Died On This Date (June 19, 1997) Bobby Helms / Had Hit With “Jingle Bell Rock”
themusicsover Bobby Helms
August 15, 1933 – June 19, 1997
Bobby Helms was a country singer who came into his own in the mid ’50s. Signing to Decca Records in 1956, Helms’ career skyrocketed the following year, earning two #1 country hits with “Fraulein” and “My Special Angel.” And then on December 23 of that same year, Decca released a third Helms single that would go on to be one of the most played songs every year at Christmas time. That song was “Jingle Bell Rock,” one of the greatest Christmas classics of all time. Helms spent most of the next three decades recording and touring. Helms died of emphysema and asthma at the age of 63.
What You Should Own
Guitarist Duane Roland, a founding member of the rock band Molly Hatchet, who had a big hit with their 1979 album, Flirtin’ With Disaster. He stayed with the band until 1990. In later years, Roland played with the Southern Rock Allstars and Gator Country. He died of natural causes in his home at the age of 53.