Elvis Presley hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Don’t Be Cruel” on August 18, 1956. It was released with the B-side “Hound Dog,” which would soon hit number one on the chart was well. When “Don’t Be Cruel” hit number one, it claimed the top spot on the chart from "My Prayer" by the Platters. He held on through September 22 at the top spot before “Don’t Be Cruel” took over on its own. “Hound Dog” was penned by the legends Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and the latter didn’t initially know Elvis had recorded the track. He had been on vacation with his wife when their ship was wrecked at sea. Fifty-five people died in the accident, but Stoller and his wife survived. Lieber greeted him at the docks in New York to tell him about Presley’s success with the track.