|
One year after Dick Clark took over as host of Bandstand, the show was rechristened American Bandstand when the ABC television network began broadcasting it nationally on August 5, 1957. The show would eventually be carried by more than 100 stations nationwide. American Bandstand, like the soap opera, represents the transference of a successful radio format to the new entertainment medium of the era – television.
The first record spun by Dick Clark on American Bandstand was “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Jerry Lee Lewis. The performers that day were R&B star Billy Williams and the “girl group” the Chordettes. In just its first full year on network television, American Bandstand showcased some of Rock, Pop, Country and R&B’s most legendary performers. The lineup included; Paul Anka, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Frankie Avalon, Jackie Wilson, Johnny Mathis, Chuck Berry, Simon and Garfunkel (appearing as “Tom & Jerry”), Bill Haley and his Comets, Bobby Darin, Johnny Cash, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Jim Reeves, Dion and the Belmonts, Danny and the Juniors, Duane Eddy and the Coasters.
Eventually, more than 80 future members of the Rock and Roll Hall-of-Fame performed and appeared on American Bandstand including recent inductees Blondie and The Ronettes. |
