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.
R-O-C-K
Bill Haley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Making R from an eight,
To the bar eighty-eight,
O from the tone of the sax syncopated,
C from the key of a six-string guitar,
K from the kick of a rim shot, baby.
That's how they made it,
R-O-C-K, rock.
I know my A's and my B's and my C's,
P's and my Q's and my X, Y, Z's,
Know how to lose,
All the blue, blue, blues,
Jump in a pair of my dancing shoes.
Take with my baby,
Rock with my baby,
R-O-C-K, rock.
Oh, Strauss discovered waltzes,
A handy man found the blues,
And here they came along,
With their rocking song,
Crazy, man, crazy, crazy news.
R is all the rock, hear the band,
It's a' moving,
O more than that, it's a go-go grooving,
C what I mean, it's a hot top action,
K like a kiss it's a cool attraction.
Who even get you,
I'm gonna bet you,
R-O-C-K, rock.
R-O-C-K, rock
The song "R-O-C-K" by Bill Haley & His Comets is an upbeat and catchy tune that celebrates the genre of rock and roll. The lyrics of the song explain the origins of the word rock and how it came to be associated with a musical style. The first verse of the song spells out the letters R-O-C-K and explains how each letter is associated with a different element of the music. For example, the R comes from an eight count, the O from the syncopation of the saxophone, the C from the six-string guitar, and the K from the rim shot of the drums.
The song then goes on to describe the joy and energy of dancing to rock and roll music, and how it can make people forget their worries and blues. The lyrics urge the listener to grab their dancing shoes and join in with the fun. The final verse of the song pays homage to the pioneers of rock and roll, describing how they brought their "crazy" music to the world and changed the face of popular music forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Making R from an eight,
Forming the letter R by counting to eight beats
To the bar eighty-eight,
Referencing the 88 keys on a piano, emphasizing timing
O from the tone of the sax syncopated,
Creating the letter O from the unique, syncopated sound of a saxophone
C from the key of a six-string guitar,
Forming the letter C from the key played on a six-string guitar
K from the kick of a rim shot, baby.
Making the letter K from the powerful sound of a drum's rim shot
That's how they played it,
Describing how the band created their unique sound
That's how they made it,
Emphasizing how the band achieved success
R-O-C-K, rock.
Introducing the song's main message and sound
I know my A's and my B's and my C's,
Claiming a thorough knowledge of important fundamentals
P's and my Q's and my X, Y, Z's,
Extending this knowledge to less relevant details
Know how to lose,
Implying the ability to handle defeat graciously
All the blue, blue, blues,
Referencing emotional distress or sadness
Jump in a pair of my dancing shoes.
Suggesting a carefree attitude and readiness to dance
Take with my baby,
Inviting a romantic partner to join in the fun
Rock with my baby,
Expressing a desire to dance to the song with one's partner
R-O-C-K, rock.
Repeating the song's main message and sound
Oh, Strauss discovered waltzes,
Recognizing an important classical composer and genre
A handy man found the blues,
Acknowledging the humble origins of the blues tradition
And here they came along,
Noting the impact of these genres on the history of music
With their rocking song,
Celebrating the development of rock and roll
Crazy, man, crazy, crazy news.
Expressing the wild and exciting nature of the music
R is all the rock, hear the band,
Using the letter R to emphasize the importance of rock music
It's a' moving,
Describing the energy and movement of the music
O more than that, it's a go-go grooving,
Expanding on the dynamic and danceable quality of the music
C what I mean, it's a hot top action,
Further emphasizing the exciting and intense nature of the music
K like a kiss it's a cool attraction.
Drawing a comparison between the sound of the music and the allure of a kiss
Who even get you,
Asking who could resist the appeal of the music
I'm gonna bet you,
Confidently predicting that the music will captivate the listener
R-O-C-K, rock.
Repeating the song's main message and sound
Contributed by Elizabeth L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ThaiThom
It makes me nostalgic for a time I never lived in.
@robertovaldez7925
Cristian nodal
@SoulllessStary
Feel the same way it’s pretty weird but I like it ya know
@theprofessor3684
Probably heard it in a past life
@tazionuvolari8142
It makes me nostalqic on 2010
@paolaoviedo137
/vvvghffff(ffwrc
@Windows-ie6th
Hey everyone 100 years from now we’re all dead now enjoy life while you’re young !
@stealthghostbr1801
Makes sense
@ryabryab2676
thanks for making me have an existential crisis
@fiftiesonly9579
Don’t give me warnings about death I’m only 17....