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Rudy's Rock
"Rudy's Rock" is a 1956 instrumental composed by Bill Haley and Rudy Pompilli and released as a Decca single. The song appeared in the 1956 Columbia Pictures movie ''Rock Around the Clock''. Background The saxophone solo was by Rudy Pompilli, who played tenor saxophone in the band. The instrumental consisted of an extended saxophone solo by Pompilli with a drumming interlude performed by Ralph Jones. "Rudy's Rock" was released as a Decca 78, 30085A, backed with "Blue Comet Blues" in 1956. The single reached number 34 on ''Billboard'' and number 38 on ''Cash Box''. In the UK, the single reached number 30 in November, 1956 and re-charted at number 26 in December, 1956. "Rudy's Rock" appeared on the Decca album Rock and Roll Stage Show in 1956. The Comets performed "Rudy's Rock" in the 1956 film ''Rock Around the Clock''. Unlike other songs in the movie, "Rudy's Rock" was performed live on camera, and this version was not released on CD until the late 1990s. In live performance, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Haley
William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-selling hits such as "Rock Around the Clock", " See You Later, Alligator", " Shake, Rattle and Roll", " Rocket 88", " Skinny Minnie", and "Razzle Dazzle". Haley has sold over 60 million records worldwide. In 1987, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Biography Early life and career Haley was born July 6, 1925 in Highland Park, Michigan. In 1929, the four-year-old Haley underwent an inner-ear mastoid operation which accidentally severed an optic nerve, leaving him blind in his left eye for the rest of his life. It is said that he adopted his trademark kiss curl over his right eye to draw attention from his left, but it also became his "gimmick", and added to his popularity. As a result of the effects of the Grea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songs About Rock Music
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections. Written words created specifically for music, or for which music is specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to composed music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall are called chants. Songs composed in a simple style that are learned informally "by ear" are often referred to as folk songs. Songs that are composed for professional singers who sell their recordings or live shows to the mass market are called popular songs. These songs, which have broad appeal, are often composed by professional songwriters, composers, and lyricists. Art songs are composed by trained classical composers fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ralph Jones (musician)
Ralph Jones (February 28, 1921 – June 1, 2000) was an American drummer, best known for his work with Bill Haley & His Comets. Jones was ultimately Haley's fifth, joining The Comets at their peak in 1955 and ultimately staying until 1960. Jones played on many of Haley's hit records on Decca, including "See You Later, Alligator". Career Jones auditioned to become the drummer for The Comets in November 1955, replacing former drummer Don Raymond. At the time of joining, Jones was working as a milkman. With the recording of the hit "See You Later, Alligator" in December, Jones became the first drummer of the Comets to be featured in a recording session (previous drummers were replaced by session musicians). Film appearances He appeared as a member of the band in the 1950s films ''Rock Around the Clock'' (1956), ''Don't Knock the Rock'' (1957), and ''Here I Am, Here I Stay'' (1958). Legacy In 2012, Jones along with most of the other 1950-1960 members of the Comets were inducted into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Rex
Albert Floyd Piccirilli (July 13, 1928 – May 24, 2020), also known by his stage name Al Rex, was an American bass player for Bill Haley & His Comets and its predecessor Bill Haley and the Saddlemen. Background He started playing for them in 1949 and became noted for "wild antics" on stage. He formed his own band, Al Rex and the Regaleers in 1960. He left the music industry soon after, although he continued to perform on occasion. He later had a wife and fathered eight children. On May 24, 2020, he died in his Norristown, Pennsylvania home from pneumonia. He was the last surviving of the Comets. Film appearances He appeared as a member of the band in the 1950s films ''Rock Around the Clock'' (1956) and ''Don't Knock the Rock ''Don't Knock the Rock'' is a 1956 American musical film starring Alan Dale and Alan Freed. Directed by Fred F. Sears, the film also features performances by Bill Haley & His Comets, Little Richard, The Treniers, and Dave Appell and the App ...'' (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnny Grande
John Andrew Grande (January 14, 1930 – June 3, 2006) was a member of Bill Haley's backing band, The Comets. Life and career Born in South Philadelphia, Grande played piano and accordion with Bill Haley and the Saddlemen, later known as Bill Haley & His Comets, from 1949 to 1962-63. One of his jobs was to keep track of musical arrangements for the group as he was one of the few members who could read sheet music. Grande and steel guitarist Billy Williamson were both members of the country band, Southern Swingsters before convincing Bill Haley to start a new group, the Saddlemen in 1949. Grande was one of the original business partners who formed the Saddlemen (the other partners being Bill Haley himself (d. 1981) and steel guitarist Billy Williamson (d. 1995)). During the Labor Day weekend of 1952, the Saddlemen, realizing that their musical style was moving away from country and western decided to change their name to The Comets. Although primarily a piano player, Grande pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Williamson (guitarist)
William Famous Williamson (February 9, 1925 – March 22, 1996) was the American steel guitar player for Bill Haley and His Saddlemen, and its successor group Bill Haley & His Comets, from 1949 to 1963. Life and career A founding member of both the Saddlemen and the Comets, Williamson often acted as the band's emcee and comic relief during live concerts; he also played lead guitar on occasion. He was with the band when they recorded "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954 and appeared with the band when they performed the song on the Milton Berle Show and the Ed Sullivan Show in 1955. Williamson had the distinction of being the only Comet allowed to record lead vocal tracks during Haley's tenure at Decca Records (such as the song "Hide and Seek" on their 1956 album, '' Rock and Roll Stage Show'' and "B.B. Betty" on the 1958 '' Bill Haley's Chicks'' album. He also shared a number of songwriting credits with Haley. His wife, Catherine Cafra, was also credited as co-writer of a number of son ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Franny Beecher
Francis Eugene Beecher (September 29, 1921 – February 24, 2014) was the lead guitarist for Bill Haley & His Comets from 1954 to 1962, and is best remembered for his innovative guitar solos combining elements of country music and jazz. He composed the classics "Blue Comet Blues", "Goofin' Around", "Week End", "The Catwalk", and "Shaky" when he was the lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets. He continued to perform with surviving members of the Comets into 2006. In 2012, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Beecher as a member of the Comets by a special committee, aimed at correcting the previous mistake of not inducting the Comets with Bill Haley. Career By the time Beecher became associated with Bill Haley, he had already had a lengthy career as a guitarist, having performed and recorded with the Benny Goodman Orchestra, which he joined in 1948, at a time Goodman was experimenting with music in the bebop idiom. He also worked with other big bands, with singer and f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television program, television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CBS Sunday Movie, CBS Sunday Night Movie''. In 2002, ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' was ranked No. 15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, ''TV Guide''s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 2013, the series finished No. 31 in ''TV Guide'' Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time. History From 1948 until its cancellation in 1971, the show ran on CBS every Sunday night from 8–9 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, Eastern Time, and it is one of the few entertainment shows to have run in the same weekly time slot on the same network for more than two decades (during its first season, it ran from 9 to 10 p.m. ET). Virtually every type of entertainment appeared on the show; classical musicians, opera singers, popular recording ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rock And Roll Stage Show
''Rock 'n Roll Stage Show'' is the first studio album and fourth overall album by rock and roll band Bill Haley and His Comets. Released by Decca Records in August 1956, it was the group's first album to include new, as opposed to previously released material. Although the album spawned several singles, it also featured several album-only tracks. Of the released singles, "Rudy's Rock" reached No. 34 on ''Billboard'' and No. 38 on ''Cashbox'', "Hot Dog Buddy Buddy" reached No. 36 on ''Cashbox'', and "Rockin Thru the Rye" reached No. 39 on ''Cashbox'' The album was number one for one week in the UK on Brusnwick Records on the official Record Retailers (RR) chart in 1956. Content ''Rock 'n Roll Stage Show'' moved away from focusing solely on Bill Haley as the main singer, and included several instrumental recordings, including "Rudy's Rock" featuring tenor saxophone player Rudy Pompilli, which was featured (in a different performance) in the motion picture ''Rock Around the Clock'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online magazine with weekly charts and occasional special print issues. In addition to the music industry, the magazine covered the amusement arcade industry, including jukebox machines and arcade games. History Print edition charts (1952–1996) ''Cashbox'' was one of several magazines that published record charts in the United States. Its most prominent competitors were '' Billboard'' and '' Record World'' (known as ''Music Vendor'' prior to April 1964). Unlike ''Billboard'', ''Cashbox'' combined all currently available recordings of a song into one chart position with artist and label information shown for each version, alphabetized by label. Originally, no indication of which version was the biggest seller was given, but from October 25, 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
