Month: October 2022

October 8, 1957 – Jerry Lee Lewis records “Great Balls of Fire” in the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer, the song was featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. @jerryleelewis #ROCkabillyHop #SunRecords @sunrecords #GreatBallsOfFire #RocHop #OTD
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October 8, 1941 – George Bellamy (rhythm guitarist for The Tornados) is born in Sunderland, England. The group reached new heights with their instrumental “Telstar,” which reached #1 all over the world and was the first British rock song to be a #1 single in the United States. Bellamy wrote one of The Tornados’ tracks, “Ridin’ the Wind,” which also was a hit single in the USA. #ROCkabillyHop #HappyBirthday #GeorgeBellamy #Tornados #Telstar #RocHop #OTD
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October 7, 1957 – The idea of expanding his gospel album into a Christmas album works out well when Elvis Presley’s “Elvis’ Christmas Album” earns pre-orders of 500,000 copies, going Gold before it is even released. It eventually became the best-selling Christmas album of all time. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #ChristmasAlbum #RocHop #OTD
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October 6, 1964 – Elvis Presley begins shooting his 18th motion picture, “Tickle Me.” The soundtrack has no new recordings. Instead, previously released non-movie recordings are used, apparently to keep production costs to a minimum. Filming continues until November 24, 1964. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #TickleMe #RocHop #OTD
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October 6, 1963 – The Angels sing “My Boyfriend’s Back” on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The recording of “My Boyfriend’s Back” by the Angels was originally intended as a demo for the Shirelles but ended up being released as recorded. The single spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached #2 on the Billboard R&B chart. #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #EdSullivan @EdSullivanShow #TheAngels #MyBoyfriendsBack #OTD #Billboard #Hot100
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October 6, 1958 – Ritchie Valens went to Philadelphia to appear on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” television show on his mother’s birthday where he sang “Come On, Let’s Go”. During his performance, Ritchie broke a guitar string. When he finished his song, Dick Clark commented that Ritchie sounded great even playing with a broken string. #ROCkabillyHop @dickclarkprod #DickClark #AmericanBandstand #OTD #RitchieValens #ComeOnLetsGo #RocHop
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October 6, 1957 – The Everly Brothers appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show” singing “Wake Up Little Susie.” #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #EdSullivan @EdSullivanShow #EverlyBrothers @EverlyBrosInt @EdSullivanShow #OTD #EdSullivan
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October 6, 1956 – Elvis Presley releases “Love Me Tender,” the title song to his first movie. It goes on to become his fifth #1 hit in America. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #LoveMeTender #RocHop #OTD
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October 5, 1960 – Frankie Avalon performed a song and dance number with Perry Como and Fabian on “The Perry Como Show.” #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #FrankieAvalon #PerryComoShow #OTD
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October 5, 1959 – Bobby Darin’s swinging version of “Mack the Knife,” a song about a killer from The Threepenny Opera, hits #1 on the Hot 100 and stays there for an astonishing nine weeks. Darin, who is known for lighter fare like “Splish Splash,” gains a more adult following, putting him on par with Frank Sinatra. #ROCkabillyHop #BobbyDarin #MackTheKnife #RocHop #OTD
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