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Hank Ballard And The Midnighters release a new single, Teardrops On Your Letter, on King Records in the USA. The b-side of the single, a dance number called The Twist is virtually ignored until 1961 when music biz mogul Dick Clark is inspired to create a cover version of The Twist with vocals handled by a professional impersonator, Ernest Evans, recently re-named Chubby Checker. The impersonation is so exact that when Ballard first hears it on the radio, he believes he is listening to his own recording. Nevetheless, boosted by national exposure on Clark's tv show American Bandstand, Checker's version becomes a gigantic international hit, sparking off the twist dance craze.
The third day of deejay Alan Freed's ten day long Christmas Rock'n'Roll Spectacular is held at Loew's Theater, New York City, USA, starring Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Dion, Jackie Wilson, The Everly Brothers, Johnnie Ray, Frankie Avalon and The Moonglows.
After a public appearance at a dance in Sunnybrook Ballroom, Pottsdown, Pennsylvania, USA, by TV deejay celebrity Dick Clark, a teenager is stabbed, adding fuel to the anti-rock'n'roll lobby's conviction that the music provokes violence among its young fans.
Marvin Rainwater plays the second night in two-weeks of shows at The Flame Club, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.