Haley was blinded in his left eye as a child due to a botched operation. According to biographer John Swenson, Haley later adopted his distinctive spit-curl hairstyle to distract attention from his blind eye. The spit-curl caught on as a 50's style signature, although Haley and others had worn the hairstyle much earlier.
In 1946, Haley joined his first professional group, a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called The Down Homers run by Kenny Roberts. It has often been reported in musical reference works that Haley's first professional recordings were made with the Down Homers on a pair of singles released in 1946 by Vogue Records. This was later debunked by Roberts and others, stating Haley had already left the group by the time the singles were made. In the early 2000s, however, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is definitely present as he is identified by name and sings a solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel"; these recordings were commercially released for the first time in 2006.
After gaining experience with the Down Homers, Haley set out on his own, forming several groups such as the Range Drifters and the Four Aces of Western Swing. With the Four Aces, he made a number of regionally successful country music singles in the late 1940s for Cowboy Records while working as a touring musician and later a radio DJ at WPWA. (Many of Haley's early recordings from this period would not be released until after his death.) After disbanding the Four Aces and briefly trying a solo career using the names Jack Haley and Johnny Clifton (as chronicled in the biography Sound and Glory), Haley formed a new group called The Saddlemen in either 1949 or 1950 (sources vary as to the exact year); this new group recorded for several labels, including one single for Atlantic Records, Haley's first exposure to a major national record company. In 1951, Haley was signed to Dave Miller's Philadelphia-based Holiday Records and began to change musical styles, recording cover versions of "Rocket "88"" (previously recorded by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), and in, 1952, "Rock the Joint", previously recorded by several bands including Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians. (By the time of "Rock the Joint", Haley had graduated from Holiday Records to Miller's larger Essex label.) The relative success of these recordings (both sold in the 75,000-100,000 copy range in the Pennsylvania-New England region) convinced Haley that his new and as-yet officially unnamed hybrid of country and rhythm and blues could be a commercial success.and some of his family lives in oklahoma and there is a road named after his family.
A.B.C Boogie
Bill Haley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Children learn their lessons and the golden rule
'Cause they got a teacher up from Basin Street
And she does her teaching with a boogie beat
Teaching the ABC with rhythm and E
Every single morning, it's the same old thing
All the kids are waiting for the bell to ring
When they hear it ringing, they all jump in line
They learn their ABC with rhythm and E
Well, a-reading, writing, arithmetic
Taught to the tune of a liquorice stick
No education is ever complete
Without a boogie-woogie-woogie beat, well all reet
When the day is over and it's time to go
The children get their books and stand right at the door
Teacher is so happy, because she's done her bit
To educate the kids and make 'em really fit
To say their ABC with rhythm and E
Well, a-reading, writing, arithmetic
Taught to the tune of a liquorice stick
No education is ever complete
Without a boogie-woogie-woogie beat, well all reet
When the day is over and it's time to go
The children get their books and stand right at the door
Teacher is so happy, because she's done her bit
To educate the kids and make 'em really fit
To say their ABC with rhythm and E
The lyrics of "A.B.C. Boogie" by Bill Haley and His Comets revolve around a group of schoolchildren learning their alphabet, reading, writing, and arithmetic with the help of a teacher from Basin Street who teaches with a boogie beat. The song describes the daily routine of the children, waiting for the bell to ring before class, walking to the classroom with a spring in their step, and eagerly learning their lessons set to music. The teacher is delighted with her pupils' progress, as they say their ABC's with rhythm and E at the end of the day.
The lyrics suggest that learning can be fun and engaging when accompanied by music and rhythm, and that even seemingly mundane subjects like reading, writing, and arithmetic can be made enjoyable by incorporating a boogie-woogie-woogie beat. The use of rhyme and repetition in the lyrics further reinforces the idea that learning can be made memorable and effective through the use of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Down around the corner in a little school
The song begins by describing a school which is situated in a corner of a locality.
Children learn their lessons and the golden rule
Students in the school are taught both academic lessons and moral values.
'Cause they got a teacher up from Basin Street
The teacher is from a place called Basin Street which is known for its music and culture.
And she does her teaching with a boogie beat
The teacher uses music and rhythm to make learning more enjoyable for the students.
Teaching the ABC with rhythm and E
The teacher teaches the alphabet to the students with the help of music and combines the letter 'E' to add rhythm to it.
Every single morning, it's the same old thing
Every day, the routine is the same for the students as they come to school and attend their classes.
All the kids are waiting for the bell to ring
The students eagerly wait for the school bell to ring which signals the start of their classes.
When they hear it ringing, they all jump in line
As soon as the students hear the school bell ringing, they quickly get in line and head to their respective classrooms.
Walking to the classroom, feeling mighty fine
The students walk to their classrooms feeling happy and excited about their lessons for the day.
They learn their ABC with rhythm and E
The students are taught the alphabet with the help of rhythm and the letter 'E' is used to add a musical touch to it.
Well, a-reading, writing, arithmetic
The subjects that the students are taught are 'Reading', 'Writing', and 'Arithmetic'.
Taught to the tune of a liquorice stick
The teacher uses a liquorice stick to create a musical tune while teaching the students.
No education is ever complete
Education is an ongoing process and there's always something to learn.
Without a boogie-woogie-woogie beat, well all reet
Music and rhythm are an essential part of the education process and makes learning more enjoyable.
When the day is over and it's time to go
At the end of the day, when the classes are over, it's time for the students to leave the school.
The children get their books and stand right at the door
The students collect their books and stand at the door, ready to leave the school for the day.
Teacher is so happy, because she's done her bit
The teacher is happy and satisfied that she has taught her students well and fulfilled her duty as a teacher.
To educate the kids and make 'em really fit
The main objective of the teacher is to educate the students and make them capable and competent for the future.
To say their ABC with rhythm and E
The teacher made sure that the students are able to recite the alphabet with the help of music and the letter 'E'.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bones9498
LEGAND 💪😎❤️
@chrisjones301976
Me and My Son love this song!
@chrisjones301976
He is 6 months old hehe.
@rocknrollborn1952
This song is played by Danny Cedrone on guitar.
@burlingtonbill1
Have this exact 45 handed down from an older cousin. I like this "B" side even better than the very-famous "A" side, "Rock Around The Clock."
@miriamkinwat4310
I love kuwait!
@pjriverdale8461
"Well All Reet!" sung by Frank Beecher.......