The 50s - my Top 5 Albums

The 1950s saw the rise of Rock N' Roll and Rockabilly.

Carl Perkins was especially important in the creation of rock music and his style is often referred to as "Rockabilly" because it sounds like a combination of country and R&B music with rock influences. Some other artists that were popular in the rockabilly genre were Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent.

Throughout the 50s so many successful songs and albums were released and are still talked about today: so here are my top 5 albums of the 50s.

1. Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly (1958)

At twenty one years old, Buddy Holly released his second album titled Buddy Holly and quickly rose to fame with hits like Peggy Sue, Everyday and That'll Be The Day. Born Charles Hardin Holley, he was born in Texas to a musical family during The Great Depression and learned to sing and play guitar along with his siblings. He was a later influence for musicians like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elton john and many more. Sadly at just twenty two years old, Holly died in a plane crash along with two other musicians J.P Richardson and Ritchie Valens - also known as the day the music died.

2. Chuck Berry - Chuck Berry Is On Top (1959)

Nicknamed 'the father of rock and roll' Charles Edward Anderson Berry was a major influence on subsequent rock music. Released in 1959, Chuck Berry Is On Top was the third album released by Berry and with the exception of the song Blues For Hawaiians, all songs had previously been released as singles. The album contains hits like Johny B. Goode and Roll Over Beethoven - later covered by The Beatles.

3. Dion and The Belmonts - Presenting Dion and The Belmonts (1959)

Dion and The Belmonts are one of my all time favourite bands and always will be. With tracks from their album like I Wonder Why, A Teenager In Love and Where Or When, it's impossible not to like it! The band then went on to release a second album in 1960 called Wish Upon A Star, before Dion released his first solo album in February 1961. He soon released hits like Havin' Fun, Lonely Teenager, Little Miss Blue, plus so many more. For many years Dion continued creating music, and still to this day does occasional livestreams online performing his songs.

4. Bobby Darin - That's All (1959)

At 28 years old, Bobby Darin released his second album That's All after the success of his first album, titled Bobby Darin. Including the hits Mack The Knife and Beyond The Sea, the album remained in the Billboard LP charts for an entire year and peaked at number seven. Darin even then went on to win Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best New Singer. He went on to release several more albums and even starred in films, such as Too Late Blues, State Fair, Hell Is For Heroes, plus many more. Sadly in 1973, Darin passed due to heart failure. His legacy and incredible music will forever live on.

5. Ricky Nelson - Ricky (1957)

Ricky is the debut album by American musician Ricky Nelson. Containing the likes of Be-Bop Baby, Honeycomb and Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, the album quickly reached the number one spot in the Billboard chart for Top Selling LP's. Just like Bobby Darin, Nelson also had an acting career along side being a musician. He starred in films such as Rio Bravo, Malibu U and Here Comes The Nelsons, as well as the TV show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet which began in 1952 and lasted 14 seasons before ending in 1966. Nelson continued making music for several years, but sadly died on December 31st 1985 due to a crash landing of his band's aircraft, only leaving both pilots alive.

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Some more albums I love:

• Elvis Presley - Elvis' Golden Records (1959)

• Eddie Cochran - Singin' To My Baby (1957)

• The Platters - The Platters (1956)

• Chuck Berry - One Dozen Berry's (1957)

• Lloyd Price - The Exciting Lloyd Price (1959)

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