The Rock Era begins with “Rock Around the Clock” hitting #1 on the Pop charts and upstart labels scoring with “whitewashed” covers of R&B hits. TV passes two-thirds of households and Disney sparks a mass-cultural hysteria with Davy Crockett. Meanwhile, grownups are gearing up at hi-fi shops, buying Easy Listening records and dancing to Mambo, fresh-faced collegiate-styled Male Vocal quartets are all the rage, and Sinatra is back, baby!

#1 Song of the Year   The top song according to our Chartcrush ranking of all songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year

Artists of the Year   The top three artists based on all charted songs that spent most of their chart runs in the year

1. The Four Aces
2. The McGuire Sisters
3. Al Hibbler

Artist with Most Charting Songs   Artist(s) with the most charting songs during the year (song count in parentheses)

• TIE: The McGuire Sisters/Bill Haley & His Comets (7)

Average #1 Artist Age   The average of how old artists who scored #1 hits during the year were when their songs first reached #1

• 32.9

#1 Songs   List of #1 songs that earned the majority of their chart ranking points in the year, and (in parentheses), the month the song first hit #1 and the total number of weeks it was #1

1. The Chordettes – Mr. Sandman (December ’54, 5 wks)
2. Joan Weber – Let Me Go, Lover! (January, 4 wks)
3. The Fontane Sisters – Hearts of Stone (February, 1 wk)
4. The McGuire Sisters – Sincerely (February, 8 wks)
5. Bill Hayes – The Ballad of Davy Crockett (April, 4 wks)
6. Perez “Prez” Prado & His Orchestra, trumpet Billy Regis – Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White (May, 9 wks)
7. Bill Haley & His Comets – (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock (July, 8 wks)
8. Mitch Miller Orchestra & Chorus – The Yellow Rose of Texas (September, 7 wks)
9. Four Aces feat. Al Alberts – Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (October, 6 wks)
10. “Tennessee” Ernie Ford – Sixteen Tons (December, 6 wks)