Joseph W. Welz (born Welzant, March 17, 1940) is an American musician best known for his tenure as pianist 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 ...

Early life and education

Welz was born in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

to Melba Welzant, a teacher and concert pianist, and Joseph Welzant, a Baltimore city police officer.

Career

Welz started his music career with his group the Jay Rockers in the 1950s. Welz was amongst the first group of rock and roll pianists to start using the boogie-woogie style with his left hand. He attributes this to the lack of a bassist in his band, forcing him to play basslines using his left hand. In interviews he has stated that it also came in handy when he joined the Comets because the notes coming from the upright bass were often inaudible due to the limits of amplification at that time. He attracted the attention of Bill Haley when The Jay Rockers opened for the Comets. While serving as a recording engineer for the Armed Forces Network in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Welz recorded and co-produced a live session for

for AFN

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. This was the first occasion that Welz played on a Bill Haley & His Comets record, providing backing vocals on " Shake, Rattle and Roll" and playing on "Honky Tonk". This session was released years later on Hydra Records. Upon exiting the military in 1963, Welz joined the Comets as pianist following the departure of Johnny Grande. It was also during this time that Welz signed a record deal with

Canadian-American Records Canadian-American Records is a record label founded by Leonard Zimmer and based in New York City and Winnipeg, Manitoba. The most popular artists for the label were the duo of Santo & Johnny and the singer Linda Scott Linda Scott (born Linda ...

and released the single "Hey Little Moonbeam" which he co-wrote with Steve Lawrence. He would continue to play with The Comets until 1966. In 1969, Welz recorded an album entitled "Listen To The Voices" with

Link Wray Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. (May 2, 1929 – November 5, 2005) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. ''Rolling Stone'' placed Wray at No. 45 of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. In 2013 ...

which was released on Music City Records. Welz also recorded an album called "Revival Fires" with Roy Buchanan in the late 1960s. After Haley's death in 1981 Welz organized a Comets reunion which performed on

The Tomorrow Show ''The Tomorrow Show'' (also known as ''Tomorrow with Tom Snyder'' or ''Tomorrow'' and, after 1980, ''Tomorrow Coast to Coast'') is an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder which aired on NBC in first run form from October ...

with

Tom Snyder Thomas James Snyder (May 12, 1936 – July 29, 2007) was an American television personality, news anchor, and radio personality best known for his late night talk shows '' Tomorrow'', on the NBC television network in the 1970s and 1980s, and '' ...

on NBC. This was followed by a tour of America and a single penned by Welz, Al Rappa and

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 ...

entitled "Bring Back the Music" in 1982. Welz spent a majority of the 1980s in the studio with the Great Train Robbery, recording heavier rock and roll, including "In My Car", "Rockin' In America", and a heavy metal version of "

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 ...

" which Welz co-wrote with the original writer

James E. Myers James Edward Myers (October 26, 1919 – May 10, 2001) was an American songwriter, music publisher, actor, director, producer, and raconteur. Myers is best known as the credited co-writer of " Rock Around the Clock" for which he used the pseudon ...

. He is the owner and CEO of

and Caprice International Records. In the 1990s Welz began writing and recording country music in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

with the Nashville Now Band and placed several singles on the Cashbox chart including a country version of "Rock Around the Clock", "One Way Ticket", "Rockabilly", "Back to a Better Time" and the "Nashville Now Boogie". In 1992, Welz signed with Caprice International/BMG. Since the early 2000s Welz has annually toured in France with the Captain Joe Combo. Welz continues to write and produce new albums up to the present day.

Personal life

Welz currently resides in

Lititz Lititz is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of the city of Lancaster. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 9,370. History Lititz was founded by members of the Moravian Church in 1756 and was named af ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, where he has converted his home into a museum known as The Rock Around The Clock Hall of Fame.

Honors

* 1992: Rockabilly Hall of Fame (the Netherlands) * 2005: International Rockabilly Hall of Fame (Jackson, Tennessee) * 2008: Memphis Heritage Music Hall of Fame (Memphis, Tennessee)

Selected discography

Albums

* 1967: ''Vintage Ballads to Remember Her By'' (Palmer Records) * 1972: ''The Ivory Decade of Joey Welz'' (Canadian American) * 1974: ''Listen to the Voices That Want to Be Free'' (Music City Records) * 1989: ''My Kind of Country Is Rock 'N' Roll'' (Caprice International Records) * 1990: ''Awake'' (Caprice International Records) * 1991: ''Revival Fires'' — Joey Welz and Roy Buchanan (Palmer Records) * 2013: ''Link Wray Featuring Joey Welz - Rumble & Roll'' (Music Avenue) * 2016: ''21st Century Song Man'' (Canadian American/ Sony Music) * 2017: ''Rock Around the Clock'' — Joey Welz The Comet MC (Canadian American / Sony Records) * 2018: ''Livin' in a Hip Hop World'' (Canadian American / Sony Music)

Singles

* 1959: "Boppin' the Stroll" (Bat Records) * 1963: "The Whistling Piano Man / The Mystery of Love" (Bat Records) * 1965: "I'm a Lonely Guy / Hey Rattlesnake" (Leedle) * 1968: "Ponchinello (You Silly Little Clown) / A Soldier's Star" (Canadian-American Records) * 1983: "In My Car" (Fraternity Records) * 1986: "Rock Around the Clock" (Caprice International Records) * 1986: "The Return of Haley's Comet" (Caprice International Records) * 1987: "Rockin' in America / Dancin' in the U.S.A." (American Radio Records) * 1987: "I Love the Radio" (American Radio Records) * 1987: "In My Car" (Caprice International Records) * 1992: "Spanish Rose From Mexico" (Caprice International Records)

References

External links

*
Joey Welz
at

CD Baby CD Baby, Inc. is an online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. The CD Baby music store was shut down in March 2020 with a statement that "C ...

Joey Welz Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2019) {{DEFAULTSORT:Welz, Joey 1940 births Living people American rock pianists American male pianists Bill Haley & His Comets members People from Lititz, Pennsylvania Musicians from Baltimore 20th-century American pianists