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.
Crazy Crazy Man
Bill Haley Lyrics
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Crazy man crazy
Crazy man crazy
Crazy man crazy
Oh man that music's gone, gone
(I said) Crazy man crazy
Crazy man crazy
Oh man that music's gone, gone
When I go out and I want a treat
I find me a band with a solid beat
Take my chick and we dance about
When they start rockin
Boy we start to shout (we shout)
Go, go, go everybody
Go, go, go everybody
Go, go, go everybody
Go, go, go,.go, go, go, go
They play it soft, they play it strong
They play it wild and they play it long
They just keep playin till the break of day
To keep them rockin all you gotta say is
Crazy man crazy
Crazy man crazy
Crazy man crazy
Oh man that music's gone, gone
(I said) Crazy man crazy
Crazy man crazy
Crazy man crazy
Oh man that music's gone, gone
The song Crazy Man Crazy by Bill Haley and His Comets is a classic rock and roll song that captures the essence of the early rock and roll era. The lyrics describe the love for the music and the experience of going out and finding a band with a solid beat in order to dance the night away with your partner. The repetitive use of the phrase "Crazy man crazy" emphasizes the excitement and craziness of the music and the dancing that it inspires. The chorus "Oh man that music's gone, gone" highlights the idea that the music is so powerful that it takes over and transports the listener and participants to another world where everything is wild and free.
The lyrics go on to describe the different ways that the band plays the music, from soft to strong, from wild to long, but regardless of how they play it, the music never stops. The song captures the spirit of the early rock and roll era, which was all about fun, freedom, and energy. The lyrics are simple and straightforward, but they evoke a powerful feeling of nostalgia for a time when rock and roll was new and exciting. The energy of the song is infectious, and it's impossible not to want to dance along with the beat.
Line by Line Meaning
Crazy man crazy
The music is so insane and exciting that it's driving everyone wild
Crazy man crazy
The music is still completely off the wall and everyone is still wild for it
Crazy man crazy
The music is so crazy that it's transcended all normalcy
Oh man that music's gone, gone
The music has completely taken over and there's no going back
(I said) Crazy man crazy
Just in case you missed it, this music is crazy
Crazy man crazy
The music continues to be nuts
Crazy man crazy
Again, this music is completely off its rocker
Oh man that music's gone, gone
The music is completely out of control and there's no stopping it
When I go out and I want a treat
When I'm looking for something fun to do
I find me a band with a solid beat
I look for a band that plays music with a great rhythm
Take my chick and we dance about
I and my significant other get up and dance to the music
When they start rockin
When the band starts playing their really good stuff
Boy we start to shout (we shout)
We get excited and yell along to the music
Go, go, go everybody
Let's keep going and keep enjoying the music
Go, go, go everybody
Let's keep it up, everyone
Go, go, go everybody
Everyone should keep dancing and having fun
Go, go, go,.go, go, go, go
Keep it up, let's go crazy
They play it soft, they play it strong
The band knows how to play both quiet and loud
They play it wild and they play it long
The band knows how to play really intense, long music
They just keep playin till the break of day
The band doesn't want to stop playing any time soon
To keep them rockin all you gotta say is
If you want to keep the energy up, just say...
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HENRY CREAMER, TURNER LAYTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind