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.
Detour
Bill Haley Lyrics
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Paid no mind to what it said
Detour, oh, these bitter things I find
Should have read that detour sign
Headed down life's crooked road
Lots of things I never knowed
Because of me not knowin', I now pine
Spent the next five years in jail
Should have read that detour sign
Detour, there's a muddy road ahead, detour
Paid no mind to what it said
Detour, oh, these bitter things I find
Should have read that detour sign
When I got right to the place
Where it said "About Face"
I thought that all my worries were behind
But the farther I go
The more sorrow I know
Should have read that detour sign
Detour, there's a muddy road ahead, detour
Paid no mind to what it said
Detour, oh these bitter things I find
Should have read that detour sign
When I got stuck in the mud
All my hopes dropped with a thud
I guess that my heart strings are made of twine
Have no willpower to get
From the hole that I'm in yet
Should have read that detour sign
Detour, there's a muddy road ahead, detour
Paid no mind to what it said
Detour, oh these bitter things I find
Should have read that detour sign
Should have read that detour sign
Should have read that detour sign
Bill Haley's song "Detour" emphasizes the need for individuals to heed warning signs and avoid negative consequences. The main message within the song is clear about taking caution and paying attention to signs that shape our paths. The lyrics describe an individual who disregarded warning signs along life's crooked road and now finds themselves stuck in a muddy spot. The singer's failure to recognize and follow the signs has led to him spending five years in jail, pining for the things he never knew, and encountering bitterness and sorrow.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "detour, there's a muddy road ahead, detour, paid no mind to what it said." The muddy road symbolizes the road to trouble that could have been avoided simply by reading and understanding the detour sign. When the singer of the song saw the "about face" sign, he believed that his worries were behind him. Nevertheless, he encounters more sorrow as he goes further along, illustrating that making mistakes can lead to further problems down the road.
Overall, "Detour" is a cautionary tale that urges listeners to be more mindful about the decisions they make and to heed warning signs in their lives to avoid ending up stuck in a hole they cannot climb out from.
Line by Line Meaning
Detour, there's a muddy road ahead, detour
I'm facing obstacles that could have been avoided if only I had paid attention to the warning
Paid no mind to what it said
I chose to ignore the warning and forge ahead despite the risks
Detour, oh, these bitter things I find
I'm facing unforeseen hardships as a result of my reckless behavior
Should have read that detour sign
I now realize that I made a mistake by not heeding the warning and taking an alternate route
Headed down life's crooked road
I'm navigating through the twists and turns of life's journey
Lots of things I never knowed
I've encountered many surprises and unexpected events along the way
Because of me not knowin', I now pine
I'm now filled with regret and longing for a different outcome
Trouble got in the trail
I encountered difficulties and hardships along the path I chose
Spent the next five years in jail
My mistakes led to serious consequences and a lengthy incarceration
When I got right to the place
I had almost reached my destination
Where it said "About Face"
I was faced with the realization that I needed to turn back and make a change
I thought that all my worries were behind
I hoped that my troubles were finally over
But the farther I go
I continued to travel down the same path
The more sorrow I know
I continued to encounter pain and sadness along the way
When I got stuck in the mud
I encountered another obstacle on my journey
All my hopes dropped with a thud
I felt discouraged and hopeless
I guess that my heart strings are made of twine
I realized that I'm not as strong or resilient as I thought
Have no willpower to get
I lack the motivation and determination to pull myself out of the hole I'm in
From the hole that I'm in yet
I'm still struggling to overcome the consequences of my choices
Should have read that detour sign
Once again, I'm acknowledging that my mistakes could have been avoided if only I had paid attention to the warning
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PAUL WESTMORELAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind