By: Billy Gee
Okay, everybody! Grab a seat and make yourself comfortable. Class is just about to begin. Continuing with our discussion on the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll, today’s lesson will be devoted to none other than the original “rockabilly” himself, Mr. Bill Haley. Most of you may associate Haley with “Rock Around the Clock” (released on May 10, 1954), but there’s much more to his story than just that seminal recording.
Born on July 6, 1925 in Highland Park, MI, Haley was terribly shy as a child, due largely to his being blind in one eye from birth. Moving with his family to Boothwyn, PA during the mid-30s, young Bill’s love of country music led him to study saxophone. His considerable skill as a vocalist became evident early on, as well.
At the tender age of fourteen, Haley left school and waded into the waters of professional musicianship. His earliest experiences took him to the Mid-Atlantic States, where he began to establish himself as a yodeling cowboy. In 1944, he made his debut recording with a group called The Downhomers, whom he left in 1946 to return to his home in Pennsylvania, hoping to find work as a disc jockey. Instead, Haley formed a band called The Four Aces of Western Swing, featuring Johnny Grande (piano), Al Rex (bass), and Billy Williamson (steel guitar). In 1948 the group released its first recording, “Candy Kisses,” on the newly formed Cowboy Records label. By 1949 “The Aces” changed their name to The Saddlemen, and continued recording for several different labels, including Atlantic, Gotham, and Keystone. The group enjoyed moderate success as a result of these efforts, but their biggest break came in 1951, when they signed with David Miller’s Holiday Records.
At Miller’s insistence, they reluctantly laid the tracks for “Rocket 88″ (remember the Oldsmobile Rocket 88?), a tune from Sam Phillips’ (Sun Records) catalog, originally recorded by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Kings. (Interestingly enough, the recording was actually done by guitarist Ike Turner, in whose band Brenston played saxophone. One source indicates that Brenston, who offered up his vocal talents on “Rocket 88,” received credit for obscure, non-musical reasons.) Glaringly significant here, dear students, is that Haley’s cover version of this recording is regarded by many music historians as the first Rock ‘n’ Roll single! Bear in mind that this was 1951 – three years prior to the May 1954 release of “Rock Around the Clock!”
Next came Bill Haley & The Saddlemen’s recording of “Rock the Joint,” which brought them success in the form of record sales and a promotional tour. This historic U.S. tour took Haley and his group to Cleveland, where disc jockey Alan Freed was spinning 45’s on his radio program. Freed liked “Rock the Joint” immediately, and began playing it on his show. Shortly thereafter, he began using the term “rock ‘n’ roll” in reference to the music he was playing. It is rather common knowledge nowadays that this term, a euphemism for sex, had been an integral part of the vernacular of Black America for quite some time prior to Freed’s use of it on his radio show. (Interestingly, “Rock_and Roll” just happens to be the title of a 1934 disc by a white female vocal group from New Orleans called The Boswell Sisters.)
Well, there’s the bell, boys and girls. Next session will cover the rise of the Comets, and the song that almost wasn’t, “Rock Around the Clock.” Your assignment until then: be nice to a stranger. See you soon!
For more information visit:
Bill Haley and his Comets Rock Around The Web