By Wyatt
He came into our lives and the Teen Years of the 1950s like a comet – Bill Haley. Not exactly a teen idol, but who among us had idols-- musically--until Bill came along. The music we heard in the pre-Rock and Roll (my dad called it "Rotten Roll"), era was the same music our parents listened to, unless we had kiddie music, like "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Bear" and "Boomer-the Big Bass Drum." Our idols were cowboys--Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. Rogers and Autry were singing cowboys, not the kind that would rock us, not even 3 minutes on the clock, not coming close to Bill Haley rocking around the clock non stop. Bing Crosby, The Mills Brothers, Xavier Cugat, Ink Spots, Doris Day...not kid music. Parents music.
How clearly I remember my introduction to Bill Haley and what became known as "Rock 'n Roll." It was 1954. I was either in 6th or 7th grade. My brother and I went to a movie with our mom – it was the Liberty Theater. In those days, there was a lot more offered at movie houses than what you get today. Today, it's commercials, followed by blasting noises that make one want to drown out the noise by stuffing one's ears with popcorn (still bought in the lobby, where you could get yourself a treat – the popcorn couldn't be beat), and then the fine film feature. No double features today. No movies for less than a buck, either. What we got for our pittance-priced tickets was previews, news, a brief added feature and usually, a double feature. The feature I recall at that movie with my mom and brother (I don't recall the film) was a chubby guy with thin hair, checkered sport jacket, playing a bass fiddle with a group of guys backing him up, and he was wild. He fell to the floor with his fiddle, kept on playing, seem to be jumping around. I DO recall my mom saying something that disgusted her, perhaps it was, "This guy is crazy!" I remember thinking he was certainly unusual, never heard music like he was playing (I am pretty sure it was "Rock Around the Clock"), but he was catchy. So was his group – "Bill Haley and the Comets." Somewhere, I had learned enough science to make the connection – "Haley – Comet". But cometS? Neat!
It was about the same time I went back to listening to radio. I had quit, about age 10, listening to programs such as "The Lone Ranger," "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon", "Sky King". Some station, I think it was KGA, was playing music directed at us teens! I would listen to it every night when I went to bed. It had a disc jockey. I was really neat, I thought. I was entering, THE TEEN YEARS! "See ya later, Alligator," became lingo. It was fun to say such things as "Get out in the kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. I said, 'shake, rattle and roll!'"
Bill Haley didn't last that long. I have a CD collection of the Time- Life series, "The Rock and Roll Era." Haley is only on twice. In preparing for this, I just found out "Shake, Rattle and Roll" was by Joe Turner (who's he?), not Bill Haley.
I'm not sure if the "Rock and Roll Era" began with Bill, but it sure did with me. And it must have, according to Time-Life Music collections, because "Rock Around the Clock" is the first song in the whole series, beginning with 1954 until post 1965, when rock 'n roll became just "rock." When music about teens in love switched to protests and social problems...when music wasn't quite as fun, having more serious tones, like "Hello darkness my old friend".
The Class of 1960. We were smack dab in the middle of the Rock 'n Roll years. We've been rocking around the clock for quite a spell. As Chuck Berry sang in 1956, "Roll over Beethoven." What would Ludwig have thought? He would not only have rolled over in his grave, I'll bet he would have rocked. Deaf or not, he would have felt the beat.