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.
My Special Angel
Bill Haley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sent from up above
The Lord smiled down on me
And sent an angel to love
You are my special angel
Right from paradise
I know you're an angel
The smile from your lips brings the summer sunshine
Tears from your eyes bring the rain
I feel your touch, your warm embrace
And I'm in heaven again
You are my special angel
Through eternity
I'll have my special angel
Here to watch over me
A smile from your lips brings the summer sunshine
The tears from your eyes bring the rain
I feel your touch, your warm embrace
And I'm in heaven again
You are my special angel
Through eternity
I'll have my special angel
Here to watch over me
Here to watch over me
The lyrics to Bill Haley's song, "My Special Angel" express the love and gratitude felt towards a significant other. The lines "You are my special angel, sent from up above, the Lord smiled down on me, and sent an angel to love," convey the idea that the singer's partner is a divine blessing that was bestowed upon them. The second verse builds on this idea by asserting that the partner is a heavenly entity, sent to Earth from paradise. The last two lines claim that the partner's eyes are portals to heaven, implying that they have been sent to the singer to bring joy and happiness to their life.
The chorus emphasizes the significance of the partner in the singer's life. The lines, "A smile from your lips brings the summer sunshine, tears from your eyes bring the rain, I feel your touch, your warm embrace, and I'm in heaven again" describe the range of emotions that the singer experiences with their partner. The singer feels elated when their partner is happy, and sad when their partner is feeling down. However, regardless of the emotions being expressed, the singer finds comfort and happiness in the embrace of their partner.
In conclusion, the lyrics to "My Special Angel" describe a love and adoration for a significant other that is divine in nature. The significant other is an angelic being, sent to the singer to bring happiness, joy, and love into their life.
Line by Line Meaning
You are my special angel
You are the one who is very precious and dear to me.
Sent from up above
You seem to have been sent to me by God.
The Lord smiled down on me
It appears as if God is pleased with me.
And sent an angel to love
He has now sent me someone whom I can love and share my life with.
Right from paradise
You seem to come directly from heaven.
I know you're an angel
I am pretty sure that you are an angel.
Heaven is in your eyes
Your eyes seem to reflect the beauty and tranquility of heaven.
The smile from your lips brings the summer sunshine
Your smile is so warm and cheerful that it feels like sunshine on a summer day.
Tears from your eyes bring the rain
When you cry, it feels like the clouds in the sky are crying too, bringing rain on the earth.
I feel your touch, your warm embrace
When you touch me or hug me, I feel so loved and cared for.
And I'm in heaven again
Being with you makes me feel like I am in paradise once again.
Through eternity
Our love will last forever.
I'll have my special angel
I will always have you, my special angel, with me.
Here to watch over me
You will always be by my side, watching over me and protecting me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Natalia Pavlova
This is very important song for me on personal level. Thank you
Jean de maertelaere
I lpve Haley's voice
Benny Suradji
My special angel is a song that popular in the 60's . Apparently Bill Haley sings too well , a surprise for me and the records is very good. Thanks a lot my friend.
Benny Suradji
Dimitris my friend. Very excellent song of Bill Haley.
I 've never heard the song My Special Angel of Bill Haley , until now . Now I can hear from your collection . Bravo, you're so amazing ...
Thank you very much my friend. Regards, Benny - Indonesia.
Dimitris 004 & daughter - Extra channel
Hi, my very excellent friend Benny ! I'm glad that you like my songs ! Greetings from Greece ! Thanks !