Category: On This Day…

December 17, 1957 – Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” enters the pop chart. #ROCkabillyHop #BobbyHelms #JingleBellRock
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December 17, 1954 – Bill Haley and his Comets’ “Shake, Rattle and Roll” (originally recorded by Big Joe Turner) becomes the first rock song to hit the UK chart, where it lands at #4. #ROCkabillyHop @billhaleymusic #BillHaley #ShakeRattleAndRoll
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December 17, 1943 – David Dee (of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich) was born David Harman. He was originally a police officer and as a police cadet was called to the scene of the car crash that killed Eddie Cochran during a UK tour in 1960. To pass the time on the night shift, he learned to play guitar on Cochran’s impounded Gretsch. @EddieCochran_ #ROCkabillyHop #DDDBMT #RedDwarf
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December 16, 1991 – Chubby Checker filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s in Canada seeking $14million for its alleged use of an imitation of his voice. The song ‘The Twist’ had been used to promote McDonald’s McTwist french fries. But McDonald’s advertising agency said it paid Hank Ballard, who wrote and performed “The Twist” in the late 1950s, for the rights to the lyrics, music and performance style of the song. #ROCkabillyHop @chubby_checker #twist #ImLovinIt #ChubbyChecker
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December 16, 1961 – Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee welcome their first and only child, a son named Dodd Mitchell Darin. #ROCkabillyHop @bobby_darin2 #BobbyDarin #SandraDee #DreamLovers
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December 16, 1957 – Elvis Presley’s “Elvis’ Christmas Album” hits #1. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), Elvis’ Christmas Album along with its reissues has shipped at least 17 million copies in the United States. It is the first Presley title to attain Diamond certification by the RIAA, and is also the best-selling Christmas album of all time in the United States. With total sales of more than 20 million copies worldwide, it remains the world’s best-selling Christmas album and one of the best-selling albums of all time. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #ChristmasAlbum
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December 15, 1955 – Johnny Cash releases “Folsom Prison Blues.” Recorded at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee on July 30, 1955, “Folsom Prison Blues” song combines elements from two popular folk styles, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash continued to use for the rest of his career. There was no drummer in the studio, Cash replicated the snare drum sound by inserting a piece of paper (like a dollar bill) under the guitar strings and strumming the snare rhythm on his guitar. #ROCkabillyHop #JohnnyCash #ManInBlack #FolsomPrisonBlues
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December 14, 1966 – The Elvis Presley film “Spinout,” co-starring Shelley Fabares, premieres. In this flick, the King plays Mike McCoy, the lead singer for a band combo and part-time racecar driver trying to get by when he is pursued by a trio of very different women who want his hand in marriage. Spinout crossed the finish line at #57 on the year-end list of the top-grossing films of the year. #ROCkabillyHop #Elvis @ElvisPresley #Spinout
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December 14, 1932 – Charlie Rich was born Charles Allan Rich, in Colt, Arkansas. Best known for his country hits, Rich recorded some rockabilly back in the day. In the latter part of his life Rich acquired the nickname “The Silver Fox.” #ROCkabillyHop #CharlieRich #TheSilverFox #HappyBirthday
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December 13, 1962 – Elvis Presley was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Return To Sender’, his 13th UK No.1. Elvis performed ‘Return To Sender’ in the film Girls! Girls! Girls!. The opening bars and backing on baritone saxophone was performed by Bobby Keys. #ROCkabillyHop #Elvis #theKing @ElvisPresley #ReturnToSender
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