Uncovering the Next Generation's Hall of Fame
| ⇦ 1950s | 1960s ⇨ |
The Defining Artists of the 1950s
The following artists released some of the best music of the 1950s. Hall of Famers are highlighted in orange.
Nat "King" Cole Dave Brubeck The Dominoes Johnny Cash The Four Freshmen Howlin' Wolf Little Willie John Sarah Vaughan Lightnin' Hopkins Bobby Darin Screamin' Jay Hawkins Harry Belafonte Nina Simone Duane Eddy Link Wray Ella Fitzgerald Buddy Holly Dinah Washington John Coltrane The Moonglows Big Joe Turner Ruth Brown Ray Charles The Everly Brothers The Platters The Clovers Ritchie Valens Clyde McPhatter Elvis Presley Bill Haley Gene Vincent Duke Ellington The Coasters The Coasters Little Walter Jimmy Reed Little Richard Connie Francis T-Bone Walker The Drifters Wanda Jackson Les Paul Bo Diddley Jerry Lee Lewis Thelonious Monk Eddie Cochran Chuck Willis Ricky Nelson The Flamingos Johnny Burnette and the Rock N Roll Trio Odetta Ravi Shankar Lloyd Price Muddy Waters B. B. King Bing Crosby Jackie Wilson Dion Hank Williams The "5" Royales Brenda Lee Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers Hank Ballard LaVern Baker Johnny Ace Charlie Parker Charles Mingus Billie Holiday Frank Sinatra The Weavers Miles Davis Cliff Richard & the Shadows Carl Perkins Sonny Rollins The Kingston Trio Fats Domino Chuck Berry Count Basie
Of the 78 artists listed above, 64% have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
| ⇦ 1950s | 1960s ⇨ |
The Defining Albums of the 1950s
Miles Davis - Porgy and Bess (1951)
Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours (1955)
Dinah Washington - In the Land of Hi-Fi (1955)
Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley (1956)
Buddy Holly & The Crickets - The "Chirping" Crickets (1957)
Harry Belafonte - Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean (1957)
Little Richard - Here's Little Richard (1957)
Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin (1958)
Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (1959)
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz To Come (1959)
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)
Ray Charles - The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)
Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' in the Moonlight (1959)
| ⇦ 1950s | 1960s ⇨ |
The Defining Songs of the 1950s
Les Paul & Mary Ford - Tennessee Waltz (1950)
Professor Longhair - Tipitina (1950)
Muddy Waters - Rollin' Stone (1950)
Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88 (1951)
B. B. King - Three O'Clock Blues (1951)
Elmore James - Dust My Broom (1951)
The Dominoes - Sixty Minute Man (1951)
Les Paul & Mary Ford - How High The Moon (1951)
Hank Williams - Cold, Cold Heart (1951)
Johnnie Ray - Cry (1951)
Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog (1952)
Lloyd Price - Lawdy Miss Clawdy (1952)
Little Walter - Juke (1952)
Guitar Slim - The Things That I Used to Do (1953)
The Drifters - Money Honey (1953)
Elvis Presley - Mystery Train (1953)
The Crows - Gee (1953)
The Orioles - Crying in the Chapel (1953)
Bill Haley & His Comets - (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock (1954)
The Chords - Sh-Boom (1954)
Elvis Presley - That's All Right (1954)
The Moonglows - Sincerely (1954)
Ruth Brown - Oh What a Dream (1954)
Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line (1954)
Big Joe Turner - Shake, Rattle And Roll (1954)
Muddy Waters - Hoochie Coochie Man (1954)
The Platters - The Great Pretender (1955)
Chuck Berry - Maybellene (1955)
Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy (1955)
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (1955)
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Fats Domino - Ain't That a Shame (1955)
Little Richard - Tutti Frutti (1955)
Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line (1956)
Little Richard - Long Tall Sally (1956)
Bill Doggett - Honky Tonk (1956)
Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell on You (1956)
Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightning (1956)
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers - Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1956)
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers - I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent (1956)
The Del-Vikings - Come Go With Me (1956)
Elvis Presley - Love Me Tender (1956)
Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Lavern Baker - Jim Dandy (1956)
The Dells - Oh, What a Night (1956)
The Five Satins - In The Still Of The Nite (1956)
Little Willie John - Fever (1956)
Chuck Berry - Brown Eyed Handsome Man (1956)
Dale Hawkins - Susie Q (1956)
Fats Domino - Blueberry Hill (1956)
Johnny Burnette & The Rock 'n' Roll Trio - Train Kept A-Rollin' (1956)
Elvis Presley - Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
Carl Perkins - Matchbox (1956)
James Brown & The Famous Flames - Please, Please, Please (1956)
Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby (1956)
Chuck Berry - Roll Over Beethoven (1956)
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (1957)
Fats Domino - I'm Walkin' (1957)
Danny & The Juniors - At The Hop (1957)
The Coasters - Young Blood (1957)
Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue (1957)
The Everly Brothers - Bye Bye Love (1957)
The Everly Brothers - Wake Up Little Susie (1957)
Bobby Darin - Splish Splash (1957)
The "5" Royales - Think (1957)
Sam Cooke - You Send Me (1957)
Buddy Knox - Party Doll (1957)
Buddy Holly & The Crickets - That'll Be the Day (1957)
Patsy Cline - Walkin' After Midnight (1957)
Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Working (1957)
The Chantels - Maybe (1957)
Chuck Willis - C.C. Rider (1957)
Amos Milburn - Let's Have A Party (1957)
Jackie Wilson - Lonely Teardrops (1958)
The Big Bopper - Chantilly Lace (1958)
The Champs - Tequila (1958)
Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode (1958)
The Everly Brothers - All I Have To Do Is Dream (1958)
Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues (1958)
Ritchie Valens - La Bamba (1958)
Cliff Richard And The Drifters - Move It (1958)
Johnny Otis - Willie and the Hand Jive (1958)
Link Wray - Rumble (1958)
The Coasters - Yakety Yak (1958)
Eddie Cochran - C'mon Everybody (1958)
Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife (1958)
Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly (1958)
The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You (1959)
Miles Davis - So What (1959)
Roy Orbison - Only The Lonely (1959)
Wilbert Harrison - Kansas City (1959)
Bo Diddley - Say Man (1959)
The Clovers - Love Potion No. 9 (1959)
Barrett Strong - Money (That's What I Want) (1959)
Duane Eddy - Peter Gunn (1959)
The Drifters - There Goes My Baby (1959)
Dion & the Belmonts - A Teenager in Love (1959)
| ⇦ 1950s | 1960s ⇨ |