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.
Trouble In Mind
Bill Haley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm troubled in mind, I'm blue
But I won't be blue always
You know the sun gonna shine
On my back door some day
I'm going down to the river
Take my old rockin' chair
Gonna rock away from here
[Chorus]
I'm gonna lay my head
On some lonesome railroad line
And let the two nineteen
Satisfy my troubled mind
[Chorus]
You know the sun gonna shine
In my backdoor some day
In Bill Haley's song Trouble In Mind, the singer shares that he is troubled in mind and is feeling blue. However, he adds that he won't be blue always and the sun is going to shine on his back door someday. The chorus is very powerful in its message that no matter how tough the situation may be, there is always a silver lining waiting for those who continue to hope and believe. The singer then shares his plan of going down to the river and taking his old rocking chair with him. He is determined to rock away from his troubles, and if the blues don't take him, he surely will. The final verse shares the singer's plan of laying his head on some lonesome railroad line and letting the train satisfy his troubled mind.
The song speaks to the deep sadness that people can feel when life gets hard, but it also offers a message of hope, encouraging the listener to keep going because good things are just around the corner. The lyrics also urge the listener to take comfort where they can find it, sometimes in the simplest of things, like taking a rocking chair down to the river. The image of laying one's head on a lonesome railroad line and letting the sound of the train's whistle soothe the mind is particularly poignant, as it evokes a sense of profound loneliness and sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm troubled in mind, I'm blue
I'm feeling sad and anxious, overwhelmed by my thoughts and emotions.
But I won't be blue always
However, I know that these feelings won't last forever and things will eventually get better.
You know the sun gonna shine
I am hopeful and optimistic that better days are coming, represented by the sunshine.
On my back door some day
Specifically, I believe that good fortune will come knocking at my door and I'll be able to leave my troubles behind.
I'm going down to the river
To escape my distress, I'll be visiting the river where I can find peaceful and calming surroundings.
Take my old rockin' chair
I'll bring my chair to relax and reflect, with the intention of feeling better and regaining my composure.
If the blues don't take me
Assuming that depression and anxiety don't overpower me and continue to bring me down.
Gonna rock away from here
I plan to rock back and forth on my chair to soothe my mind and get away from my troubles.
I'm gonna lay my head
I plan to find a quiet and isolated place to rest my head and clear my mind.
On some lonesome railroad line
This place happens to be a desolate railroad track far away from any distractions or problems.
And let the two nineteen
Using the sounds of the train passing by, I hope to relax and give my mind some rest.
Satisfy my troubled mind
I hope that this escape will help me feel contented and at ease again, rather than being troubled all the time.
You know the sun gonna shine
Reaffirming that good times will come and I'll be okay in the end.
In my backdoor some day
Hoping that things will turn out well and bright one day, and that happiness and comfort will come right at my doorstep.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Richard M. Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
kubhlai khan
Without Haley, most modern music would probably not exist. Never cut a bad track.
Stefan_der_Oberfranke
a real pioneer