They opened with the big band number “40 Cups of Coffee.” The performance was highlighted by the enthusiastic saxophone player, who arched his back to almost a 90 degree angle. Following their 1957 UK tour, on ApBill Haley and His Comets returned to The Ed Sullivan Show. With the success of “Rock Around The Clock” and “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” the band became an international success. That evening Bill Haley and His Comets caught the attention of people in living rooms throughout the country and introduced them to the growing rock and roll revolution. Haley gave a playful performance, rolling his eyes and smiling to the audience during his frantic delivery of the lyrics. Following Ed’s introduction, Haley, with his spit curl and plaid dinner jacket, took the stage with His Comets for an energetic performance of “Rock Around The Clock.” The Comets were all dressed in matching suits and bobbed back and forth to the music. On August 7, 1955, Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town was held at the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Stratford, Connecticut. In 1955, “Rock Around The Clock” spent 24 weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts and became the anthem for rebellious Fifties youth. The song, released in the spring of 1954, made the Billboard charts, but was initially overshadowed by their hit “Shake Rattle and Roll.” However, following the use of “Rock Around The Clock” in the opening credits of the film Blackboard Jungle, the song really took off. However, it was “Rock Around The Clock,” released in 1954, that marked the arrival of a cultural shift to the new musical genre. And in 1953, they became Bill Haley and His Comets, in reference to Halley’s Comet.īill Haley and His Comets had their first national success in 1953 with the release of “Crazy Man, Crazy.” It was the first recognized rock and roll song to appear on the US charts. In 1951 they recorded a cover of “Rocket 88,” making it the first rock and roll recording by a white artist. This new sound was being recognized as rock and roll. Originally called “Bill Haley and the Saddlemen,” the group started mixing blues with country and western.
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