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1956:

"Although it's always crowded, you still can find some room, for broken hearted lovers to cry away their gloom." -- "Heartbreak Hotel" by Tommy Durden and Mae Borran Axton and Elvis Presley
In 1956, I was nine years old and in third grade. My main musical experience had been 78 rpm records. My sister had received a collection of 78's circa 1952 and I liked to play those records -- Frankie Lane was one of my favorites. I can remember learning the words to "Strange Lady in Town" and "Cool Water" and singing these hip tunes acapella to my combined 2nd/3rd grade class. (It wasn't until my 4th grade year that I'd learn I really couldn't carry a tune.) I don't know if I actually saw Elvis perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. I know my family regularly watched the show. We were also avid viewers of "Your Hit Parade." I do know that in the spring of '56, one of my "performances" to my classmates was "Heartbreak Hotel." So I, like everybody else was very aware of Elvis Presley. About the only "modern" record I owned was a 78 rpm version of "The Ballad of Davey Crockett" from 1955 (the Fess Parker version) -- very appropriate for a nine year old.