Hardly had anyone heard of the Recording Industry Association of America, and the young organization was equally unsure of its place in the music biz, when it developed the perfect solution. It would create a scale of records sold, using precious metals as markers, and present its awards to popular bestselling artists.

On this day, March 14, in 1958 RIAA presented its first Gold album award, for 500,000 records sold, to Perry Como, for “”Catch A Falling Star.”

Surprisingly, it was Como, and not the young rock-and-rollers, who made the Gold record. Como was the antithesis of the youthful rebellion spirit of rock, but he did have many family-friendly fans.