December 31, 1961 – The Pendletons perform their first gig under their new name, the Beach Boys, on the bill with Ike & Tina Turner at the Ritchie Valens Memorial Concert at the Long Beach Civic Auditorium, California. They earn $300 for their efforts. #ROCkabillyHop #RitchieValens
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Month: December 2021
December 31, 1955 – Elvis Presley
December 31, 1955 – Elvis’ “I Forgot to Remember to Forget” made number one in the country singles chart. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing
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December 30, 1957 – Bing Crosby
December 30, 1957 – Bing Crosby’s album Merry Christmas claims the #1 spot from Elvis Presley’s Elvis’ Christmas Album, but Elvis returns to the top spot a week later. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing @Bing_Crosby #BingCrosby
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December 30, 1934 – Del Shannon
December 30, 1934 – Del Shannon of “Runaway” fame is born Charles Weedon Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan. #ROCkabillyHop #DelShannon #HappyBirthday
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December 30, 1928 – Bo Diddley
December 30, 1928 – Bo Diddley is born Ellas Otha Bates in McComb, Mississippi. He grows up on the South Side of Chicago, where he and his friends perform music on street corners. #ROCkabillyHop @bodiddley #bodiddley #HappyBirthday
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December 29, 2004 – Bobby Darin
December 29, 2004 – Beyond the Sea, a musical about the life of Bobby Darin, debuts in US theaters. Darin superfan Kevin Spacey – who co-wrote, directed, and starred in the film – does his own singing. 45-year-old Spacey is a little old to be playing Darin, who was only 37 when he died. #ROCkabillyHop @bobby_darin2 @KevinSpacey #BobbyDarin
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December 29, 1956 – Elvis Presley
December 29, 1956 – Elvis Presley made chart history by having 10 songs on Billboard’s Top 100 for week ending Dec 19th. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing
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December 29, 1951 – Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads
December 29, 1951 – Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads’ “Cry” hit # 1 and wailed there for 11 tearful weeks. Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what would become rock and roll, for his jazz and blues-influenced music and his animated stage personality. #ROCkabillyHop #JohnnieRay
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December 28, 2000 – Waylon Jennings
December 28, 2000 – Waylon Jennings kicks off a three-day estate sale at his Dixon, Ill., home after the country star decides to move to Arizona. Among the goods on sale are a customized black Cadillac, knives and guns from his personal collection and a motorcycle that used to belong to Buddy Holly. The motorcycle was later auctioned at Guernsey’s Auctioneers and ended up on permanent loan to the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock, Texas. @buddyholly @BuddyHollyCtr #ROCkabillyHop #buddyholly @OfficialWaylon #TheCrickets
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December 28, 1932 – Dorsey Burnette
December 28, 1932 – Dorsey Burnette, Bassist for his brother Johnny’s group the Johnny Burnette Trio, is born in Memphis. He went on to write songs for performers like Rick Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis and Waylon Jennings. He’s also the father of country star Billy Burnette. #ROCkabillyHop #DorseyBurnette #HappyBirthday
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