RCA Victor introduced the first 45 rpm single record in February 1949, when they mailed out a selection of different artists and styles to USA record stores.

Each of the seven different styles had its own colour of plastic, black being for ‘popular’, and cherry red for the blues.

One of those cherry red singles was ‘That’s All Right’ by Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup, which was a big hit for Elvis, who covered two more of his songs

I bought my first 45 in Blackpool in 1961, on a day trip. My mum found a market stall in central Manchester with ex-juke box 45s that had the centres removed, so my limited pocket money went much further. (Remember those press-in adaptors?)

Ah, the pleasure of the ‘B’ sides as well!

CD singles, MP3 downloads, et al, are just not the same. What was your first 45, that you played to death as it was the only record you owned? Did any local groups or acts release any 45s you treasure?

I loved going for a pint with my mates and selecting 45s on the juke boxes, and exploring ‘B’ sides, particularly the Beatles and the Stones.