to 1944
to 1978
to Featured Artists
to 1944
to 1978
to Featured Artists
| When BILL HALEY (b. Highland, MI, July 6, 1925; d. Feb. 9, 1981) was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, younger rock fans may not have known exactly who he was, but anyone would recognize the songs that he fashioned into the foundations of rock: "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954), "Rock Around the Clock" (1955), and "See You Later, Alligator" (1956). Even though he grew up in Detroit, Haley had an affinity for country and western, as well as rhythm and blues. When he and the Comets, his backing band, began to combine the two, no one knew exactly what to call it. Soon they realized it was rock, and so did the American public: "Rock Around the Clock" was number one on the charts for eight weeks. Eclipsed by Elvis and Chuck Berry in the U.S., Haley had a loyal following in Europe and elsewhere around the world, and he was still a star in England until his death in 1981.
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