Bill Haley

Bill Haley (July 6, 1925 - February 9, 1981) was one of the first American rock and roll musicians, and is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s. Haley was born William John Clifton Haley in Highland Park, Michigan and was raised in Pennsylvania (some sources append "Junior" to his name, but his eldest son states that this is erroneous). In 1946, Haley joined his first professional group, a country band called the Down Homers, after which he set out on his own. He made a number of unsuccessful country music singles in the 1940s, for several labels, including Cowboy Records 1948-1949 whilst working as a touring musician and later a DJ. In 1951 he and his band, The Saddlemen, changed styles, recording cover versions of Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88" and "Rock this Joint". The relative success of the latter of these convinced Haley that he could be a successful rock and roller. In 1952 The Saddlemen became Bill Haley & His Comets, and in 1953 Haley's recording of his original composition, "Crazy Man Crazy" became the first rock and roll song to hit the American charts. In 1953, a song entitled Rock Around the Clock was written for Haley, but he was unable to record it until April 12, 1954. Initially, it was unsuccessful, but Haley soon scored a major worldwide hit with a cover version of Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" which went on to sell a million copies. Haley and his band were important in launching the music known as "Rock and Roll" to a wider (white) audience after years of it being considered an underground movement. When "Rock Around the Clock" appeared on the soundtrack of the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, it launched a musical revolution and opened the doors for the likes of Elvis Presley. Haley continued to score hits throughout the 1950s such as "See You Later Alligator" and he starred in the first rock and roll musical movies. His star was soon surpassed in the USA by the younger, sexier Elvis, but Haley continued to be a major star in Latin America and in Europe in the 1960s, and continued to be a popular touring act for the rest of his career. He made his final performances in South Africa in 1980. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. Haley's original Comets from 1954 and 1955 still tour the world to packed houses. Despite ranging in age from 70 to 82, the band shows no sign of slowing down and recently released a concert DVD. Some sources state that Haley was born in 1927, which is due to Haley knocking two years off his age for publicity purposes in the 1950s. A few sources erroneously give a birth year of 1924.