"Rudy's Rock" is a 1956 instrumental composed by

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-sel ...

and

Rudy Pompilli Rudolph Clement Pompilii (April 16, 1924 – February 5, 1976) was an American musician best known for playing tenor saxophone with Bill Haley and His Comets. He was usually credited under the alternate spelling Rudy Pompilli and occasionally as ...

and released as a Decca single. The song appeared in the 1956

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movie ''

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 ...

''.

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 ''

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'' and number 38 on ''

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 ...

''. 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 ''

''. 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, the song was augmented by acrobatic slap-bass playing (in the original recording and film by Al Rex). The song was performed on ''

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 Septembe ...

'' on Sunday, April 28, 1957 when Bill Haley and the Comets made their second appearance on the show. They also performed the song on October 20, 1958 in Brussels, Belgium at the Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS) and in Lima, Peru, in 1961, with Al Dean on saxophone in a radio broadcast version (during a brief period when Pompilli had left the band). It was a major part of Haley's stage show for the rest of his career. Live versions of the song appeared on the live albums ''Bill Haley's Scrapbook'' (recorded in New York City in December 1969 for Kama Sutra/Buddah Records) and ''Live in London '74'' (recorded in London, England in March 1974 for Antic Records). In addition, near the end of his life Pompilli recorded an updated studio version of the song in 1975 for the Sonet Records album ''Rudy's Rock: The Sax That Changed the World'', which was credited to Rudy Pompilli and the Comets. After Pompilli's death in 1976, Haley and the Comets continued to perform the song in his memory, such as a 1976 appearance on Austrian television on the show ''Spotlight'' hosted by Peter Rapp in which Pompilli's sax part was played by replacement player George Baker. The 1956 recording appeared on the 1972 MCA career retrospective compilation album ''Golden Hits'' and the 1985 ''From the Original Master Tapes'' CD album.

Other versions

"Rudy's Rock" has been performed live in concert by Bill Haley's New Comets featuring Bill Turner on their 2011 European Tour, The Ballroom Kings, The Crown Vics, The Metrotones in Senigallia, Italy in 2007, Josh Joy, Rhythmically Challenged at the 2008 Redwood Coast Jazz Festival, The Gangsters, TR and The Rockets in 2008, The Jive Romeros in 2007, The Dynamite Band on a 1982 UK 6-5 TV Special, Franny and the Fireballs in Hamburg, Germany, and by Phil Haley and His Comments.

Personnel (original 1956 recording)

- tenor saxophone *

– rhythm guitar *

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 ...

– lead guitar * Billy Williamson – steel guitar *

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 ...

– piano *

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 1 ...

– bass *

Ralph Jones Ralph Robert "Curley" Jones (September 22, 1880 – July 26, 1951) was an American high school and college American football, football and college basketball, basketball coach. He also served as the head coach for the Chicago Bears of the Na ...

– drums

References

Sources

*Jim Dawson, Rock Around the Clock: The Record That Started the Rock Revolution! (Backbeat Books, 2005). *John W. Haley and John von Hoëlle, Sound and Glory (Wilmington, DE: Dyne-American, 1990) *John Swenson, Bill Haley (London: W.H. Allen, 1982) {{Bill Haley & His Comets Songs about rock music 1956 songs Bill Haley songs