July 6, 1925 — February 9, 1981

Rex Zario Collection	Zario Collection	London Features International
Bill Haley's meteoric rise took him from hillbilly singer to Rock & Roll's first superstar. LEFT: Haley with his Four Aces of Western Swing in 1948. CENTER: In 1953 Haley, now sporting his trademark "kiss curl" forelock, added a drummer and called his group the Comets. RIGHT: Bill Haley and the Comets — Rock & Roll's first international ambassadors.
Click here to listen to a profile of Bill Haley song clips

William John Clifton Haley Jr .

It was Bill Haley's dream, as a "hillbilly and western" singer, to appear on the Grand Ole Opry. Fate, however, had bigger plans for Bill Haley.

In 1948 Bill Haley and his band were called The Four Aces of Western Swing. As they were often referred to as simply The Four Aces, Haley decided to change the name because, as luck would have it, there was already a group in their hometown of Chester, Pennsylvania, called The Four Aces. And this other group was starting to receive national attention.

Haley and his next group, the Saddlemen, were billed as "The Cowboy Jive Band," reflecting their growing awareness of Rhythm & Blues. Their early hits, Rocket "88" (1951) and Rock The Joint (1952) - both R&B covers - are landmark Rock & Roll recordings.

At the time, however, Haley had little sense of direction, except that his music was becoming less C&W oriented. The Saddlemen became the Comets and, in the summer of 1953, released their first major hit, Crazy, Man, Crazy.

In spite of his hits, Haley couldn't hold onto Rock & Roll. He was never sure of what he had. Consequently he was unable to release two consecutive hits. Something remarkable would be followed by something equally inane.

His successes, however, had caught the ear of Milt Gabler of Decca Records. Gabler had a background in Jazz and R&B, working with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and, in particular, Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five. Gabler could see where Haley's music was coming from, and more importantly, where it was going.

Under Gabler's direction Bill Haley and the Comets recorded (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock and Shake, Rattle and Roll in 1954. When the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle was released with Rock Around The Clock as the title song, the floodgates were opened.

Bill Haley was inducted into the Rock + Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

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.Featured Sites .

Bill Haley Denise Gregoire's informative Rockabilly Hall of Fame site		Bill Haley and his Comets Rik Hull's site with bio, labels, sound files, video clips, links and more		Bill Haley Picture Gallery Chris Gardner's collection of rare and unpublished photos

Click on any link below for more information, or to order online

Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll		Sound and Glory
by John Swenson info / order		by John W Haley (Bill's son) and John von Hoelle info / order

Click on any link below for more information, or to order online

Bill Haley and his Comets		The Decca Years & More		Rock Around the Clock
UNI / MCA 1999 1 CD / 12 tracks info / order		Bear Family 1991 5 CDs / 132 tracks info / order		MCA 2004 1 CD / 15 tracks info / order

The Best of Bill Haley and his Comets: 1951-1954		Bill Haley: From Western Swing to Rock		Bill Haley and the Comets: For Dancers Only
Varese Sarabande 2004 1 CD / 18 tracks info / order		Import 2007 4 CDs / 90 tracks info / order		Rev-Ola 2005 1 CD / 25 tracks info / order

Other Bill Haley Recordings Available Online

Celebration: Bill Haley and the Comets (Madacy Records / 1CD / 10 tracks)

Bill Haley – Greatest Hits (Prime Cuts / 1CD / 10 tracks)

Golden Classics: Lucky 13 (Cleopatra / 1 CD / 13 tracks)

The Bill Haley Tapes (Jerden Records / 1 CD / interview with Red Robinson)

Click on any link below for more information, or to order online

Blackboard Jungle (1955 film)		Rock Around The Clock (1956 film)		Don't Knock The Rock / Rock Around The Clock (1956 films)		Encore Series: Bill Haley and his Comets
"(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" is title track. Introduces Rock & Roll to the world info / order VHS | DVD		Nine Haley songs. Introduces the Platters singing "The Great Pretender" and "Only You" info / order VHS | DVD		"Don't Knock features five Haley songs and introduces Little Richard singing "Long Tall Sally" and "Tutti Frutti" info / order VHS | DVD		Features footage of the band performing their classics info / order VHS | DVD

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click on any image to view enlargement

Saddlemen poster 1952	Blackboard Jungle poster 1955	Sheet music for Rock & Roll's Anthem	British Headlines 1957
When Haley and the Saddlemen started scoring hits with R&B songs in 1951, he promoted his group as "The Cowboy Jive Band." Reflecting these same two influences (Country and Blues) Elvis Presley, in 1954, was billed as the Hillbilly Cat. If you click on the poster to view the enlargement you'll notice "Country" music referred to as "Hillbilly," "Western" music referred to as "Cowboy," and black-influenced music referred to as "Jive."	Blackboard Jungle is best remembered as the film that introduced Rock & Roll to the World. At the time, however, Bill Haley's music was such a novelty that neither Haley nor Rock Around The Clock received credit on the theatrical poster.	Rock Around The Clock, written by Max Freedman and Jimmy De Knight, is considered the anthem of Rock & Roll. It sounded the death knoll for Tin Pan Alley dominance on the Pop charts. Ironically, the song was written by an Alleyman with connections in the movie industry. When first released in 1954 it was considered a novelty foxtrot. When re-released in '55, following its phenomenal success as the title song of Blackboard Jungle, it was Rock & Roll!	Haley's triumphant tour of England in 1957 would mark the highpoint of his career. He was the uncontested international King of Rock & Roll. But upon returning home to America however, 30-year-old Haley was unable to compete with the younger Rockabilly artists. He is remembered by many as the Father of Rock & Roll.

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