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.
Mick Hodgkinson was an English singer, guitarist and cult hero who, during the late ’70s, settled in Woodstock, New York, and immersed himself in the local music scene. Within no time, he formed his first band, Johnny Average and the Falcons that was made up of musicians that were in town working at the legendary Bearsville Studios. The list of artists that played with the falcons included John Sebastian and Shane Fontayne. The group would eventually become the nucleus of 
Hank Medress will always be remembered as the singer of American pop classic, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” but his contributions to popular music go much deeper. As a singer or producer, he’s worked directly with such artists as Neil Sedaka, the Chiffons, the Happenings and Tony Orlando. He was also instrumental in the creation of New York Dolls singer, David Johanson’s popular 80’s alter ego, Buster Poindexter. Medress died of lung cancer on June 18, 2007 at the age of 68.