TOUR NOTES BIOGRAPHIES
Bill Haley & his Comets
Also known as Billy Haley’s Comets, they were one of the first white musicians to bring Rock and Roll to the attention of white America and the rest of the world. Leader, Bill Haley was initially a country performer until he moved his musical stylings towards Rock and Roll!
Bill Haley had his first national success with "Crazy Man Crazy" in 1953. His biggest success, however was the legendary "Rock Around The Clock" which sold an estimated 25 million copies worldwide and marked the arrival of a cultural shift. Other songs included, "See You Later Alligator" and Haley’s cover of "Shake, Rattle and Roll".
In 1956, Bill Haley and his Comets appeared in two of his earliest rock and roll movies, Rock Around the Clock and Don’t Knock the Rock. In 1957, the band became the first American Rock and Roll band to tour England. Upon the emergence of hotter, sexier acts such as Elvis and Little Richard, Bill Haley and his Comets popularity waned and he came out with his last hit in the US in 1960; an instrumental song called, "Skokiaan".
Although the band continued to release more songs, even under different band names, their success in the U.S.A. never came back. Only in Europe and Latin America were they able to continue their commercial success throughout the 1960’s. By the late 1960’s, Bill Haley and his Comets were considered an "oldies" act in North America. "Rock Around The Clock" did hit the American sales chart once more when featured in the movie "American Grafitti" and the television series, "Happy Days".
In 1970, Haley decided to retire because his heart was "no longer in it" after the death of his saxophone player and best friend, Rudy Pompilli. He settled in Mexico while the rest of the Comets toured on their own.
Bill did come back to The Comets (albeit a new group of Comets) in 1979 and toured Europe. Haley even played for Queen Elizabeth II in November 1979, one of his proudest achievements.
In 1980, Bill Haley toured South Africa but most of the concerts were cancelled due to Haley’s health. On February 9, 1981, Bill Haley died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack.
The Original Comets are still touring the world, as of 2004 playing the U.S.A. and Europe.
Read more on Billy Haley and his Comets at: www.billhaley.co.uk/
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