Month: December 2022

December 29, 1951 – “Cry” by Johnnie Ray and The Four Lads 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 #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
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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 #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
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December 28, 1962 – Mary Wells performed “Two Lovers” on “American Bandstand.” The song was the third consecutive hit to be both written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles and recorded by Mary Wells, reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard pop chart. #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop @DickClarkProd #DickClark #AmericanBandstand #OTD #RockNRoll #MaryWells #TwoLovers
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December 28, 1960 – Connie Francis appeared on the “Kraft Music Hall: The Perry Como Show.” #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll #KraftMusicHall #PerryComo #ConnieFrancis
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December 28, 1932 – Dorsey Burnette, Bassist for his brother Johnny’s group the Johnny Burnette Trio, was 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 #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
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December 27, 1958 – While at KLLL radio station in Lubbock, Buddy Holly was prompted by a bet to write a song in less than 30 minutes. Holly composed “You’re The One,” which is recorded on the station’s acetate machine. Buddy sang and played guitar, while Waylon Jennings and Ray “Slim” Corbin, the station’s deejays, provides percussion with hand-claps. Source: The Buddy Holly Center, 1801 Crickets Ave., Lubbock. @buddyholly @BuddyHollyCtr #ROCkabillyHop @OfficialWaylon #buddyholly #TheCrickets #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
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December 27, 1958 – Ritchie Valens returned to Philadelphia for his second appearance on “American Bandstand,” this time performing “Donna.” Valens’ highest-charting single, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, was written as a tribute to his high school sweetheart Donna Ludwig. #ROCkabillyHop #RitchieValens #Donna @dickclarkprod #DickClark #AmericanBandstand #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
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December 27, 1931 – Scotty Moore was born “Winfield Scott Moore, III” in Gadsden, Tennessee. A guitarist and recording engineer, he is best known for his backing of Elvis Presley in the first part of his career, from 1954 into his Hollywood years. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #TCB #theKing #ScottyMoore #HappyBirthday #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
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January 3, 1987 – The second class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is announced, and it includes Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, Rick Nelson, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins. @EddieCochran_ @billhaleymusic @bodiddley @RickyNelsonRem @ROYORBISON @Royorbisonjr #OTD #RockNRoll #RocHop #ROCkabillyHop
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December 26, 1960 – Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs performed “Stay” on “American Bandstand.” Williams wrote the song in 1953 in an unsuccessful attempt to convince his date to stay out past her 10 pm curfew. #OTD #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop @DickClarkProd #DickClark #AmericanBandstand #RockNRoll #MauriceWilliams #Zodiacs #Stay
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