The Dick Clark Show is an American musical variety show

Variety show

A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...

 broadcast weekly in the United States on the ABC

American Broadcasting Company

The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 television network 7:30-8 PM (Eastern Time) on Saturdays from February 15, 1958 through September 10, 1960, sponsored (except for the first two shows) by Beechnut Gum

Beech-Nut

Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation is a baby food company that is currently owned by the Swiss branded consumer-goods firm Hero Group.- History :...

.

Summary

Given that the show ran continually year-round for over two-and-a-half years, resulting in 136 episodes, there were no seasons as such — however, the "first season" of 29 shows could be said to run from the premiere through August 30, 1958, the "second season" of 53 shows, September 6, 1958 through September 5, 1959, and the "third season" of 54 shows, September 12, 1959 through September 10, 1960.

Dick Clark, hosting throughout the entire series, introduced musical guests, who sang/performed (or, more often, lip-synced) their latest popular hit. Often, after a performance (and sometimes before), Clark interviewed the musician(s). Between performances on some shows, he also interviewed non-musical celebrity guests, usually a television or movie star — Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

, Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson

John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...

, Tony Randall

Tony Randall

Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...

, and Chuck Connors

Chuck Connors

Chuck Connors was an American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player. His best known role from his forty-year film career was Lucas McCain in the 1960s ABC hit Western series The Rifleman....

, among others.

The show was staged live, in New York City, at Manhattan's Little Theater

Helen Hayes Theatre

Helen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan....

, 240 West 44th Street (except for one set of three shows broadcast remotely from Hollywood, California, August 22, 1959 through September 5, 1959, and another set of five shows broadcast remotely from various locations across the country, June 11, 1960 through July 9, 1960). For the Manhattan broadcasts, the audience sat in theater seats, rather than standing and dancing as in Clark's concurrent pop-music show, American Bandstand

American Bandstand

American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...

— this distinction is the best method to identify whether a video recording of an artist's performance is from this show, or from American Bandstand. At the end of each show, Clark would announce the ten most popular songs from the current Top 40 in reverse order from #10 on down to #1, as the "American Bandstand Top Ten". On the first show, Clark played a brief soundclip from each top ten record as its title was announced. On each subsequent show, Clark played the soundclip only for those records which were "new" on the Top Ten that week.

First show

The first show was broadcast February 15, 1958 with no sponsor — Beechnut began sponsoring the show the third week. Guests on the first show were:

• Pat Boone
  Pat Boone
  Charles Eugene "Pat" Boone is an American singer, actor and writer who has been a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He covered black artists' songs and sold more copies than his black counterparts...
  
   (interviewed, and singing "Wonderful Time Up There", "It's Too Soon To Know
  It's Too Soon To Know
  "It’s Too Soon To Know" is an American doo-wop ballad by Deborah Chessler, performed first by The Orioles. It was number one on the American Rhythm and blues charts in November of 1948...
  
  ")
• Jerry Lee Lewis
  Jerry Lee Lewis
  Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
  
   ("Breathless", "Great Balls of Fire
  Great Balls of Fire
  "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer...
  
  ")
• Connie Francis
  Connie Francis
  Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
  
   ("Who's Sorry Now?
  Who's Sorry Now?
  "Who's Sorry Now?" is a popular song with music written by Ted Snyder and lyrics by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. It was published in 1923."Who's Sorry Now?" was featured in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca , directed by Archie Mayo and released by United Artists.The song has been...
  
  ")
• Johnny Ray
  Johnny Ray
  John Cornelius Ray is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1981 to 1990. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the California Angels of the American League...
  
   (interviewed and plugging his latest single "Strollin' Girl")
• Elaine Berman, President of a Jerry Lee Lewis Fan Club (interviewed)
• Royal Teens
  Royal Teens
  The Royal Teens were a New Jersey rock and roll band that formed in 1956, consisting of Bob Gaudio on piano, Tom Austin on drums, Billy Dalton on guitar, and Billy Crandall on saxophone. They are best known for their single "Short Shorts", which was a #3 hit in the United States in 1958. The...
  
   ("Short Shorts")
• Chuck Willis
  Chuck Willis
  Harold "Chuck" Willis was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll singer and songwriter. His biggest hits, "C. C. Rider" and "What Am I Living For" , both reached no. 1 in the Billboard R&B chart...
  
   ("Betty And Dupree")

Guests

Guests included almost every popular American singer of the 1950s. Jackie Wilson

Jackie Wilson

Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history...

 and Bobby Rydell

Bobby Rydell

Bobby Rydell is an American professional singer, mainly of rock and roll music. In the early 1960s he was considered a so-called "teen idol"...

 were the most frequent guests, each appearing on fourteen different shows. Frankie Avalon

Frankie Avalon

Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...

 and Paul Anka

Paul Anka

Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...

, each with ten appearances, were the next most frequent guests. Next was Jack Scott, on nine shows. Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin

Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...

, and Dion and the Belmonts

Dion and the Belmonts

Dion and the Belmonts was a leading American vocal group of the late 1950s. The group formed when Dion DiMucci, lead singer , joined The Belmonts - Carlo Mastrangelo, baritone , Freddie Milano, second tenor , and Angelo D'Aleo, first tenor , in late 1957.-History:After an unsuccessful first single,...

 were next with eight appearances each; Johnny Maestro (both solo and as a member of The Crests

The Crests

The Crests were a New York R&B doo-wop group of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their most popular song was "16 Candles", which rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959. It sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc. The interracial group had three black members , one Puerto...

), Annette Funicello

Annette Funicello

Annette Joanne Funicello is an American singer and actress. She was Walt Disney's most popular cast member of the original Mickey Mouse Club, and went on to appear in a series of beach party films.-Early life and early stardom:...

, The Four Preps

The Four Preps

The Four Preps are an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums...

, Freddy Cannon

Freddy Cannon

Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. , known as Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", and "Palisades Park".-Biography:...

, and Fabian

Fabian (entertainer)

Fabiano Anthony Forte , known as Fabian, is an American teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He rose to national prominence after performing several times on American Bandstand. Eleven of his songs reached the Billboard Hot 100 listing.-Early life:Fabian was the son of Josephine and Domenic...

 were next at seven times each. At six times each were Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...

, Anita Bryant

Anita Bryant

Anita Jane Bryant is an American singer, former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and gay rights opponent. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses", which reached #5...

, Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...

, Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price is an American R&B vocalist. Known as "Mr. Personality", after the name of one of his biggest million-selling hits...

, Duane Eddy

Duane Eddy

Duane Eddy is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he had a string of hit records, produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young"...

, and Jimmy Clanton

Jimmy Clanton

Jimmy Clanton is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just A Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies...

.

Excluding the names listed above, at least seventy-five other singers and musicians appeared on two or more shows. Among them, along with a sampling of the songs they sung (and when), were:

• Johnny Cash
  Johnny Cash
  John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
  
   sang:
• "Guess Things Happen That Way
  Guess Things Happen That Way
  "Guess Things Happen That Way" is a 1958 cross over single by Johnny Cash, which was written by Jack Clement. The single, a song about "a man struggling .....
  
  " on the July 5, 1958 show
• "It's Just About Time" on the December 20, 1958 show
• "The Rebel — Johnny Yuma" on the March 26, 1960 show
• Danny and the Juniors sang:
• "Rock and Roll Is Here To Stay" on the February 22, 1958 show
• "At the Hop
  At the Hop
  "At the Hop" is a hit rock 'n' roll song written by Arthur Singer, John Medora and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors. The song was released in the fall of 1957, and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, thus becoming one of the top-selling singles of 1958...
  
  " and "Dottie" on the June 21, 1958 show
• "Twistin' U.S.A." on the September 3, 1960 show
• Clyde McPhatter
  Clyde McPhatter
  Clyde McPhatter was an American R&B singer, perhaps the most widely imitated R&B singer of the 1950s and 1960s, making him a key figure in the shaping of doo-wop and R&B. He is best known for his solo hit "A Lover's Question"...
  
   sang:
• "A Lover's Question
  A Lover's Question
  "A Lover's Question" is a 1958 pop/R&B hit for Clyde McPhatter. The single was written by Brook Benton and Jimmy T. Williams and was Clyde McPhatter's most successful pop and R&B release. "A Lover's Question" made it to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was #1 for one week on the R&B chart...
  
  " on the November 15, 1958 show
• "Since You Been Gone" on the July 4, 1959 show
• Bill Haley and the Comets sang "Rock Around the Clock
  Rock Around the Clock
  "Rock Around the Clock" is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954...
  
  ", "Shake, Rattle, and Roll", and "Tamami" on the February 20, 1960 show
• Little Anthony & the Imperials
  Little Anthony & The Imperials
  Little Anthony and the Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott...
  
   sang
• "Tears on My Pillow
  Tears on My Pillow
  "Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their original recording of the song became a Billboard Top 10 Pop...
  
  " on the August 23, 1958 show
• "So Much" on the November 29, 1958 show
• "Shimmy, Shimmy Ko-Ko Bop" on the January 2, 1960 show
• Billy Bland
  Billy Bland
  Billy Bland is an American R&B singer and songwriter.-Life and career:Bland first sang professionally in the 1940s in New York, and sang with a group called The Four Bees in the 1950s on New Orleans's Imperial Records...
  
   sang
• "Let the Little Girl Dance" on the April 23, 1960 show
• "Pardon Me" on the August 6, 1960 show
• The Chordettes
  The Chordettes
  The Chordettes were a female popular singing quartet, usually singing a cappella, and specializing in traditional popular music. The Chordettes were one of the longest lived vocal groups with beginnings in the mainstream pop and vocal harmonies of the 1940s and early 1950s...
  
   sang:
• "Lollipop" and "Mr. Sandman
  Mr. Sandman
  "Mr. Sandman" is a popular song written by Pat Ballard which was published in 1954 and first recorded in that year by The Chordettes. The song's lyrics convey a request to "Mr...
  
  " on the February 22, 1958 show
• "Lollipop" and "Zorro" on the April 26, 1958 show
• "No Other Arms, No Other Lips" on the March 28, 1959 show
• Everly Brothers sang:
• "All I Have to Do Is Dream
  All I Have to Do Is Dream
  "All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a popular song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by the husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No...
  
  " and "Wake Up Little Susie
  Wake Up Little Susie
  "Wake Up Little Susie" is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957.The song is best known in a recording by The Everly Brothers, issued by Cadence Records as catalog number 1337...
  
  " on the April 5, 1958 show,
• "Cathy's Clown
  Cathy's Clown
  "Cathy's Clown" is a popular song, written and recorded by The Everly Brothers, in which an unnamed narrator informs Cathy that he "don't want your love anymore." It was their first single for Warner Bros., after spending three years on Archie Bleyer's Cadence label. "Cathy's Clown" sold eight...
  
  ", "When Will I Be Loved?
  When Will I Be Loved (song)
  "When Will I Be Loved" is a popular song, written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers and a #8 hit single for that duo in the summer of 1960. The track had been recorded in 1959 while the Everly Brothers were contracted to Cadence Records; by 1960 they had moved to Warner Brothers and recording...
  
  " and "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)" on the July 9, 1960 Hollywood show
• Frankie Lymon
  Frankie Lymon
  Franklin Joseph "Frankie" Lymon was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group, The Teenagers. The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid teens...
  
   sang:
• "Mama Don't Allow It" on the May 17, 1958 show
• "Little Bitty Pretty One" on the August 13, 1960 show
• Chubby Checker
  Chubby Checker
  Chubby Checker is an American singer-songwriter. He is widely known for popularizing the twist dance style, with his 1960 hit cover of Hank Ballard's R&B hit "The Twist"...
  
   sang:
• "The Class" on the May 23, 1959 show
• "The Twist
  The Twist (song)
  "The Twist" is a twelve bar blues song that gave birth to the Twistdance craze. The song was written and originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side but his version was only a moderate 1960 hit, peaking at 28 on the Billboard Hot 100...
  
  " on the August 6, 1960 show
• Jimmie Rodgers
  Jimmie Rodgers (pop singer)
  James Frederick "Jimmie" Rodgers is an American singer. He is not related to the country singer of the same name.-Career:...
  
   sang "Honeycomb" on the May 3, 1958 show
• Eddie Cochran
  Eddie Cochran
  Eddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
  
   sang:
• "Summertime Blues
  Summertime Blues
  "Summertime Blues" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran. It was written in the late 1950s by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...
  
  " on the August 30, 1958 show
• "C'mon Everybody
  C'mon Everybody
  "C'mon Everybody" is a 1958 song by Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart, originally released as a B-side. In 1959 it peaked in the UK at No. 6 in the singles chart, and, thirty years later, in 1988, the track was re-issued there and became a No. 14 hit. In the United States the song got to No. 35 on...
  
  " on the November 29, 1959 show
• Sam Cooke
  Sam Cooke
  Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
  
   sang:
• "Lonely Island
  Lonely Island (song)
  "Lonely Island" is the second single released by The Parliaments. It was released in 1960 on the Flipp Record label . At this stage of their careers, the Parliaments consisted of George Clinton, Calvin Simon, Johnny Murray, Charles Davis, and Grady Thomas. There are no writers credits on the single...
  
  " on the March 22, 1958 show
• "Win Your Love For Me" on the October 11, 1958 show
• "Everybody Likes To Cha Cha Cha" and "You Send Me
  You Send Me
  -Background:Cooke made a demo recording of "You Send Me" featuring only his own guitar accompaniment in the winter of 1955. The first recording of the track was made in New Orleans in December 1956 in the same sessions which produced "Lovable", the first release outside the gospel field for Cooke...
  
  " on the March 14, 1959 show
• "Only Sixteen" on the June 20, 1959 show
• Fats Domino
  Fats Domino
  Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
  
   sang a medley of "I'm In Love Again
  I'm in Love Again
  I'm In Love Again is the sixth solo album released by singer Patti LaBelle in late 1983. Featuring the hits "If Only You Knew" and "Love, Need and Want You", this album is credited with reviving the singer's career after years of chart struggles on both the pop and R&B charts.-History:Patti LaBelle...
  
  ", "Blueberry Hill
  Blueberry Hill (song)
  "Blueberry Hill" is a popular song published in 1940 best remembered for its 1950s rock n' roll version by Fats Domino. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Al Lewis. It was recorded six times in 1940...
  
  ", "I Want You To Know
  I Want You To Know
  "I Want You to Know" is the third single from the Per Gessle album, The World According to Gessle.-Track listings and formats:*CD single# "I Want You to Know"# "Blue Umbrella" *Maxi CD# "I Want You to Know"# "Blue Umbrella"...
  
  ", "Ain't That a Shame
  Ain't That a Shame
  "Ain't That a Shame" is a song recorded by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, in New Orleans, Louisiana, for Imperial Records and released in 1955. It was previously recorded in 1901 by Silas Leachman. The recording was a hit for Domino, eventually selling a million copies. It reached #1 on the...
  
  ", "Blue Monday", and "I'm Walkin'
  I'm Walkin'
  "I'm Walkin" is a 1957 single by Fats Domino. The song was written by Domino and Dave Bartholomew.The single was Fats Domino's third release in a row to reach number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart, where it stayed for six weeks...
  
  " on the March 29, 1958 show
• La Vern Baker sang:
• "I Cried a Tear" on the January 10, 1959 show
• "I Waited Too Long" on the May 16, 1959 show
• The Big Bopper
  The Big Bopper
  Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
  
   sang "Chantilly Lace
  Chantilly lace
  Chantilly lace is a handmade bobbin lace named after the city of Chantilly, France, in a tradition dating from the 17th century, though the most famous are silk laces introduced in the 18th century...
  
  " on the September 20, 1958 and the November 22, 1958 shows
• Chuck Berry
  Chuck Berry
  Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
  
   sang:
• "Sweet Little Sixteen
  Sweet Little Sixteen
  "Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and originally performed by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. It reached number two on the American charts, Berry's highest position ever on the charts, with the exception of the suggestive number one hit "My...
  
  " on the February 22, 1958 show (second of the series)
• "Johnny B. Goode
  Johnny B. Goode
  "Johnny B. Goode" is a 1958 rock and roll song written and originally performed by American musician Chuck Berry. The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences peaking at #2 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song is one of Chuck Berry's...
  
  " on the May 17, 1958 show
• "Back in the U.S.A.
  Back in the U.S.A.
  "Back in the U.S.A." is a song by Chuck Berry, which was first issued in 1959 as a single a-side and on Berry's 1962 album More Chuck Berry, . The song's lyrics were supposedly written based upon Berry returning to the USA following a trip to Australia and witnessing the living standards of...
  
  " on the July 18, 1959 show
• Jan and Dean
  Jan and Dean
  Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...
  
   sang:
• "Baby Talk
  Baby Talk (1959 song)
  "Baby Talk" is a 1959 song by Jan and Dean which was a Top 10 hit for them on Dore Records. Jan Berry worked on the song with friends and Dore Records staffers Lou Adler and Herb Alpert on the song. Later that year it was also covered by Simon and Garfunkel who were known as Tom and Jerry at the...
  
  " on the September 5, 1959 show
• "White Tennis Sneakers" on the April 16, 1960 show
• Baby Talk" and "We Go Together" on the June 25, 1960 show
• The Coasters
  The Coasters
  The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group that had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and "Young Blood", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller...
  
   sang:
• "Yakety Yak
  Yakety Yak
  "Yakety Yak" is a song written, produced, and arranged by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for The Coasters and released on Atlantic Records in 1958, spending seven weeks as number one on the R&B charts and a week as number one on the Hot 100 pop list...
  
  " on the May 31, 1958 and August 16, 1958 shows
• "Charlie Brown
  Charlie Brown (song)
  "Charlie Brown" is a popular Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song that was a top-ten hit for The Coasters in the spring of 1959 . It went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, and was the first of three top-ten hits for the Coasters that year...
  
  " on the March 7, 1959 show
• Johnny Horton
  Johnny Horton
  John Gale "Johnny" Horton was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s...
  
   sang:
• "The Battle of New Orleans
  The Battle of New Orleans
  "The Battle of New Orleans" is the title of a song written by Jimmy Driftwood. The song describes the 1815 Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the lyrics are evidently intended to be comical. It has been recorded by many artists, but the singer most often associated...
  
  " on the August 29, 1959 Hollywood show
• "Sink the Bismarck" on the April 2, 1960 Manhattan show
• Sandy Nelson
  Sandy Nelson
  Sandy Nelson is an American drummer. Nelson, one of the best-known rock drummers of the early 1960s, had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and was a session drummer on many other well-known hits, and released over 30 albums.-Career:His first recording, with a band called The Renegades Sandy...
  
   performed "Teen Beat" on the October 3, 1959 show
• Johnny Tillotson
  Johnny Tillotson
  Johnny Tillotson is an American singer and songwriter. He enjoyed his greatest success in the early 1960s, when he scored 9 top-ten hits on the pop, country and adult contemporary billboard charts including "Poetry In Motion" and the self-penned "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'"...
  
   sang "Why Do I Love You So?" on the February 20, 1960 show
• Dorsey Burnette
  Dorsey Burnette
  Dorsey Burnette was an early Rockabilly singer. With his younger brother, Johnny Burnette, and a friend named Paul Burlison, he was a founder member of The Rock and Roll Trio.-Background and early career:Dorsey Burnett was born on December 28, 1932 to Willie May and Dorsey Burnett Sr...
  
   sang:
• "There Was a Tall Oak Tree" on the March 19, 1960 show
• "Hey Little One
  Hey Little One
  Hey Little One is the 8th album by American singer/guitarist Glen Campbell, released in 1968 .-Track listing:Side 1:# "Hey Little One" - 2:32# "Elusive Butterfly" - 2:17...
  
  " on the June 25, 1960 show
• Dodie Stevens
  Dodie Stevens
  Dodie Stevens is an American pop singer. She is best known for her million selling 1959 song "Pink Shoe Laces", which made her a star when she was only 13 years old.-Early life:...
  
   sang:
• "Pink Shoelaces" on the February 28, 1959 show
• "Miss Lonelyhearts" on the August 22, 1959 show

Among the single-appearance guests were:

• Buddy Holly
  Buddy Holly
  Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
  
   sang "It's So Easy" on the October 25, 1958 show
• Brian Hyland
  Brian Hyland
  Brian Hyland is an American pop recording artist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s...
  
   sang "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
  Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
  "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl wearing a revealing polka dot bikini at the beach, who in the first verse is too afraid to leave the locker where she has changed into her bikini; in the second, she has made it to the beach but sits...
  
  " at the July 16, 1960 show
• The Cadillacs
  The Cadillacs
  The Cadillacs were an American rock and roll and doo-wop group from Harlem, New York; active from 1953 to 1962. The group was noted for their 1955 hit "Speedoo", which was instrumental in attracting White audiences to Black rock and roll performers.-History:...
  
   sang "Peek a Boo" on the November 22, 1958 show
• Roy Orbison
  Roy Orbison
  Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
  
   sang "Only the Lonely
  Only the Lonely
  "Only the Lonely " is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Recorded by Orbison, it became his first major hit. As an operatic rock ballad, it was a sound unheard of at the time, described by the New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". It is seen as a seminal event...
  
  " and "Uptown" at the July 23, 1960 show
• The Ventures
  The Ventures
  The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
  
   performed "Walk, Don't Run
  Walk, Don't Run (song)
  "Walk, Don't Run" is an instrumental composition written and first performed by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1955. The tune is essentially a counter-melody to the chord changes of the old standard, "Softly, As in the Morning Sunrise"....
  
  " on the August 27, 1960 show
• The Isley Brothers
  The Isley Brothers
  The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper...
  
   sang "Shout" on the October 10, 1959 show
• The Olympics
  The Olympics (band)
  The Olympics were an American doo-wop group, formed in 1957 by lead singer Walter Ward . The group included Eddie Lewis , Charles Fizer , Walter Hammond and Melvin King and except for Lewis were friends in a Los Angeles, California, high school...
  
   sang "Western Movies" on either the July 26, 1958 show, or the August 2, 1958 show
• The Teddy Bears sang "To Know Him Is to Love Him
  To Know Him Is to Love Him
  "To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone. It was first recorded by his first vocal group, the only one of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1958...
  
  " on the November 15, 1958 show
• The Shirelles
  The Shirelles
  The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
  
   sang "I Met Him On a Sunday" on the April 5, 1958 show
• Bill Justis
  Bill Justis
  William E. "Bill" Justis Jr. was an American pioneer rock and roll musician, composer, and musical arranger, best known for his 1957 Grammy Hall of Fame song, "Raunchy."-Biography:...
  
   performed "College Man" and "Raunchy" on the February 22, 1958 show
• The Chantels
  The Chantels
  The Chantels were the second African-American girl group to have nationwide success in the United States, preceded by The Bobbettes. The group was established in the early 1950s and attended St. Anthony of Padua school in The Bronx...
  
   sang "Maybe" on the March 1, 1958 show
• Teresa Brewer
  Teresa Brewer
  Teresa Brewer was an American pop singer whose style incorporated elements of country, jazz, R&B, musicals and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of the 1950s, recording nearly 600 songs. Born Theresa Breuer in Toledo, Ohio, Brewer died of a neuromuscular...
  
   sang "There's Nothing As Lonesome As Saturday Night" and "Whirlpool" on the March 1, 1958 show
• Ritchie Valens
  Ritchie Valens
  Ritchie Valens was a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist....
  
   sang "Donna
  Donna (song)
  "Donna" is a song written and sung by Ritchie Valens featuring the 50s progression. The song was released in 1958 on Del-Fi Records. It reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the following year, becoming Valens' highest-charting single. The song was covered by another Del-Fi artist and western...
  
  " on the December 27, 1958 show
• Andy Williams
  Andy Williams
  Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
  
   sang "Canadian Sunset" and "Are You Sincere?" on the March 15, 1958 show

Notable episodes

• February 22, 1958

Dick Clark interviewed Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson

John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...

.

• March 8, 1958

Dick Clark announced that viewers could receive in the mail an "autographed" 45 RPM single of Jerry Lee Lewis's latest hit Breathless by sending in five Beechnut Gum wrappers and fifty cents for shipping and handling. 48,000 requests were received. Sun Records

Sun Records

Sun Records is a record label founded in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27, 1952.Founded by Sam Phillips, Sun Records was known for giving notable musicians such as Elvis Presley , Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash...

 sent out the promotional records, the song moved further up the Top 40, and sales of Beechnut Gum increased — the deal made between Dick Clark and Sam Phillips

Sam Phillips

Samuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s...

 of Sun Records for this promotion drew some criticism and accusations of payola

Payola

Payola, in the American music industry, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast. Under U.S...

, but resulted in no scandal and no indictments.

• May 10, 1958

Dick Clark interviewed Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

 — together, they lip-synced the Hope/Crosby song "Paris Holiday".

• November 29, 1958

Because the show was being filmed the day before Dick Clark's birthday, Bobby Darin and other singers wished Dick Clark a happy birthday (but did not sing the "Happy Birthday To You

Happy Birthday to You

"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...

" song).

• January 3, 1959

David Seville and The Chipmunks performed "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)

The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)

"The Chipmunk Song " is a song written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. Although it was written and sung by Bagdasarian , the singing credits are given to The Chipmunks, a fictitious singing group consisting of three chipmunks by the names of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore...

" — eight days after Christmas.

• 1959 summer-series of three consecutive remote shows broadcast from Hollywood, California
• August 22, 1959

  Fabian ("Got the Feeling", "Come on and Get Me"), Bobby Darin ("Mack the Knife

  Mack the Knife
  "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928 at the...
  
  ", "Dream Lover
  Dream Lover
  "Dream Lover" is a song written and recorded by Bobby Darin on March 5, 1959. It was produced by Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler and engineered by Tom Dowd. It is considered a soulful rock song. The song became a multi-million seller, reaching #2 in US charts and was #1 in UK for three weeks during...
  
  "), Dodie Stevens
  Dodie Stevens
  Dodie Stevens is an American pop singer. She is best known for her million selling 1959 song "Pink Shoe Laces", which made her a star when she was only 13 years old.-Early life:...
  
   ("Miss Lonelyhearts"), and Mitchell Torok
  Mitchell Torok
  Mitchell Torok is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1953 hit, "Caribbean".-Biography:...
  
   ("Caribbean").
• August 29, 1959

  Johnny Horton ("Johnny Reb", "Battle Of New Orleans"), The Four Preps ("I Ain't Never"), Connie Stevens ("Why Do I Cry For Joey?"), Paul Petersen

  Paul Petersen
  William Paul Petersen is an American movie actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation,...
  
   and Shelley Fabares
  Shelley Fabares
  Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
  
   (interviewed), The Diamonds
  The Diamonds
  The Diamonds are a Canadian vocal quartet who rose to prominence in the 1950s and early 1960s with sixteen Billboard hit records. The original members were Dave Somerville , Ted Kowalski , Phil Levitt , and Bill Reed .-1950s:...
  
   ("Young In Years"), and Tab Hunter
  Tab Hunter
  Tab Hunter is an American actor, singer, former teen idol and author who has starred in over forty major films.-Background:...
  
   ("Our Love", "Waiting For Fall").
• September 5, 1959

  Duane Eddy, Jan & Dean ("Baby Talk"), Frankie Avalon ("Just Ask Your Heart"), and Anita Bryant ("Til There Was You").

• 1960 summer-series of five consecutive remote shows
• June 11, 1960 (broadcast from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

  Bobby Darin ("Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home", "I'll Be There"), The Crests ("Trouble in Paradise"), The Fendermen

  The Fendermen
  The Fendermen were a pop/rockabilly duo in the early 1960s.At the time The Fendermen formed, the group was primarily composed of Jim Sundquist , and Phil Humphrey...
  
   ("Mule Skinner Blues
  Mule Skinner Blues
  "Mule Skinner Blues" is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers; "George Vaughn" is sometimes listed as co-author; the name is a pseudonym for Vaughn Horton, who wrote Bill Monroe's "New Mule Skinner Blues" the second version recorded by Monroe.The song was first recorded by Rodgers in...
  
  "), Paul Evans
  Paul Evans (musician)
  Paul Evans is an American rock and roll singer and songwriter, who was most prominent in the 1950s and 1960s...
  
   ("Happy-Go-Lucky Me"), and The Skyliners
  The Skyliners
  The Skyliners are an American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh fronted by Jimmy Beaumont. The original lineup also included Wally Lester, Jack Taylor, Joe Verscharen, Louis M. Tutino and Janet Vogel...
  
   ("Pennies from Heaven")
• June 18, 1960 (broadcast from Hollywood, California)

  The Safaris ("Image of a Girl"), The Hollywood Argyles

  The Hollywood Argyles
  The Hollywood Argyles were an American musical ensemble, assembled for studio recordings by the producer and songwriter Kim Fowley and his friend and fellow musician Gary Paxton...
  
   ("Alley Oop
  Alley Oop (song)
  "Alley Oop" is a song written by Dallas Frazier. The song, heavily inspired by the V. T. Hamlin-created comic strip of the same name, was first recorded by Frazier as a country tune in 1957.-The Hollywood Argyles:...
  
  "), The Crosby Brothers ("The Green Grass Grows"), and Jimmie Rodgers ("Just a Little Closer Walk With Thee")
• June 25, 1960 (broadcast from Treasure Island Naval Base near San Francisco, California)

  The Olympics (Big Boy Pete), Jan and Dean ("Baby Talk", "We Go Together"), Dorsey Burnette ("Hey Little One"), and The Four Preps ("Got a Girl")

• July 2, 1960 (broadcast from Chicago, Illinois)

  Brenda Lee ("I'm Sorry

  I'm Sorry (Brenda Lee song)
  "I'm Sorry" is a 1960 hit song for 15-year-old American country pop singer Brenda Lee. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in July 1960. Allmusic guide wrote that it is the pop star's "definitive song", and one of the "finest teen pop songs of its era". It was written by...
  
  ", "That's All You Gotta Do"), Freddy Cannon ("Jump Over"), Tommy Edwards ("I Really Don't Want to Know"), and Jack Scott ("Burning Bridges")
• July 9, 1960 (broadcast from Hollywood, California)

  The Everly Brothers ("Cathy's Clown", "When Will I Be Loved?", "So Sad"), Jeanne Black

  Jeanne Black
  Jeanne Black was an American country singer.Black first sang on Cliffie Stone's television program, Hometown Jamboree, from 1956 to 1959. Following this, she sang in Nevada, in Las Vegas and Tahoe. She signed with Capitol Records in 1960 and released the single "He'll Have to Stay" later that year...
  
   ("He'll Have to Stay", "Lisa"), Deane Hawley ("Look for a Star"), and Larry Bright ("Mo-Jo Workout")
• August 6, 1960

Chubby Checker introduced "The Twist

The Twist (song)

"The Twist" is a twelve bar blues song that gave birth to the Twistdance craze. The song was written and originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side but his version was only a moderate 1960 hit, peaking at 28 on the Billboard Hot 100...

" to America.

Final show

The last show was September 10, 1960. Highlights of the series were shown from past shows:

• Bobby Darin ("Splish Splash
  Splish Splash
  Splish Splash is a water park in Riverhead, New York. It features 30 rides and runs from May through September. Travel Channel ranked Splish Splash the third best water park in the United States.-History:...
  
  ", "Mack the Knife")
• Connie Francis ("Lipstick on Your Collar
  Lipstick on Your Collar
  Lipstick on Your Collar is a 1993 British television serial written by Dennis Potter, originally broadcast on Channel 4 expanded from Potter's earlier play Lay Down Your Arms...
  
  ")
• Frankie Avalon ("De De Dinah")
• Fabian ("Turn Me Loose")
• Bobby Rydell ("Kissin' Time
  Kissin' Time
  Kissin' Time is the 16th album by veteran British musician Marianne Faithfull.- Overview :After turns as a neo-cabaret/slow ballad crooner in previous works , Faithfull was eager to collaborate with contemporary musicians...
  
  ")
• Annette Funicello and Paul Anka (Medley of hits)
• Duane Eddy and The Rebels ("Rebel Rouser", "40 Miles of Bad Road")