Category: On This Day…

May 16, 1959 – Wayne Newton, 16 years old, made his Las Vegas debut, performing with his brother, Jerry, at the Freemont Hotel downtown. A few years later, he becomes a Vegas Star and a regular on the Strip. #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll #WayneNewton
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May 16, 1936 – Doo-wop singer Corinthian “Kripp” Johnson (of The Del-Vikings) is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Kripp” sang lead on “Whispering Bells,” among other songs. #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll #DelVikings #WhisperingBells #HappyBirthday
https://amzn.to/37ILb1o

May 15, 1961 – Brenda Lee guests on “Make Room For Daddy” on CBS-TV. #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll #BrendaLee #MakeRoomForDaddy
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May 15, 1954 – Elvis Presley auditions with the house band at Memphis’ Hi Hat Club. Eddie Bond is reputed to have told Elvis to stick with driving a truck “because you’re never going to make it as a singer.” Needless to say, Elvis didn’t get the gig. Bond claims the club owner told him to pass on Elvis. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #DriveATruck #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
https://amzn.to/3uBrlwG

May 14, 1936 – Charlie Gracie, known for the 1957 hit “Butterfly,” is born “Charles Anthony Graci” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. #HappyBirthday #CharlieGracie #ROCkabillyHop #Butterfly #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
https://amzn.to/3LS8p3X

May 14, 1936 – Bobby Darin is born “Walden Robert Cassotto” in East Harlem, New York City. Teenage Nina Cassotto became pregnant out of wedlock and, to avoid scandal, had her mother raise the baby as her own while Nina passed him off as her younger brother. Bobby finds out years later that the woman he knew as his beloved mother was actually his grandmother. #HappyBirthday @bobby_darin2 #BobbyDarin #ROCkabillyHop #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
https://amzn.to/376N6Nk

May 13, 1955 – At tonight’s show in Jacksonville, Florida, Elvis Presley tells the girls who make up the majority of the 14,000-plus crowd that he’ll “see [them] backstage.” The crowd proceeds to do just that, causing a riot and, reportedly, convincing Tom Parker about Elvis’ popularity once and for all. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley #Elvis #theKing #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
https://amzn.to/3DjOPu8

May 13, 1958 – Three young and newly successful musicians – Buddy Holly, Joe Maudlin, and Jerry Allison found their way to Ray Miller’s Motorcycle Shop in Dallas, Texas. Having just returned from a world tour, Buddy Holly and the Crickets each bought new motorcycles to celebrate their hard work and good fortune. Joe Maudlin, the Crickets’ bass player, immediately fell in love with a Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle. Jerry Allison, their drummer, bought a Triumph Trophy. Holly was transfixed by a black Ariel Cyclone 650cc and purchased the limited-edition model – one of only 200 that were ever built. To go with their new wheels, the trio purchased matching Levi’s jackets and peaked caps adorned with wings and rode the 350-mile trip home in a thunderstorm. @buddyholly @BuddyHollyCtr #ROCkabillyHop #buddyholly #TheCrickets #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
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May 13, 1941 – Ritchie Valens was born “Richard Steven Valenzuela” near Los Angeles in Pacoima, California. Ritchie Valens made history as rock music’s first Latino star. His promising career, however, was cut short by tragedy. Valens died in a 1959 plane crash while on tour, along with Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. #ROCkabillyHop #RitchieValens @buddyholly @BuddyHollyCtr #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
https://amzn.to/3JZ1ZiI

May 12, 1960 – ABC airs Frank Sinatra’s “Welcome Home, Elvis” edition of his variety show, which attracts a 41.5% share of the national television audience. Elvis was paid a staggering $125,000 for his eight minutes of singing. #ROCkabillyHop @ElvisPresley @franksinatra #Elvis #theKing #RocHop #OTD #RockNRoll
https://amzn.to/35kcoqq