10 hit was disappointing in failing to reach even the Top 20.  The next release, "Midnight" would fare no better.  1959 would, however, see him with three Top 10 hits.

55

Title: Book Of Love 
Artist: Mudlarks
Writer(s): Warren Davis, George Malone & Charles Patrick
Entered chart 6 June 1958; Highest Position: 8; Weeks on chart: 9.

This was the Mudlarks' second of three hits in the UK singles charts.  At the end of 1958, the Mudlarks were voted top British vocal group by readers of the New Musical Express.  Jeff Mudd then left the group, having been called to do National Service.  He was replaced by David Lane (born David Burgess, 1938–2010).  Mary Mudd married David Lane in 1962.
# The song was written by three members of the American group The Monotones who recorded the song first, taking it to number 5 on the USA charts.

56

Title: Big Man 
Artist: Four Preps
Writer(s): Bruce Belland & Glen Larson (band members)
Entered chart 13 June 1958; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 14.

They were four Californian students who were seen by a record executive when they entered a talent contest in 1956.  Their records were soon in the USA charts, and three singles made it to the UK charts.  They broke up in the 1960s, but Belland and Larson continued song writing, and both eventually became TV producers.  However, three of the group (including Belland) have reformed and are performing nostalgia concerts.

57

Title: A Very Precious Love 
Artist: Doris Day
Writer(s): Sammy Fain & Paul Francis Webster
Entered chart 13 Jun 1958; Highest Position: 16; Weeks on chart: 11.

This recording gave Doris her first UK hit for two years, when her Number One "What Ever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" charted in June 1956.  This song was from the film "Marjorie Morningstar", which starred Natalie Wood and Gene Kelly.  Despite Doris Day being a major film star at the time, she was not in this movie.  Gene Kelly sang the song in the film, and several acts recorded it.  Her next hit came in August (song 75).

58

Title: Return To Me 
Artist: Dean Martin
Writer(s): Carmen Lombardo & Daniel Di Minno
Entered chart 13 Jun 1958; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 22.

Dean Martin (7 Jun 1917 - 25 Dec 1995) was born in Ohio, USA into an Italian immigrant family.  In his late teens he began singing with local dance bands.  It was in the early 1940s that he changed his name to Dean Martin, then after world war two he teamed up with comedian Jerry Lewis, and they performed as a singing-comedy duo.  His recording career began in 1948, and his first chart entry in the UK came in 1953, followed by a succession of hits during the 1950s.  In 1965, Martin launched the weekly Dean Martin Show on American TV, which ran until 1974.  By this time he was a major international star with numerous films under his belt as well.  He became part of the so-called 'rat pack' along with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.  The three frequently performed together in Las Vegas and they starred in the movie "Ocean's 11" in 1960.  He continued performing in cabaret until the end of the 1980s, and died from lung cancer in 1995 at the age of 78.

59

Title: Purple People Eater 
Artist: Sheb Wooley
Writer(s): Sheb Wooley
Entered chart 20 June 1958; Highest Position: 12; Weeks on chart: 8.

Sheb Wooley (10 Apr 1921 - 16 Sep 2003) was born in Oklahoma, USA.  Raised on a farm in Oklahoma, he became a cowboy and rodeo rider, and he sang with local Country Music bands.  In the late 1940s he became a professional Country singer, and began acting.  He appeared in dozens of Western films in the 1950s to 1970s, including the TV Western series "Rawhide".  This novelty song was just the start - he scored a large number of hits in the US Country Music charts, mainly in the 1960s.  This was his only hit in the UK.

60

Title: Rave On 
Artist: Buddy Holly
Writer(s): Sonny West, Bill Tilghman & Norman Petty
Entered chart 20 Jun 1958; Highest Position: 5; Weeks on chart: 14.

Another hit credited to Buddy Holly rather than The Crickets.  1958 saw six hits for Buddy Holly/The Crickets, often released quite close together, and Holly sang on all of them.

61

Title: Sugar Moon 
Artist: Pat Boone
Writer(s): Danny Wolfe
Entered chart 27 Jun 1958; Highest Position: 6; Weeks on chart: 12.

This was Boone's tenth Top 10 hit in the UK, but he would not have another until December 1961.  There were, however, eight lesser hits during that gap.  He remained popular throughout that time and had movies out in 1958 and 1959.

62

Title: Sick and Tired 
Artist: Fats Domino
Writer(s): Dave Bartholomew, Christopher Kenner, Fats Domino
Entered chart 4 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 26; Weeks on chart: 1.

Fats Domino (26 Feb 1928 - 24 Oct 2017) was born in New Orleans, USA.  His father and uncle were musicians and Domino learned to play piano at a young age.  He was seen by a band leader who invited Domino to join the band, and a recording contract followed in 1950.  Fats Domino (given the nickname Fats after Fats Waller) soon had a number of hits in the US R&B chart.  His records started appearing on the US pop chart from about 1956, and hits continued into the mid 1960s.  He continued performing and recording until the early 1980s, when he chose to retire to New Orleans.  His house was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 when he was 77, following which he performed at a few benefit concerts to raise money for rebuilding the parts of New Orleans that were devastated by the hurricane.  He died of natural causes at age 89.

63

Title: Beep Beep
Artist: The Playmates
Writer(s): Carl Cicchetti & Donald Claps (band members)
Entered chart 9 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 4; (US chart data - not a hit in the UK).

The Playmates were a trio from Connecticut, USA.  They played at University, and after graduation began touring the USA and Canada, playing in small venues.  Signed to Roulette Records in 1958, they had a couple of Top 40 singles before having a Top 5 hit in the USA with the novelty record "Beep, Beep".  It describes an apparent road race between the drivers of a Cadillac and a Nash Rambler.  In the UK, because of a directive by the BBC that song lyrics must not include brand names, a new version of "Beep Beep" was recorded, replacing the brand names with the generic terms limousine and bubble car.  Despite the re-recording and popular radio play, the record failed to enter the charts in the UK.

64

Title: Sally Don't You Grieve 
Artist: Lonnie Donegan
Writer(s): Woody Guthrie & Malvina Reynolds
Entered chart 11 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 11; Weeks on chart: 7.

Lonnie picked another Woody Guthrie song (see song 35 in this list) for his follow-up.  Although Guthrie's original lyric was about the second world war, non-topical lyrics had been provided by Malvina Reynolds, a USA folk song writer.

65

Title: Endless Sleep 
Artist: Marty Wilde
Writer(s): Jody Reynolds
Entered chart 11 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 4; Weeks on chart: 14.

Marty Wilde was born on 15 Apr 1939 in south London, England.  Whilst performing live in 1957 he was spotted and signed up to Philips records.  In 1958 he began appearing alongside Cliff Richard on the TV pop show "Oh Boy!", and charted with this, his first hit.  More chart entries followed during the next couple of years, nearly all covers of American hits.  The hits dried up in the early 1960s, but he continued to perform on the oldies and nostalgia circuits into the 21st century, most recently in 2017.
# The song was written by American Rock 'n' Roll performer Jody Reynolds, whose recording sold over a million copies in the USA.  Reynolds' version finally made a brief appearance in the UK charts when it was re-released in 1979.

66

Title: The Only Man On The Island 
Artist: Tommy Steele
Writer(s): Bob Merrill & Dave Mann
Entered chart 18 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 16; Weeks on chart: 8.

This was Steele's eleventh hit in the UK, and is a cover of an American hit.  The original was recorded by Vic Damone, and his version was also a hit in the UK, reaching number 24 in August 1958.
# 1958 was the year that Steele's film "The Duke Wore Jeans" was released.  The soundtrack album was also released, and the recording went to Number One in the album chart.

67

Title: I Know Where I'm Goin'
Artist: George Hamilton IV
Writer(s): Starr, Wolf
Entered chart 18 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 23; Weeks on chart: 4.

George Hamilton IV (19 Jul 1937 - 17 Sep 2014) was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.  He began performing as a teenager, and rose to be a major Country Music singer, with huge record sales and numerous entries on the American Country Music charts.  Country Music has never been big in the UK, and only two of Hamilton's singles charted there.  He continued to perform right up to his death from a heart attack at the age of 77.
# The song was revived in 1962 by British group The Countrymen, who reached number 45 with it in the UK charts.

68

Title: When 
Artist: Kalin Twins
Writer(s): Jack Reardon & Paul Evans
Entered chart 18 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 18.

The Kalin Twins were Hal (16 Feb 1934 - 24 Aug 2005) and Herbie (16 Feb 1934 - 21 Jul 2006) Kalin.  They were born in Port Jervis, New York, USA.  They had a couple of early records issued which failed to reach the charts, but in 1958, when 24 years old, they recorded this hit which reached number 5 in the USA but went to Number One in the UK where it stayed for five weeks.  Subsequent releases fared poorly in the USA, and failed completely in the UK.  They eventually gave up performing, but came back for special live concerts in 1977 and 1989.  This hit single is now regarded as a Rock 'n' Roll classic, frequently appearing on 1950s compilation CDs.
# In 1977 the song was recorded by British band Showaddywaddy, whose version reached number three in the UK charts that year.

69

Title: Patricia 
Artist: Perez Prado
Writer(s): Perez Prado
Entered chart 25 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 8; Weeks on chart: 16.

Perez Prado (11 Dec 1916 - 14 Sep 1989) was born on the island of Cuba.  He became a professional musician in Cuba, then moved to Mexico in 1949 to form a band and to record for RCA.  He specialised in playing Mambos and other Latin-style dance music.  His records became very popular and he toured the USA during the 1950s and 1960s.  From the 1970s he lived in Mexico, but continued to record and tour for the Central American and South American markets.

70

Title: Hard Headed Woman 
Artist: Elvis Presley
Writer(s): Claude Demetrius
Entered chart 25 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 2; Weeks on chart: 11.

Another major hit from the King of Rock 'n' Roll.  This recording was part of the soundtrack for his 1958 film "King Creole", and was on the soundtrack album.  This was recorded at Hollywood, California, USA, rather than Nashville, USA, where his studio albums were recorded.

71

Title: Think It Over 
Artist: The Crickets
Writer(s): Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison & Norman Petty
Entered chart 25 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 11; Weeks on chart: 7.

Another chart hit for The Crickets with Buddy Holly as lead vocalist.  This was the last hit issued by The Crickets which featured Buddy Holly.

72

Title: Trudie 
Artist: Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson
Writer(s): Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson
Entered chart 25 Jul 1958; Highest Position: 14; Weeks on chart: 14.

Joe Henderson (2 May 1920 - 4 May 1980) was born in Glasgow, Scotland.  He was taught piano by his mother, and by his teens he was a professional in local dance bands.  He was on the same record label as Petula Clark in the early 1950s, and they made a few records together.  He worked through the 1960s and 1970s, but died suddenly in 1980, aged 60.  The instrumental track "Trudie" was his biggest hit, which although only reaching 14 in the record charts, was Number One on the sheet music chart, becoming the best-selling sheet music of 1958.

73

Title: Splish Splash 
Artist: Bobby Darin
Writer(s): Bobby Darin & Murray Kaufman
Entered chart 1 Aug 1958; Highest Position: 18; Weeks on chart: 7.

Bobby Darin (14 May 1936 - 20 Dec 1973) was born in New York City, USA.  Darin began writing songs in 1955, and wrote a few numbers for Connie Francis.  He also began arranging music for artists on Atlantic Records, with whom Darin had been signed.  This song was his first hit, which started a career that lasted through the 1960s, although he would change musical direction a few times.  He made a number of successful recordings for a couple of years from 1959, featuring old songs with a big band backing.  In 1962 he joined Capitol Records to replace Frank Sinatra who had left to form his own record label.  This resulted in a few albums from Darin of standards and new ballads in a pseudo-Sinatra style.  However, in 1966 he returned to mainstream pop.  He had had a weak heart for most of his life, and he died following heart surgery at the age of 37.
# In the UK, the song was covered by singer and comic actor, Charlie Drake.  Drake actually did better with his version by reaching number 7 in the charts.

74

Title: Yakety Yak 
Artist: The Coasters
Writer(s): Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Entered chart 15 Aug 1958; Highest Position: 12; Weeks on chart: 8.

The Coasters were formed in October 1955 as a spin-off of the Robins, a Los Angeles-based rhythm and blues group.  The Coasters had a string of American hits from the late 1950s to the early 1960s  - often with humourous overtones.   Their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and production team of Leiber and Stoller.  The hits dried up after 1961, but various configurations of the many former band members toured as The Coasters in the USA for several decades.
# The group had issued another Leiber & Stoller song in 1958 called "Sorry But I'm Gonna Have To Pass".  That was not a hit in the UK at the time, but it was reissued in April 1994 and finally reached the UK charts, peaking at number 41.

75

Title: Everybody Loves A Lover 
Artist: Doris Day
Writer(s): Richard Adler & Robert Allen
Entered chart 15 Aug 1958; Highest Position: 25; Weeks on chart: 4.

This record turned out to be Doris Day's last UK hit of the 1950s.  Her next and final hit recording would come in 1964 ("Move Over Darling").  For notes about Doris Day, see song 39 in this list.  

76

Title: Fever
Artist: Peggy Lee
Writer(s): Otis Blackwell & Eddie Cooley
Entered chart 15 Aug 1958; Highest Position: 5; Weeks on chart: 11.

Peggy Lee (26 May 1920 - 22 Jan 2002) was born in Jamestown, North Dakota, USA.  Her break came when she was discovered by bandleader Benny Goodman.  Lee was a Blues-influenced Jazz singer and also a songwriter, with such hits as the songs from Disney's "Lady and the Tramp", in which she also sang and voiced a few characters.  She began recording in 1946, and a number of hits quickly followed.  With radio, TV and hit albums, she soon became an international star, and continued as such for five decades.  Ill health in the late 1990s forced her to retire and she died, aged 81, in Los Angeles in 2002.
# The song has been in the UK charts for other acts since 1958.  They are by Helen Shapiro (1964, number 38), The McCoys (1965, number 44), and Madonna (1993, number 6).

77

Title: Poor Little Fool 
Artist: Ricky Nelson
Writer(s): Sharon Sheeley (Became Eddie Cochran's fiancée)
Entered chart 22 Aug 1958; Highest Position: 4; Weeks on chart: 14.

This release from Nelson fared much better in the UK than his previous record (song 27 in this list).  In the USA it went all the way to Number One.  This hit established Nelson as a major star, and plenty more hits followed in the USA, but not so many in the UK.

78

Title: Stupid Cupid 
Artist: Connie Francis
Writer(s): Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield
Entered chart 22 Aug 1958; Highest Position: 1; Weeks on chart: 19.

This was Connie's second and last Number One hit in the UK, although several Top 10 hits would follow.  It was a double A-side with song 79 below.  
# The song was co-written by Neil Sedaka, who had a very successful career as a singer in the early 1960s.