Donato Joseph "Danny" Cedrone (June 20, 1920 – June 17, 1954) was an American guitarist and bandleader, best known for his work with

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

on their epochal "

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was record ...

" in 1954.

Career

Cedrone was born in

Jamesville, New York Jamesville is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet made up of the outskirts of five towns: DeWitt, New York, DeWitt, LaFayette, New York, LaFayette, Manlius (town), New York, Manlius, Pompey, New York, Pompey and Onondaga, New York, Onondaga. Jamesville ...

. Cedrone's musical career began in the 1940s, but he came into his own in the early 1950s, first as a session guitarist hired by what was then a

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

musical group based out of

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

called Bill Haley and His Saddlemen. In 1951, Cedrone played lead on their recording of "

Rocket 88 "Rocket 88" (originally stylized as Rocket "88") is a song that was first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, in March 1951. The recording was credited to "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats", who were actually Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. The ...

" which is considered one of the first acknowledged

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

recordings. At around this time, Cedrone formed his own group, The Esquire Boys and this is believed to be one of the reasons he never joined Haley's group as a full-time member. In 1952, Cedrone played lead guitar on Haley's version of "

Rock the Joint "Rock the Joint", also known as "We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight", is a 1949 boogie song recorded by various proto-rock and roll singers, notably Jimmy Preston and early rock and roll singers, most notably Bill Haley in 1952. Preston's version ...

", and his swift guitar solo, which combined a jazz-influenced first half followed by a lightning-fast down-scale run, was a highlight of the recording. (Haley's piano player,

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 H ...

, later described this solo as a "trademark" that Cedrone often used.) Cedrone's involvement with the Esquire Boys kept him off of Haley's recording schedule for most of 1952 and 1953 (noted jazz guitarist

Art Ryerson Arthur Ryerson (May 22, 1913 – October 27, 2004) was a jazz guitarist who emerged in the 1930s, playing acoustic and electric guitar, as well as the banjo. He played with jazz orchestras and bands in the 1930s and the 1940s. In the early 19 ...

replaced him). During this time, Cedrone made a number of recordings with the Esquires, most notably two versions of the Bill Haley composition, "

Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie" is a 1952 song composed by Bill Haley and first recorded by the Esquire Boys in 1952. Bill Haley and the Comets recorded the song in 1955 for Decca. The song was featured in the 1956 movie '' Rock Around the Clock''. Back ...

", several years before Haley would record it himself. The first version was released in December, 1952 on Rainbow Records as 200. The Esquire Boys recorded a second version of "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie" in 1954 released as Guyden 705-A, which reached no. 42 on the Cashbox pop singles chart on October 30, 1954. "Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie" would also be recorded by Bill Haley and the Comets in 1955 on Decca, Buddy Morrow on Mercury, Johnny Curtis with the Toppers on Tops, Gabe Drake and his Rockets with the Orchestra under Maury Laws on Prom 1135, Willie Restum and His Music on Capitol, the Deep River Boys on HMV in 1956, Ivor and the Basil Kirchin Band in the UK,

Artie Malvin Artie Malvin (July 7, 1922 – June 16, 2006) was a composer and vocalist who was the baritone member of The Crew Chiefs. He also sang with Glenn Miller's band. Career During World War II, Malvin performed with Glenn Miller as part of The Cre ...

and the Rhythm Rockets on Waldorf Music Hall Records MH 33 149 in 1955 on the ''Rock and Roll'' album, Artie Malvin with the Deerhill Dudes on the Waldorf 33 BU 2 ''Rock 'N Roll Jamboree'' album in 1958, The Treniers on Okeh 7023, Truck Stop in 1973, Omar Lamparter, The Original Band, The Danish Sharks, The Jodimars in 1955 for Capitol which was unissued, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra in 2000. Cedrone returned to work with Haley's group in 1954, by which time it had been renamed The Comets. He played a key role in the band's first recording session for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

on April 12, 1954 when they recorded "

" in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. According to the book ''Rock Around the Clock'' by

Jim Dawson Jim Dawson (born September 10, 1944) is a Hollywood, California-based author who has specialized in American pop culture (especially early rock and roll) and the history of flatulence. A self-proclaimed "fartologist", he has written three book ...

, Cedrone had been unable to attend the session rehearsal and was uncertain what to play for the first instrumental break in the song. One of the Comets (accounts differ as to exactly who) suggested Cedrone repeat the solo he'd played on "Rock the Joint". Although Danny's wife Millie and daughter Marie recall an informal rehearsal at their home in South Philadelphia after dinner where the two men ran through a few solos, and the Rock The Joint break was one of them. Cedrone was paid only $21 for his work on the session, as at that time Haley chose not to hire a full-time guitarist for his group. Cedrone would also play on the June 7, 1954 recording session for Haley's version of "

Shake, Rattle and Roll "Shake, Rattle and Roll" is a song, written in 1954 by Jesse Stone (usually credited as Charles Calhoun, his songwriting name). The original recording by Big Joe Turner is ranked number 127 on the ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of The 500 Gr ...

" although he was not allotted the chance for another notable guitar solo. On June 17, ten days after this session and three days before his 34th birthday , Cedrone died of a broken neck after falling down a staircase (some sources say he died of a heart attack). His place as session musician in the Comets was taken by

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 co ...

, who would later graduate to full Comets member. Eight months after Cedrone's death, "Rock Around the Clock" was included on the opening credits of the film ''

Blackboard Jungle ''Blackboard Jungle'' is a 1955 American social drama film about an English teacher in an interracial inner-city school, based on the 1954 novel ''The Blackboard Jungle'' by Evan Hunter and adapted for the screen and directed by Richard Brooks. I ...

'' and became the first rock and roll recording to hit the top of the American charts. Subsequently the song was performed on TV many times by Haley and the Comets; on several occasions (depending upon the demands of the program) the band would

lip-synch Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated thr ...

to the 1954 recording. As a result, footage exists of both Bill Haley (on ''

The Milton Berle Show ''Texaco Star Theater'' was an American comedy-variety show, broadcast on radio from 1938 to 1949 and telecast from 1948 to 1956. It was one of the first successful examples of American television broadcasting, remembered as the show that gave Mi ...

'') and Franny Beecher (''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'' and the 1956 film, ''

'') miming to Cedrone's original solo. Beecher, himself an acclaimed and respected guitarist, did not begin to actually emulate Cedrone's solo until as late as the 1980s. Up until that point, Beecher replaced the down-scale run that Cedrone used to conclude his "Clock" guitar solo with a series of fast

arpeggio A broken chord is a chord broken into a sequence of notes. A broken chord may repeat some of the notes from the chord and span one or more octaves. An arpeggio () is a type of broken chord, in which the notes that compose a chord are played ...

Personal life and legacy

Cedrone had four daughters with wife Millie. His family had attempted to get Cedrone named to the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

where his guitar has been on display in the Hall since 1998 (this is due to the Hall changing its rules a few years back to allow noted session musicians and backing groups to be admitted separately; previously only Bill Haley (not The Comets or individual members thereof) was a member of the Hall. Cedrone was finally inducted into the

as a member of the Comets in 2012, by a special committee aiming to correct the mistake of not inducting the band with Bill Haley in 1987. Numerous guitar players over the years, including

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

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Chris Spedding Christopher John Spedding (born Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944) is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his st ...

Brian Setzer Brian Robert Setzer (born April 10, 1959) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly group Stray Cats, and returned to the music scene in the early 1990s with ...

Danny Gatton Daniel Wood Gatton Jr. (September 4, 1945 – October 4, 1994) was an American virtuoso guitarist who combined blues, rockabilly, jazz, and country to create a musical style he called "redneck jazz". Career Daniel Wood Gatton Jr. was born in ...

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and the group

Ten Years After Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...

have gone on record as naming Cedrone's solo on "Rock Around the Clock" as an influence on their own work.

Recordings with Haley

Although well-identified with Bill Haley & His Comets, Cedrone only appears on a handful of the group's recordings. This is a list of the known Haley recordings on which Cedrone is either believed to have performed or has been confirmed, including recordings when the band was known as the Saddlemen. Due to a lack of documentation, Cedrone's involvement in recordings from 1951–52 is not confirmed but is supported by anecdotal evidence from surviving musicians, as well as by books such as the Haley biographies ''Sound and Glory'' by John Haley and John von Hoelle and ''Bill Haley'' by John Swenson. (Additional source: Chris Gardner's Bill Haley Database a
Bill Haley Central.com
* "

" (June 14, 1951) * "Tearstains On My Heart" (

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of above; same recording date) * "I'm Crying" (August 1951) * "Pretty Baby" (B-side of above; same recording date) * "Tag Along" (unreleased recording, August 1951) * "A Year Ago This Christmas" (October 1951) * "I Don't Want to Be Alone This Christmas" (B-side of above) * "Sundown Boogie" (January 1952) – note: the A-side of this recording, " Jukebox Cannonball", does not feature a lead guitar. * "Rock the Joint" (April 1952) – note: this is the earliest recording on which Cedrone's involvement is definitely confirmed. According to Cedrone's children, he did not perform on the song's B-side, "Icy Heart". * "Dance With a Dolly" (1952) * "Rockin' Chair On the Moon" (1952) * "Stop Beatin' Around the Mulberry Bush" (1952) * " Real Rock Drive" (1952) * "

" (April 12, 1954) * "Thirteen Women" (B-side of above) * "

" (June 7, 1954) * "ABC Boogie" (B-side of above) Some sources such as Swenson's biography of Haley erroneously indicate that Cedrone performed on "

Crazy Man Crazy "Crazy Man, Crazy" was the title of an early rock and roll song written by, and first recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in April 1953. It is notable as the first recognized rock and roll recording to appear on the national American musical char ...

" and other recordings in 1953, however during these sessions the lead guitar player (per Gardner) was

. According to Gardner's database, a second unreleased recording from the August 1951 recording session may exist, but to date it has yet to be located and identified. No film footage or live performance recordings of Cedrone performing with the Comets is known to exist, and it is believed that he never performed with the band on stage.

Esquire Boys discography

* "Darling Come Back To Me"/"Forgetting You" with Kay Karol, Top Tune 447, 1951 (reissued as Rainbow 178 in 1952). * "We Drifted Apart"/"Caravan", Rainbow 188, 1952 * "

" ersion #1"If It's Love You Want To Borrow" with Kay Karol, Rainbow 200, 1952. * "Guitar Boogie Shuffle"/"Taboo", Nickelodeon 102, 1953 * "

" ersion #2"St. Louis Blues", Guyden 705, 1954, #42, Cashbox, October 30, 1954 Note: Guyden 705 was also released as a 45 single in Belgium on the Ronnex Records label as 1703.Recordings by 'The Esquire Boys'.
/ref> The band was still active after Cedrone's death, and disbanded in the late 1950s.

Sources

* Dawson: ''Rock Around the Clock: The Record That Started the Rock Revolution'' (Backbeat Books, 2005) * John W. Haley and John von Hoelle: ''Sound and Glory'' (Dyne-American, 1990) * John Swenson: ''Bill Haley'' (Star Books, 1982)

References

External links

*
Rockabilly Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cedrone, Danny American rock guitarists American male guitarists People from DeWitt, New York 1920 births 1954 deaths American session musicians Bill Haley & His Comets members 20th-century American musicians Guitarists from New York (state) 20th-century American guitarists Accidental deaths in Pennsylvania Accidental deaths from falls 20th-century American male musicians