Post by Rob Durkee on Apr 11, 2012 21:42:29 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
When the song was first recorded 58 years ago this month on April 12, 1954, hardly anybody noticed.
For almost a year.
After all, the song was supposed to be the throwaway B side to "Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town)."
Still, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets would become the first bonafide #1 rock and roll single on the Cash Box pop chart by the late summer of 1955.
Today, it's still known as our rock and roll national anthem as well as the biggest selling rock and roll single of all time with sales of at least 25 million copies. There was even a 1956 movie ENTITLED "Rock Around The Clock."
Not bad for a song that's only 128 seconds long...and in part borrowed from an earlier song by Haley and His Comets. According to rock music historian Ronnie Allen, "Rock The Joint" from 1952, a/k/a "We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight," has the same guitar solo note-for-note as "Rock Around The Clock."
When it comes to ranking the 20th Century's greatest songs, this writer ranks "Rock Around The Clock" at #4. The only songs ahead of it are, in 1-2-3 order, "Yesterday," "Star Dust" and "White Christmas."
"Rock Around The Clock" was endured through the years so much so that it would re-enter the Cash Box pop chart 20 years after its initial recording, peaking at #36 in 1974. That was thanks to "Clock" becoming the theme song of the TV show "Happy Days."
"Thirteen Women" and "Rock Around The Clock" had little success when first released, though. In fact, according to writer Fred Bronson, it took Bill Haley and His Comets three more releases with "Shake, Rattle And Roll," "Dim Dim The Lights" and "Mambo Rock" before "Clock" got its big break.
Jimmy Meyers, who as Jimmy DeKnight co-wrote "Clock" along with Max Friedman, had sent copies to everyone he knew in Hollywood. The people behind a movie about unruly New York City ghetto high school students were listening. "The Blackboard Jungle" was released in March of 1955, about eleven months after "Rock Around The Clock" was originally recorded. The song was heard at the start and finish on the movie's soundtrack. Glenn Ford starred as teacher Richard Dadier, whose unruly students were played by, among others, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow and Jamie Farr.
Needless to say, the violence depicted in "Blackboard Jungle" gave "Rock Around The Clock" and rock music in general a bad name. One scene in the movie had a student trying to rape a teacher, something considered extremely violent for the mid-1950's. In another scene, Dadier is writing his name with a piece of chalk on a blackboard with his back to the students. One of them throws a baseball that hits the blackboard. But Dadier stands up to his students starting with that incident. He picks up the baseball and tells his class, "I'll tell you one thing. You'll never pitch for the Yankees."
Thus, music critics and the older generation who grew up on big band music called this new style of music everything from "the devil's music" to something that contributed greatly to juvenile delinquency. Even though those critics claimed rock and roll music was just a fad that would soon die, it never did. That was thanks to early rockers like Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone, the Platters, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.
The exact number of singles and album releases by Bill Haley and His Comets from 1950-80 isn't known but here's an estimate: According to Wikipedia, Bill Haley and His Comets had at least 89 singles and 27 albums on at least 19 different labels. For sure, Bill Haley and His Comets had 15 Cash Box charted hits. The group's first, "Crazy Man, Crazy" reached #7 in the summer of 1953 in what's generally recognized as the the first rock and roll top tenner. Over the years, it's believed there were at least 100 different members of the Comets.
Likewise, there's almost no limit to the collectable Bill Haley and The Comets material nowadays. For starters, though, this writer recommends two boxed sets put out by Bear Family Records of Germany. One covers the group's pre-"Rock Around The Clock" years. It's entitled, "Rock 'N' Roll Arrives...Bill Haley And His Comets..The REAL birth of Rock 'n' Roll, 1946-1954." The other has a self-explanatory title: "Bill Haley And His Comets...The Decca Years and more." Both sets include outstanding booklets with dozens of priceless photos.
Bill Haley's later years were plagued by bouts of alcoholism and paranoia. He was 55 when he died on February 9, 1981 in Harlingen, Texas. Amazingly, after Haley's death, there were at least six different groups claiming to be Haley's backup group. As of four years ago in 2008, there were at least three such groups performing all over the world.
According to writer Clifford Hughes, the only for-real Comets are scheduled to perform in Branson, Missouri, from the middle of this month (April 2012) until mid-November. The only living two original Comets are part of this group. They are sax player Joey D'Ambrosio, who's about 89 years old, and drummer Dick Richards, who's about 77, The Comets are due to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year.
When the song was first recorded 58 years ago this month on April 12, 1954, hardly anybody noticed.
For almost a year.
After all, the song was supposed to be the throwaway B side to "Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town)."
Still, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets would become the first bonafide #1 rock and roll single on the Cash Box pop chart by the late summer of 1955.
Today, it's still known as our rock and roll national anthem as well as the biggest selling rock and roll single of all time with sales of at least 25 million copies. There was even a 1956 movie ENTITLED "Rock Around The Clock."
Not bad for a song that's only 128 seconds long...and in part borrowed from an earlier song by Haley and His Comets. According to rock music historian Ronnie Allen, "Rock The Joint" from 1952, a/k/a "We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight," has the same guitar solo note-for-note as "Rock Around The Clock."
When it comes to ranking the 20th Century's greatest songs, this writer ranks "Rock Around The Clock" at #4. The only songs ahead of it are, in 1-2-3 order, "Yesterday," "Star Dust" and "White Christmas."
"Rock Around The Clock" was endured through the years so much so that it would re-enter the Cash Box pop chart 20 years after its initial recording, peaking at #36 in 1974. That was thanks to "Clock" becoming the theme song of the TV show "Happy Days."
"Thirteen Women" and "Rock Around The Clock" had little success when first released, though. In fact, according to writer Fred Bronson, it took Bill Haley and His Comets three more releases with "Shake, Rattle And Roll," "Dim Dim The Lights" and "Mambo Rock" before "Clock" got its big break.
Jimmy Meyers, who as Jimmy DeKnight co-wrote "Clock" along with Max Friedman, had sent copies to everyone he knew in Hollywood. The people behind a movie about unruly New York City ghetto high school students were listening. "The Blackboard Jungle" was released in March of 1955, about eleven months after "Rock Around The Clock" was originally recorded. The song was heard at the start and finish on the movie's soundtrack. Glenn Ford starred as teacher Richard Dadier, whose unruly students were played by, among others, Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow and Jamie Farr.
Needless to say, the violence depicted in "Blackboard Jungle" gave "Rock Around The Clock" and rock music in general a bad name. One scene in the movie had a student trying to rape a teacher, something considered extremely violent for the mid-1950's. In another scene, Dadier is writing his name with a piece of chalk on a blackboard with his back to the students. One of them throws a baseball that hits the blackboard. But Dadier stands up to his students starting with that incident. He picks up the baseball and tells his class, "I'll tell you one thing. You'll never pitch for the Yankees."
Thus, music critics and the older generation who grew up on big band music called this new style of music everything from "the devil's music" to something that contributed greatly to juvenile delinquency. Even though those critics claimed rock and roll music was just a fad that would soon die, it never did. That was thanks to early rockers like Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Ricky Nelson, Pat Boone, the Platters, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.
The exact number of singles and album releases by Bill Haley and His Comets from 1950-80 isn't known but here's an estimate: According to Wikipedia, Bill Haley and His Comets had at least 89 singles and 27 albums on at least 19 different labels. For sure, Bill Haley and His Comets had 15 Cash Box charted hits. The group's first, "Crazy Man, Crazy" reached #7 in the summer of 1953 in what's generally recognized as the the first rock and roll top tenner. Over the years, it's believed there were at least 100 different members of the Comets.
Likewise, there's almost no limit to the collectable Bill Haley and The Comets material nowadays. For starters, though, this writer recommends two boxed sets put out by Bear Family Records of Germany. One covers the group's pre-"Rock Around The Clock" years. It's entitled, "Rock 'N' Roll Arrives...Bill Haley And His Comets..The REAL birth of Rock 'n' Roll, 1946-1954." The other has a self-explanatory title: "Bill Haley And His Comets...The Decca Years and more." Both sets include outstanding booklets with dozens of priceless photos.
Bill Haley's later years were plagued by bouts of alcoholism and paranoia. He was 55 when he died on February 9, 1981 in Harlingen, Texas. Amazingly, after Haley's death, there were at least six different groups claiming to be Haley's backup group. As of four years ago in 2008, there were at least three such groups performing all over the world.
According to writer Clifford Hughes, the only for-real Comets are scheduled to perform in Branson, Missouri, from the middle of this month (April 2012) until mid-November. The only living two original Comets are part of this group. They are sax player Joey D'Ambrosio, who's about 89 years old, and drummer Dick Richards, who's about 77, The Comets are due to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year.