This Date in Rock Music History: December 31

1955:  It's unusual for an artist's debut single to be a Christmas song, but on this date, a new group appeared on the chart for the first time with their version of "White Christmas", the first single for the Drifters.

1956:  Elvis Presley promoted Wink Martindale's upcoming charity concert on Wink's local television special in Memphis, Tennessee.
1961:  The Pendletons played under their their now more familiar name of the Beach Boys for the first time at a memorial concert for Ritchie Valens in Long Beach, California.

This Date in Rock Music History: December 30

1957:  Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" finished the year as the #1 R&B song, where it had been for six weeks.  

1957:  The top album was Elvis' Christmas Album, which many radio stations banned from airplay because they didn't think a rock and roll artist should play Christmas music.

This Date in Rock Music History: December 29

1955:  Barbra Streisand recorded her first song, at the age of 13.

1956:  Buddy Holly and four others chased and detained a shoplifter from a store in Lubbock, Texas.
1956:  Fats Domino sat atop the R&B chart  for the 11th week with "Blueberry Hill".  

This Date in Rock Music History: December 28

1959:  "Teen Angel" by Mark Dinning moved from #100 to #50.
1960:  The movie Where the Boys Are, starring Connie Francis, premiered in the Gateway Theatre in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Radio City Music Hall in New York City.  (Note:  some websites claim the premiere was on December 31, but according to the newspaper 'The Sun-Sentinel', the simultaneous premieres were on December 28.)

1963:  The Singing Nun wrapped up a four-week stay at #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Dominique".
1963:  "Dominique" was #1 for a fourth week overall.  Bobby Vinton provided the closest competition with "There!  I've Said It Again".
1963:  The Soundtrack to "West Side Story" re-entered the Top 10 in its 114th week of release.

This Date in Rock Music History: December 27

1960:  The Miracles made their television debut singing "Shop Around" on American Bandstand.  (Note:  numerous websites report that the group made their debut on the popular show on February 27, 1960, but this is inaccurate.  "Shop Around" was not released nationally until October 15, making the February 27 date impossible.  Jack Ryan, in his book 'Recollections, the Detroit Year:  The Motown Sound by the People who Made It', The Official R&B Music Hall of Fame, and 'TV.com' all confirm that the correct date is December 27, and that not only did the Miracles make their debut on the show, but they were the first Motown act to appear on 'American Bandstand'.)

This Date in Rock Music History: December 26

1957:  Elvis Presley donated thousands of teddy bears to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

Merry Christmas! This Date in Rock Music History, December 25

1954:  Johnny Ace shot himself before a Christmas concert in Houston, Texas.  (Note:  it was widely reported that Ace died in a game of Russian roulette.  Curtis Tillman, bass player for Big Mama Thornton, however, witnessed the incident.  He said that Ace had been drinking and was waving the pistol around.  He said "The gun's not loaded...see?"  Ace then pointed the gun at himself, the gun went off, and killed him.) 

1958:  The Everly Brothers, Jackie Wilson, Chuck Berry, Frankie Avalon, Johnnie Ray, Bo Diddley, Eddie Cochran and the Moonglows performed at Alan Freed's Christmas Rock & Roll Spectacular at Loew's State Theatre in Manhattan, New York.