Rock Around the Clock

Remember how the DJs would spend New Year’s Eve counting down the previous year’s hits, counting them down to midnight? Join Russ Gifford as he recreates that vibe for you with a countdown of the first five years of rock and roll, as seen in 1959.

Spend two hours reliving the early years of Rock n' Roll - just as we did then - listening to the radio late into the night. We’ll remember the people, the stories, and most importantly, the sounds of the fabulous Fifties.

With all the hits and perhaps a few misses, we'll trace the rise of rock in a blazing trail for radio waves bouncing off the ionosphere. The Russians might think Sputnik was high, but Daddy-o was nowhere compared to the blast-off powered by Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly. They were already in orbit by the time the Russkies got there. And when Aaron Elvis Presley joined Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis in the Sun Studios, they were out of this world.

Return with me to when all the greats were dropping new songs on our radio every week, and we’d follow them racing up the chart on the radio - and that new TV show, American Bandstand. Relive the years when Chuck’s searing guitar licks were totally new, when Jerry Lee’s pounding beat was mesmerizing and strange - and when Elvis’ stage moves drove girls wild.

Along the way, we will hear from Little Richard, Don & Phil Everly, Ricky Nelson, and as many others as we can cram into two hours. Plus, we'll survey the hot gal groups and doo-wop dreamers. Join Russ Gifford as he counts down the hits of the 1950s.