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Bill Haley
Bill Haley and His Comets in concert at Liège, Belgium May 1974.
Bill Haley and His Comets in concert at Liège, Belgium May 1974. Liège (ljɛːʒ Older English: Luick, Walloon: Lidje, German: Lüttich; Latin: Leodium, Dutch The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle" Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar.
Background information
Birth name William John Clifton Haley
Also known as Jack Haley, Johnny Clifton, Scott Gregory
Born July 6, 1925 (1925-07-06)
Origin Highland Park, Michigan
Died February 9, 1981 (aged 55)
Genre(s) Rock and roll, Country music
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, bandleader
Instrument(s) Guitar, slap bass
Years active 1946 – 1980
Label(s) Cowboy, Atlantic, Keystone, Center, Holiday, Essex, Decca, Warner Bros. Records, Orfeon, Dimsa, Newtown, Guest Star, Logo, APT, Gone, United Artists, Roulette, Sonet, Buddah, Antic
Associated acts Bill Haley & His Comets, The Down Homers, The Jodimars
This article is specifically about the singer. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles In Music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the Double bass and on the (electric Bass guitar. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Cowboy Records was a record label in Philadelphia Penn. It was founded by Buddy DeSylva and Johnny Mercer in 1942. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock Holiday Records was an American recording company based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which was active in the early 1950s. Essex Records was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1951 by David Miller primarily to record contemporary Country and western Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Warner Bros Records Inc is an American Record label that operates as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Warner Music Group. Orféon is a Record label from Mexico, which has released a large number of recordings for the Latin American market since at least the 1950s Orféon is a Record label from Mexico, which has released a large number of recordings for the Latin American market since at least the 1950s Logo Records was a British record company formed in the mid-1970s by British record executives Geoff Hannington and Olav Wyper Gone Records was a Record label founded by George Goldner that was active in the late 1950s and early 1960s United Artists Records was a Record label founded by Max E Youngstein of United Artists in 1958 initially to distribute Soundtracks Roulette Records is a Record label which was founded in late 1956 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with Sonet Records is a Jazz record company founded in Sweden in 1956 Buddah Records (now known as Buddha Records This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself The Jodimars was an American Rock and roll band that was formed in the summer of 1955 and remained active until 1958 For detailed information about his rock and roll group, see Bill Haley & His Comets. This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself

Bill Haley (pronounced [ˈheɪliː]) (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 mid-1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song Rock Around the Clock. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself For the movie named after the song see Rock Around the Clock (film.

Contents

Biography

Early life and career

Haley was born William John Clifton Haley (some sources append "Junior" to his name, but his eldest son states that this is erroneous) in Highland Park, Michigan and raised in Booth's Corner, Pennsylvania. Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Bethel Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Many sources (almost universally predating his death in 1981) 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 recent sources erroneously give a birth year of 1924.

Haley was blinded in his left eye as a child due to a botched operation. According to biographer John Swenson, Haley later adopted his distinctive spit-curl hairstyle to distract attention from his blind eye. The spit-curl caught on as a 50's style signature, although Haley and others had worn the hairstyle much earlier.

In 1946, Haley joined his first professional group, a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called the Down Homers run by Kenny Roberts. This article is about the Musical genre. For the popular western swing Steel guitar tuning see E9 tuning. It has often been reported in musical reference works that Haley's first professional recordings were made with the Down Homers on a pair of singles released in 1946 by Vogue Records. Vogue Records was a short-lived United States based Record label of the 1940s noted for the artwork embedded in the records themselves [1] This was later debunked by Roberts and others, stating Haley had already left the group by the time the singles were made. In the early 2000s, however, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is definitely present as he is identified by name and sings a solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel"; these recordings were commercially released for the first time in 2006.

When Haley gigged and became experienced on the professional music front, he created several groups. These included the Four Aces of Western Swing and the Range Drifters. With the Four Aces, he made some country hit singles in the late 1940s for Cowboy Records while working as a touring musician and, beginning in 1947 as musical director [2][3] at WPWA. Cowboy Records was a record label in Philadelphia Penn. It was founded by Buddy DeSylva and Johnny Mercer in 1942. WPWA (1590 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Spanish Religious format (Many of Haley's early recordings from this period would not be released until after his death. )

After disbanding the Four Aces and briefly trying a solo career using the names Jack Haley and Johnny Clifton (as chronicled in the biography Sound and Glory), Haley formed a new group called The Saddlemen in either 1949 or 1950 (sources vary as to the exact year); this new group recorded for several labels, including one single for Atlantic Records. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock

Haley was signed to Dave Miller's Philadelphia-based Holiday Records in 1951 and began to change musical styles, recording Rocket 88 (originally by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), and in, 1952, "Rock the Joint", previously recorded by several bands including Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians. Dave Miller was a Record producer and founder of Essex Records in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Holiday Records was an American recording company based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which was active in the early 1950s. This article is about the song For the band by this name see Rocket 88 (band. Jackie Brenston ( 15 August 1930, Clarksdale, Mississippi — 15 December 1979, Memphis, Tennessee "Rock the Joint", also known as We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight, is a Boogie song recorded by various proto- Rock and roll singers notably Jimmy Preston (b 18 August 1913 Chester Pennsylvania – d December 1984 Philadelphia PA) was an R&B bandleader alto saxophonist and singer who made (By the time of "Rock the Joint", Haley had graduated from Holiday Records to Miller's larger Essex label. [4] The relative success of these recordings (both sold in the 75,000-100,000 copy range in the Pennsylvania-New England region) made Haley believe that the combination of rhythm and blues, along with country could be successful. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the

In 1951 Haley crossed paths with The Treniers while playing in Wildwood, NJ. The Treniers were an American musical group led by Identical twins Cliff and Claude Trenier, with James Johnson on base After writing "Rock a Beatin' Boogie" The Treniers used the song in their live shows, and Haley arranged for the song to be recorded by two bands: in summer 1952 it was covered by the Esquire Boys (a band that featured Haley session guitarist Danny Cedrone),[5] and in 1953 by The Treniers. [6][7] Haley and The Comets did not record their own version of the song till 1955. [8]

Bill Haley & His Comets

Main article: Bill Haley & His Comets

During the Labor Day weekend in 1952, The Saddlemen were renamed Bill Haley with Haley's Comets (inspired by a popular mispronunciation of Halley's Comet), and in 1953, Haley's recording of "Crazy Man, Crazy" (co-written by Haley and his bass player, Marshall Lytle although Lytle wouldn't receive credit until 2001) became the first rock and roll song to hit the American charts. This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself Labor Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September Halley's Comet, officially designated 1P/Halley and also referred to as Comet Halley after Edmond Halley, is a Comet that can be seen every " Crazy Man Crazy " was the title of an early Rock and roll song first recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in April 1953 Marshall Lytle (b September 1, 1933, Old Fort North Carolina) who also goes by the name Tommy Page, is an Soon after, the band's name was revised to Bill Haley & His Comets.

In 1953, a song called Rock Around the Clock was written for Haley (Dawson 2005). He was unable to record it until April 12, 1954. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) Initially, it was relatively unsuccessful staying at the charts for only one week, 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 and became the first ever rock'n'roll song to enter British singles charts in December 1954 and became a Gold Record. For the Ice hockey player see Joe Turner Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr " Shake Rattle and Roll " is a prototypical Twelve bar blues -form Rock and roll song written in 1954 by Jesse Stone under his assumed songwriting The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located 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 behind the opening credits of the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle starring Glenn Ford, it soared to the top of the American Billboard charts for eight weeks, launching a musical revolution that opened the doors for the likes of Elvis Presley. Blackboard Jungle is a 1955 Social commentary film about teachers in an inner-city school Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford ( May 1, 1916 &ndash August 30, 2006) was a Canadian -born American See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry

"Rock Around the Clock" was the first record ever to sell over one million copies in both Britain and Germany and, in 1957, Haley became the first major American rock singer to tour Europe. 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 Rock Around the Clock and Don't Knock the Rock, both in 1956. " See You Later Alligator " (though more commonly spelled without the comma in the title is the title of an iconic Rock and roll song of the 1950s Rock Around the Clock is the title of a 1956 musical motion picture that featured Bill Haley and His Comets Don't Knock the Rock was a 1956 Rock and roll film starring Alan Dale as a rock star who returns to his hometown to rest up for the summer only His star was soon surpassed in the USA by the younger, sexier Elvis, but Haley continued to be a major star in Latin America, Mexico, and in Europe throughout the 1960s. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.

Death and legacy

A self-admitted alcoholic (as indicated in a 1974 radio interview for the BBC), Haley fought a battle with liquor well into the 1970s. Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Nonetheless, he and his band continued to be a popular touring act, enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1960s with the Rock and Roll Revival movement and the signing of a lucrative record deal with the European Sonet Records label. Sonet Records is a Jazz record company founded in Sweden in 1956 After performing for Queen Elizabeth II at a command performance in 1979, Haley made his final performances in South Africa in May and June of 1980. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Prior to the South African tour, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and a planned tour of Germany in the fall of 1980 was canceled. A brain tumor is any intracranial Tumor created by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division, normally either in the Brain itself ( Neurons Despite his ill health, Haley began compiling notes for possible use as a basis for either a biographical film based on his life, or a published autobiography (accounts differ), and there were plans for him to record an album in Memphis, Tennessee, when the brain tumor began affecting his behavior and he retired to his home in Harlingen, Texas where he died early on the morning February 9, 1981. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981

Media reports immediately following his death indicated Haley displayed deranged and erratic behavior in his final weeks, although beyond a biography of Haley by John Swenson released a year later which describes Haley painting the windows of his home black and making rambling late-night phone calls to friends and relatives, there is little information extant about Haley's final days. The exact cause of his death is controversial. Media reports, supported by Haley's death certificate (reproduced in the book Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll by John Swenson), suggest he died of "natural causes most likely heart attack". Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Members of Haley's family, however, contest that he died from the brain tumor. Haley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States

Songwriters Tom Russell and Dave Alvin addressed Haley's sad demise in musical terms with "Haley's Comet" on Alvin's 1991 album "Blue Blvd. " Dwight Yoakam sang backup on the tribute. Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American Country music Singer, Songwriter, and Actor

Haley's original Comets from 1954 and 1955 still tour the world to packed houses. Despite ranging in age from 72 to 84, the band shows no sign of slowing down, releasing a concert DVD in 2004 on Hydra Records, playing the trendy Viper Room in West Hollywood in 2005, and performing at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri in 2006-07. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is The Viper Room is a Nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. West Hollywood, a city in Los Angeles County California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984. Branson is a city in Stone and Taney counties in the US state of Missouri. In March 2007 The Original Comets pre opened the Bill-Haley-Museum in Munich Germany (Schleissheimerstr. 321,München www. rockithydra. de). On October 27th, 2007 ex Comets guitar player Bill Turner opened the Bill-Haley-Museum for the public. The Museum keeps the legacy and importance of Bill Haley & His Comets alive. There are hundreds of photos, posters,books,instruments,Gold Records,business papers and merchandise on display.

Asteroid

Main article - 79896 Billhaley

In February 2006, the International Astronomical Union announced the naming of asteroid 79896 Billhaley to mark the 25th anniversary of Bill Haley's death. 79896 Billhaley is a Main Belt Asteroid previously designated which in February 2006 was renamed in honor of Rock and roll pioneer Bill Haley Asteroids, sometimes called Minor planets or planetoids', are bodies—primarily of the inner Solar System —that are smaller than planets but 79896 Billhaley is a Main Belt Asteroid previously designated which in February 2006 was renamed in honor of Rock and roll pioneer Bill Haley

Children

Married three times, Bill Haley had at least eight children. John W. Haley, his eldest son, wrote Sound and Glory, a biography of Haley, while his youngest daughter, Gina Haley, is an up-and-coming musician based out of Los Angeles. Linda Georgina (Gina Haley (born April 23, 1975 in Mexico) is an American singer-songwriter Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Scott Haley is a noted athlete, while Bill's youngest son, Pedro Haley, is also a musician-in-the-making. He also had a daughter from his last marriage with Mrs. Martha Velasco, her name is Martha Maria

Bill Haley Jr. (b. 7/28/55), Bill's second son and first with Joan Barbara "Cuppy" Haley-Hahn, publishes a regional business magazine in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Route 422 Business Advisor). He sings and plays guitar with a band called "Lager Rhythms," and appeared with the "Original Comets" at the Bubba Mac Shack in Sommers Point NJ in 2004 and 2005, and at the Twin Bar re-dedication ceremony in Gloucester, NJ in 2007. He is currently writing a biography about his father, concentrating on the years 1949-61.

Biographies

Film portrayals

Unlike his contemporaries, Bill Haley has rarely been portrayed on screen. Following the success of The Buddy Holly Story in 1978, Haley expressed interest in having his life story committed to film, but this never came to fruition. For the Buddy Holly album see The Buddy Holly Story (album For the musical about Holly see Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story In the 1980s and early 1990s, numerous media reports emerged that plans were underway to do a biopic based upon Haley's life, with Beau Bridges, Jeff Bridges and John Ritter all at one point being mentioned as actors in line to play Haley (according to Goldmine Magazine, Ritter attempted to buy the film rights to Sound and Glory). Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is a four-time Academy Award -nominated American Actor and Musician. Jonathan Southworth “John” Ritter ( September 17, 1948 &ndash September 11 Goldmine, established in 1974 is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records tapes CDs and music-related memorabilia

Bill Haley has also been portrayed - not always in a positive light - in several "period" films:

In March 2005, the British network Sky TV reported that Tom Hanks was planning to produce a biopic on the life of Bill Haley, with production tentatively scheduled to begin in 2006. Richard Michael Barrett (born June 22, 1964) better known as Dicky Barrett, is the Frontman of Skacore band The Mighty The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are a Ska-core band from Boston, Massachusetts. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located British Sky Broadcasting ( BSkyB — Sky Television and BSB) is a company that operates Sky Digital, a subscription television service in the Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks (born July 9 1956 is an two-time Academy award and Emmy winning American Film actor, director However this rumor was quickly debunked by Hanks.

Discography

Prior to the formation of Bill Haley and the Saddlemen, which later became The Comets, Haley released several singles with other groups. Dates are approximate due to lack of documentation. (Source: the Bill Haley Database)

As Bill Haley and the Four Aces of Western Swing

1948

1949

As Johnny Clifton and His String Band

1949 or 1950

Many Haley discographies list two 1946 recordings by the Down Homers released on the Vogue Records label as featuring Haley. Cowboy Records was a record label in Philadelphia Penn. It was founded by Buddy DeSylva and Johnny Mercer in 1942. Vogue Records was a short-lived United States based Record label of the 1940s noted for the artwork embedded in the records themselves Haley historian Chris Gardner, as well as surviving members of the group, have confirmed that the two singles: "Out Where the West Winds Blow"/"Who's Gonna Kiss You When I'm Gone" (Vogue R736) and "Boogie Woogie Yodel"/"Baby I Found Out All About You" (Vogue R786) do not feature Haley. [10] However, the tracks were nonetheless included in the compilation box set Rock 'n' Roll Arrives released by Bear Family Records in 2006. Bear Family Records is a Germany -based Independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from Country music to 1950s

See the discography section of Bill Haley & His Comets for a list of the singles and album releases made by Haley with the Saddlemen and the Comets from 1950 onwards. This article is specifically about the rock and roll band See Bill Haley for biographical information regarding Haley himself

Unreleased recordings

Bill Haley recorded prolifically during the 1940s, often at the radio stations where he worked, or in formal studio settings. Virtually none of these recordings were ever released. Liner notes for a 2003 CD release by Hydra Records entitled Bill Haley and Friends Vol. 2: The Legendary Cowboy Recordings reveal that several additional Cowboy label single releases were planned for the Four Aces, but this never occurred.

A number of previously unreleased Haley country-western recordings from the 1946-1950 period began to emerge near the end of Haley's life, some of which were released by the Arzee label, with titles such as "Yodel Your Blues Away" and "Rose of My Heart. " Still more demos, alternate takes, and wholly unheard-before recordings have been released since Haley's death. Notable examples of such releases include the albums Golden Country Origins by Grassroots Records of Australia and Hillbilly Haley by the British label, Rollercoaster, as well as the aforementioned German release by Hydra Records. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. In 2006, Bear Family Records of Germany released what is considered to be the most comprehensive (yet still incomplete) collection of Haley's 1946-1950 recordings as part of its Haley box set Rock n' Roll Arrives. Bear Family Records is a Germany -based Independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from Country music to 1950s

Sources

Books

External links

Persondata
NAME Haley, William John Clifton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Haley, Bill; Clifton, Johnny; Gregory, Scott; Haley, Jack
SHORT DESCRIPTION Rock and roll music pioneer
DATE OF BIRTH 6 July 1925 (1925-07-06)
PLACE OF BIRTH Highland Park, Michigan
DATE OF DEATH 9 February 1981
PLACE OF DEATH Harlingen, Texas
Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States.
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