This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1957.
Specific locations 1957 in British music 1957 in Norwegian music
Specific genres 1957 in country music 1957 in jazz
Events January 5 – Renato Carosone and his band start their American tour in Cuba. January 6 – Elvis Presley makes his final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. January 16 – The Cavern Club opens in Liverpool, England, as a jazz club. February 8 – Bo Diddley records his songs "Hey! Bo Diddley" and "Mona (I Need You Baby)". February 16 – BBC Television in the UK begins presenting the Saturday-night show Six-Five Special which pioneers the presentation of rock and roll on television. March – Chicago's Cardinal Stritch bans all rock and roll and rhythm and blues music from Catholic-run schools, saying that "its rhythms encourage young people to behave in a hedonistic manner." March 1 – The Everly Brothers record in Nashville their first single "Bye Bye Love" for Cadence Records. March 3 – The second annual Eurovision Song Contest is staged in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. The contest is won by Dutch singer Corry Brokken with the song Net als toen. March 19 – Elvis Presley purchases a mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, and calls it Graceland. March 26 – Ricky Nelson records his first three songs. March 27 – "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" from 1956's Alfred Hitchcock suspense film The Man Who Knew Too Much wins the Academy Award for Best Song. Sung by Doris Day in the film, it proves to be one of her biggest hit records as well. May 14 – In Paris, Heitor Villa-Lobos records his Bachiana Brasileira No. 4, with the Orchestre Nationale de la Radiodiffusion Française, for EMI. Through May 21 the recording sessions continue with Bachiana Brasileira No. 7 and Bachiana Brasileira No. 3 with Manoel Braune, piano. May 26 – Paul Robeson, blacklisted at this time from travelling outside the United States, performs a concert from New York City via the new transatlantic telephone line to an audience in St Pancras Town Hall in London; on October 5 he uses the same means to address the Miners' Eisteddfod at the Grand Pavilion, Porthcawl in Wales. June 20 – Tōru Takemitsu's Requiem for Strings is first performed, by the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. July 6 – John Lennon and Paul McCartney of The Beatles first meet at a garden fete at St. Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool, England, at which Lennon's skiffle group, The Quarrymen, is playing (and in the graveyard of which an Eleanor Rigby is buried). August 5 – American Bandstand begins its 30-year syndicated run on US network television. August 7 – The Quarrymen first play at The Cavern Club in Liverpool in an interlude spot between jazz bands; when John Lennon starts the group playing Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel", the club's owner at this time hands him a note reading "Cut out the bloody rock 'n roll". Paul McCartney is away from Liverpool at this time at a Boy Scout camp and a family holiday. September 19 – Dalida is the first artist to be awarded a gold record in France for 300,000 sales of "Bambino". This year, she is also the first female recording artist to have her own fan club. September 20 – Jean Sibelius dies aged 91 at Ainola, his home in Finland, having completed no significant compositions for thirty years; at the time of his death, a performance of his Symphony No. 5 is being given in Helsinki under the baton of Sir Malcolm Sargent. September 26 – Broadway première of the musical West Side Story at the Winter Garden Theatre (following tryouts in Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia beginning in August) with music by Leonard Bernstein (who a week later is appointed music director of the New York Philharmonic orchestra) and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, his Broadway debut. This year also Bernstein conducts the inaugural concert of the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv. September 29 – Jean Sibelius lies in state overnight, following a short memorial service at which musicians from the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Radio Symphony Orchestra carry his coffin into Helsinki Cathedral while Tapani Valsta plays the organ. September 30 – The state funeral of Jean Sibelius is held at Helsinki Cathedral. MAino Sibelius and Finland's president, Urho Kekkonen, lay wreaths, and composers Uuno Klami and Einojuhani Rautavaara are among the coffin-bearers. The coffin is taken to his home at Ainola for burial. November 25–27 – The first two Hollywood motion pictures starring Pat Boone, Bernadine and April Love, are released. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel name themselves Tom and Jerry and begin their recording career, signing with Sid Prosen of Big Records. Their first single, "Hey, Schoolgirl", backed with "Dancin' Wild", hits #49 on the Billboard pop charts. Garfunkel is Tom Graph (so called because he like to write the pop charts out on graph paper) and Simon is Jerry Landis, a pseudonym he used during his early 1960s solo recordings. They tour for eighteen months before retiring to become college students and then reforming in 1963 as Simon & Garfunkel. The Casals Festival is founded in Puerto Rico. When Nat King Cole's television show is unable to get a sponsor, Frankie Laine becomes the first artist to cross TV's color line, becoming the first white artist to appear as a guest, foregoing his usual salary of $10,000. Other top performers follow suit, including Mel Tormé and Tony Bennett, but, despite an increase in ratings, the show still fails to pick up a national sponsor. Gorni Kramer makes his first appearance on Italian television, in Il Musichiere. Maria Callas is introduced to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. "Suíte do Pescador" is composed by Dorival Caymmi. Actress Debbie Reynolds earns a gold record for her song Tammy, which is the best-selling single by a female vocalist in 1957 in the United States. This song from the motion picture Tammy and the Bachelor is also nominated for an Academy Award.
Bands formed United States Navy Steel Band
Albums released
About the Blues – Julie London After Glow – Carmen McRae After Midnight – Nat King Cole After School Session – Chuck Berry Almendra – Aldemaro Romero Anita Sings the Most – Anita O'Day April in Paris – Count Basie Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section – Art Pepper At Mister Kelly's – Sarah Vaughan At the Gate of Horn – Odetta Award Winner: Stan Getz – Stan Getz Bags' Groove – Miles Davis The Beat of My Heart – Tony Bennett Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean – Harry Belafonte Bing with a Beat – Bing Crosby The Big Beat – Johnnie Ray Birth of the Cool – Miles Davis Blossom Dearie – Blossom Dearie A Blowin' Session – Johnny Griffin Blue Starr – Kay Starr Blue Train – John Coltrane Blue Trombone – J. J. Johnson Boy Meets Girl – Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae Brilliant Corners – Thelonious Monk Chet Atkins at Home – Chet Atkins The "Chirping" Crickets – Buddy Holly & The Crickets (debut) A Christmas Story – Bing Crosby Close to You – Frank Sinatra A Closer Walk with Thee – Pat Boone The Clown – Charles Mingus Coltrane – John Coltrane Cookin' – Paul Gonsalves Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet – Miles Davis Count Basie at Newport – Count Basie Criollísima – Aldemaro Romero Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature – Cachao Day by Night – Doris Day Dedicated to You – The "5" Royales Double Play! – Russ Freeman & André Previn Dream Street – Peggy Lee Drum Suite – Art Blakey Ella and Louis Again – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book – Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington Elvis' Christmas Album – Elvis Presley An Evening with Belafonte – Harry Belafonte Exotica – Martin Denny Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps – Gene Vincent Grand Ole Opry's New Star – George Jones The Great Ray Charles – Ray Charles Hard Bop – Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers The Helen Morgan Story – Gogi Grant Her Nibs – Georgia Gibbs Here's Little Richard – Little Richard Hi-Fi in Focus – Chet Atkins Hymns We Love – Pat Boone I Love John Frigo...He Swings – Johnny Frigo (debut) In Las Vegas – Johnnie Ray Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors – John Coltrane It's All Over but the Swingin' – Sammy Davis Jr. Jackie's Pal – Jackie McLean Jazz by Sun Ra – Sun Ra Jim Edward, Maxine, and Bonnie Brown – The Browns (debut) A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra – Frank Sinatra The Jones Boys – Thad Jones Julie – Julie London Just One of Those Things – Nat King Cole Jutta Hipp With Zoot Sims – Jutta Hipp Like Someone in Love – Ella Fitzgerald Losers, Weepers – Kay Starr Louis and the Angels – Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson – Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson Love Is the Thing – Nat King Cole Love Serenade – Ames Brothers Loving You () – Elvis Presley Mad Thad – Thad Jones Make Love to Me – Julie London Mal/2 – Mal Waldron The Man I Love – Peggy Lee The Many Sides of Toshiko – Toshiko Akiyoshi Mating Call – Tadd Dameron Mel Tormé's California Suite – Mel Tormé Mel Tormé at the Crescendo – Mel Tormé Miguel – Dalida Miles Ahead – Miles Davis A Midnight Session with the Jazz Messengers – Art Blakey Moanin' the Blues – Hank Williams Monk's Music – Thelonious Monk Moondreams – Dick Haymes Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Quintet for Clarinet and Strings – Benny Goodman, clarinet, Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Munch; Boston Symphony String Quartet. 12-inch LP. RCA Victor LM 2073. New Tricks – Bing Crosby Now Hear This – The Hi-Lo's Once Over Lightly – Jo Stafford One Dozen Roses – The Mills Brothers One O'Clock Jump – Count Basie Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Williams Orgy in Rhythm – Art Blakey The Pajama Game – Doris Day Pal Joey – Morris Stoloff, Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Rita Hayworth, Trudy Erwin Pat – Pat Boone Pat Boone Sings Irving Berlin – Pat Boone Patsy Cline – Patsy Cline Please, Please, Please – James Brown The Poll Winners – Barney Kessel Porgy and Bess – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong The Prestige Jazz Quartet – Teddy Charles Pretty Baby – Dean Martin Quand on n'a que l'amour – Jacques Brel Ray Charles – Ray Charles Ricky – Ricky Nelson (debut) Ring around Rosie – The Hi-Lo's Rockin' – Frankie Laine Rockin' the Oldies – Bill Haley & His Comets 'Round About Midnight – Miles Davis Sammy Swings – Sammy Davis Jr. Saxophone Colossus – Sonny Rollins Sea Shells – Peggy Lee Sing a Song of Basie – Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Sometimes I'm Happy, Sometimes I'm Blue – Jill Corey Son nom est Dalida – Dalida Songs for Any Taste – Mel Tormé Songs for Inspiration & Meditation – Jo Stafford Songs of Scotland – Jo Stafford Sophisticated Swing – Cannonball Adderley Soulville – Ben Webster The Sounds of Christmas Harmony – Ames Brothers Strange Blues – Jackie McLean (recorded, released 1967) Strictly Powell – Bud Powell Such Sweet Thunder – Duke Ellington Suddenly It's The Hi-Lo's – The Hi-Lo's Suddenly There's Gogi Grant – Gogi Grant Sweet Seventeen – Ames Brothers A Swingin' Affair! – Frank Sinatra Swingin' Easy – Sarah Vaughan Tenor Conclave – Prestige All Stars Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane – Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane There'll Always Be A Christmas – Ames Brothers Tony – Tony Bennett Tormé Meets the British – Mel Tormé Toshiko and Leon Sash at Newport – Toshiko Akiyoshi & Leon Sash Trane's Blues – John Coltrane Walkin' – Miles Davis Way Out West – Sonny Rollins We Get Letters – Perry Como The Weavers at Carnegie Hall – The Weavers West Side Story – Original Broadway Cast Where Are You? – Frank Sinatra Winner's Circle – Oscar Pettiford With His Hot and Blue Guitar – Johnny Cash (debut) Word Jazz - Ken Nordine
Biggest hit singles The following songs achieved the highest chart positions in the charts of 1957.