Category: On This Day…

January 15, 1967 – Roy Orbison

January 15, 1967 – The film “The Fastest Guitar Alive,” starring Roy Orbison and Sheb Wooley, premieres in New York City. The film features Orbison performing seven original songs which appeared on his 1967 MGM record album of the same name. A flop with the critics, it would be the only film Orbison would star in for MGM, even though they had him under contract for five more. #ROCkabillyHop @ROYORBISON @Royorbisonjr #RoyOrbison #ShebWooley #OTD #RockNRoll #RocHop
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January 15, 1955 – Bill Haley

January 15, 1955 – Bill Haley’s song “Dim, Dim the Lights” was tied to an auto safety bumper sticker campaign through a promotion by Decca Records. The bumper stickers, which featured the song’s title and a message about safe driving, were distributed to radio stations and other outlets as part of a campaign to promote safe driving habits. In addition to being tied to the bumper sticker campaign, Haley also renewed his contract with Decca Records during this week. #ROCkabillyHop @billhaleymusic #BillHaley #OTD #RockNRoll #RocHop #DimDimTheLights
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January 14, 1973 – Elvis Presley

January 14, 1973 – “Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii” is taped at Honolulu International Center Arena. It will be seen by nearly 1.5 billion people. The show earned good ratings in the countries targeted by the live broadcast including Japan and Australia. The television special presented months later in the United States became NBC’s highest-rated program of the year. Its soundtrack album, “Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite,” became Presley’s last chart-topper on Billboard’s Hot 100. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #TCB #AlohaFromHawaii #OTD #RockNRoll #RocHop
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January 13, 1968 – Johnny Cash

January 13, 1968 – Johnny Cash played a show, which was recorded, for his forthcoming live album at Folsom Prison, near Sacramento, California in front of 2,000 inmates. When released, the title single, “Folsom Prison Blues” (an update of his 1956 hit) became one of the most famous recordings of his career. @JohnnyCash #ROCkabillyHop #OTD #RockNRoll #RocHop
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January 13, 1962 – Chubby Checker

January 13, 1962 – Chubby Checker went back to #1 on the US singles chart with “The Twist.” The song first went to #1 in Sept 1960 and became the first record in American chart history to top the charts on two separate occasions. “The Twist” is a twelve-bar blues song that gave birth to the Twist dance craze. The song was written and originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters as a B-side (to “Teardrops on Your Letter”) but was a minor hit. #ROCkabillyHop @chubby_checker #twist #OTD #RockNRoll #RocHop
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January 13, 2005 – Elvis Presley

January 13, 2005 – A report showed that more songs had been written about Elvis Presley than any other artist. It listed over 220 songs including: “My Boy Elvis” by Janis Martin, “I Dreamed I was Elvis” by Sonny Cole, “I Want Elvis for Christmas” by the Holly Twins, “Elvis in Vegas” by Meatloaf, “Elvis Imitators” by Jimmy Buffet, “Elvis and Me” by Jimmy Webb, “Hey, Memphis” by LaVern Baker, “I Saw Mr. Presley Tip-toeing Through The Tulips” by Tiny Tim, “Graceland” by Paul Simon, “A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel” by U2, “Calling Elvis” by Dire Straits, “Happy Birthday Elvis” by Loudon Wainwright III, “There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis” by Kirsty MacColl, “I Saw Elvis in a UFO” by Ray Stevens, “Elvis Has Left the Building” by Frank Zappa and, “My Dog Thinks I’m Elvis” by Ray Herndon. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #TCB #OTD #RockNRoll #RocHop
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