On This Day 31/05/1960 Conway Twitty

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On this day, 31 May 1960, American country music legend Conway Twitty played the Gaumont Theatre in a show that featured other American stars, Freddie Cannon (Way Down Yonder In New Orleans), Johnny Preston (Running Bear) plus Brits, Wee Willie Harris, known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll", Chris Wayne and the Echoes and Tony Crombie. The compère was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne.

Twitty was best known as a country music performer. From 1971 to 1976, Twitty received a string of Country Music Association awards for duets with Loretta Lynn. He was inducted into both the Country Music and Rockabilly Halls of Fame.

Twitty was known for his frequent use of romantic and sentimental themes in his songs. Due to his following being compared to a religious revival, comedian Jerry Clower nicknamed Twitty "The High Priest of Country Music", the eventual title of his 33rd studio album. Twitty achieved stardom with hit songs like "Hello Darlin'", "You've Never Been This Far Before" and "Linda on My Mind".

Twitty topped Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart 40 times in his career, a record that stood for two decades until it was surpassed by George Strait, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart once with "It's Only Make Believe". He wrote eleven of his Billboard Hot Country Songs chart-topping hits.

On This Day 20/1/1960 The Platters

On this day, 20 Jan 1960, American vocal group The Platters, played the Gaumont Cardiff as part of their UK tour. The tour package included Cuddly Dudley and Carl Barriteau and his band.
Formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Originally, their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre. The act has gone through several personnel changes, with one of the most successful incarnations comprising lead tenor Tony Williams, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor. The group had 40 charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart between 1955 and 1967, including four number-one hits. The Platters are one of the first African-American groups to be accepted as a major chart group and are one of the most successful vocal groups in the world.