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.
Ten Little Indians
Bill Haley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Four little, five little, six little indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little indians
Ten little indian boys
John brown had a little indian
John brown had a little indian
John brown had a little indian
One little, two little, three little indians
Four little, five little, six little indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little indians
Ten little indian boys
One little, two little, three little indians
Four little, five little, six little indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little indians
Ten little indian boys
John brown had a little indian
John brown had a little indian
John brown had a little indian
One little indian boy
One little, two little, three little indians
Four little, five little, six little indians
Seven little, eight little, nine little indians
Ten little indian boys
Ten little, nine little, eight little indians
Seven little, six little, five little indians
Four little, three little, two little indians
One little indian boy
The lyrics to Bill Haley's song Ten Little Indians may seem simple at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they reveal themes of colonization, genocide, and cultural erasure. The repetition of the counting of the Indian boys is reminiscent of the way in which native populations were decimated by European colonizers, with each count representing the loss of a life or a tribe. The line "John brown had a little Indian" further emphasizes the concept of ownership and possession over indigenous peoples, reducing them to objects or pets rather than human beings with their own agency and culture.
The song also perpetuates harmful stereotypes about indigenous peoples, such as the idea that they are all the same and can be lumped together as "Indians." The lyrics fail to acknowledge the diversity of native cultures and the complex histories of each individual tribe. Overall, Ten Little Indians serves as a stark reminder of the violence and oppression that colonized populations have endured throughout history.
Line by Line Meaning
One little, two little, three little indians
Counting up, we have a few Native Americans.
Four little, five little, six little indians
The numbers increase as additional Indians join the group.
Seven little, eight little, nine little indians
More individuals arrive as the counting continues.
Ten little indian boys
The final count equals ten young Native American males.
John brown had a little indian
John Brown takes ownership of one of the Indian boys.
One little indian boy
There is only one young Native American left in the group.
Ten little, nine little, eight little indians
The number of Indians in the group reduces one by one.
Seven little, six little, five little indians
The number of Native Americans decreases as they depart.
Four little, three little, two little indians
Only a handful of Indians remain as more depart.
One little indian boy
Only one Native American boy is left from the original group.
Writer(s): Bill Haley
Contributed by Tristan R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lilsyrupshawty
I'm native american, this song is a banger.
I'm sure Bill Haley didn't write this one, it was used way beforehand.
I don't really feel offended, I'm more concerned with actual racism.
@WINGGULLSEAGULL
This is great ! I can't get the tune out of my head even a nursery rhyme is cool
by Bill Haley this is real music.
@dehlia2012
colonialist music
@Grahamgusbull
If ever a song shouted out sheer joy.....this is it!
@kookadams85
The beach boys version on their 1st l.p kicks ass .
@danielhayes7967
Bill Haley "KNEW HOW TO ROCK."
@Grahamgusbull
Just been to the shed to check if the London label EP,which I bought here in the UK in 1956,is still in one piece....it is! There were three released,titled Live It Up,1,2 and 3. Bought with my paper round money and an absolute joy to a16 year old!
@imissjokesonpurpose
what a nice song about counting, i sure hope looney tunes doesn't do anything with this
@noway2009
My favorite song
@ericlewis7328
haven't heard this for 60 years-have it on a 10" album of early Haley-steel guitar in prominence