This Day in Music History: Bill Haley and the Comets

I have decided to change the title of this part of my blog from It Was __ Years Ago Today to This Day in Music History. It just seems more fitting and you can figure out how many years ago it was when I give you the date. This day in music history actually got started several weeks ago when Bill Haley and the Comets took the song (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock to the #1 spot on Billboards Charts on July 9, 1955. They held it for an impressive 8 weeks in a row. This was not the first rock and roll record but it was the first to be popular with a wide audience in the country and it gave Bill Haley the title that no other musician has ever held. He is considered the Father of Rock and Roll. The rock era had begun. Mr. Haley was not the one who even coined the term Rock and Roll. That honor goes to Cleveland DJ Alan Freed. Mr. Freed is the reason why Cleveland is considered the home of rock and roll and home to the rock and roll hall of fame.
In 1953 Bill Haley and the Comets were signed to Holiday Records owned by Dave Miller. At that time two songwriters, Max Freedman and Jimmy DeKnight wrote a song with Bill Haley and the Comets in mind to record it. Dave Miller however did not like Jimmy DeKnight and refused to let them record the song. Once their contract was up with Mr. Miller the group signed with Decca Records. In April of that year they went in to the studio to record two songs. One was called Thirteen Women and the other was the song that Dave Miller refused to let them record. It was Rock Around the Clock. The song was not a hit right off the bat. Mr. DeKnight decided to help it by sending copies of it to everyone he could think of in Hollywood. In 1955 the Glenn Ford film Blackboard Jungle was released and its theme song was Rock Around the Clock. Suddenly everyone wanted to buy the record. It was re-released and went to #1 on the charts.
In 1956 movie produce Sam Katzman signed Haley and his group to star in a movie called Rock Around the Clock. This was the start of bringing rock and roll to the movie and later the TV screens. So in around about way this would make Sam Katzman the father of the music video.
Bill Haley was never able to match the success of Rock Around the Clock. He was still popular enough in Europe to tour around the world. He did enjoy a brief wave of renewed popularity in the 60’s. However by the 70’s Haley fell into alcoholism. He died on February 9, 1981 at his home in Texas. Cause of death is listed as “natural causes most likely a heart attack.”

The above photo of Bill Haley and the Comets I got from this auction site.
Below you can see Bill Haley preform his biggest hit live when he was in concert in Austria in 1976. Just click on it and click on the control panel to view the preformance.