(First posted August 21,
1998. Last
updated: May 5, 2009)
SPECIAL FEATURE:
A Bill Haley Who's Who
Index
Introduction
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Comet claims | Errors
Rumors and Legends |Aliases
Bill Haley may have been the original
King of
Rock and Roll, but he didn't go it alone.
Over the years, dozens of talented
musicians
worked alongside Haley on stage and in the recording studio. Some of
these people became longtime fan favorites, and their work is
celebrated to this
day. Others stayed behind the scenes, virtually anonymous but no less
valuable to Bill Haley's career and enduring popularity. And Haley had
the good fortune to share the recording studio with a number of jazz
legends such as Panama Francis and Milt Hinton.
This feature started out in 1998 as a
"where are they now" round-up of as many of Haley's Comets and related
musicians as I could find. As information about many people continued
to elude
me, I decided to expand this feature into a full-fledged Who's Who.
Some of the entries have little more than dates and instrument played,
while
others have more to offer. My goal is to record exactly who worked
with Bill Haley and the various groups that spun-off from the Comets --
as well as identify a few individuals who did not.
Also, although they may not have any
direct
Haley connection, the numerous musicians connected to the
underappreciated Comets
spin-off group The Jodimars are also included in this Who's Who, since
many have at one point worked with Bill Haley or the later Comets
reunion. I have
also included a number of people from Lou Graham
to Big Joe Turner who used The Comets -- in
whole
or in part -- as their backing group.
European singing superstar Catarina Valente,
centre, is just one of
many
talented singers and musicians who have worked at one point with Bill
Haley and the Comets. Here she is pictured with Haley and longtime sax
man Rudy
Pompilli in a scene from the 1958 film
Hier Bin Ich, Hier Bleib
Ich.
Any corrections and additions -- as well as
additional information about the people listed -- are welcome. I hope I
haven't declared anyone deceased who is not! If you have any additional
information, please write me at alexfh@shaw.ca.
Special note:. Over the years, a
number
of people have claimed to have been with The Comets; some of these
claims have been disproven while others remain unconfirmed. These
individuals are listed here.
This list has grown over the better part
of a decade now, and there are many people who I wish to thank. Listing
everyone, however, has become impractical and even though I have
attempted to
do so in the past, I fear that by leaving people out I might
cause unintended offence, so suffice it to say if you have sent me any
information on any of the people below, please accept my
sincere thanks. Special thanks, however is due to the following people,
whose hard work provided a launching point for this listing.
First, thanks to Jack Haley and John von Hoelle, co-authors of Sound
and Glory, the best Bill Haley biography ever; their listing
of musicians provided a valuable starting point. Also thanks to Chris
Gardner, whose exhaustive recording session files and archives have
been invaluable research tools to me for the better part of two decades
now. Hugh McCallum, the president of the International Bill Haley and
His Comets Fan
Club, produced an incredibly detailed newsletter, Haley News; some
years ago I was fortunate enough to be provided with copies of many
issues of this newsletter, which filled in many blanks. I also wish to
thank the many current and former members of The Comets and family
members -- every contingent -- for helping me
add names, subtract others, and correcting information where necessary.
And lastly, thanks to Bob
Timmers, curator of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame website, for hosting
this extensive list all these years and putting up with my revisions.
Why does this list exist?
Recently (fall 2007), I saw a comment on a MySpace page by a musican
who I had listed in the "Comet Claims" section, in which I was accused
of starting rumors. In response I'll explain why this
listing even exists.
First and foremost, it is a tribute to
everyone
who has ever been involved with Bill Haley. Haley surrounded himself
with some of the best musicians
in the business. And it doesn't matter if a musician appeared in the
Comets for 10 years or for one night: they deserve to the listed here.
And you might even find some surprises: did you know a member of Lynard
Skynard worked with Haley? Or that one of the Righteous Brothers
recently
recorded backing vocals for a single by The Comets? Or that one of the
last card-carrying Comets to tour with Haley also worked with Sha Na
Na? And where
does Jayne Mansfield and Rod McKuen fit into all this?
The purpose of this list is also to keep
the facts straight. The catalyst for turning this list from a "Where
Are They Now?" into a full listing was a series of
e-mails I received from family members claiming their dad or
grandfather worked with Bill Haley. In all these cases I had to break
some hearts and tell them, no, it wasn't your father who played drums
on "Rock
Around the Clock". I wanted to
create a list that made it clear who played with Bill Haley and when.
Or, as the case may be, who worked with the post-Haley Comets groups,
or the related groups
such as the Jodimars. I want this list to be as complete as possible,
so I do
not discriminate whether a Comets musician worked with Haley, Joey
Rand, Al Rappa, John Lane, Joey
Welz, or the 1954-55 Original Comets.
I'm not out to start rumors; just to set
the record straight. If a person's involvement with Haley, the Comets,
or any related groups has been confirmed,
then they should be listed here. There are a few indivduals who have
been reported by others as having been involved with Haley, yet
I can
find no evidence of this. Some claims have not yet been proven. And a
few claims can be disproven outright. These are listed below. If you
want to know why
I do this, read about the person who has been claiming to be Rudy Pompilli, even
though Rudy died more than 30 years ago!
A quick note on terminology. Since there have
been several groups of Comets operating
since Haley's death in 1981, I need to specify who is who. I am aware
that there are legal issues involving
the use of the name The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets, so in order to
be clear, I
specify Al Rappa's Comets, John Lane's Comets, and Joey Rand's Comets.
For the group that includes members of
the 1954-55 Comets, I try to use that term when possible, though I may
occasionally lapse into
using the name "The Original Comets". No judgement on the legitimacy of
any Comets venture is implied by either the
use of terminology or by the listing of musicians. In light of Lane's
death I will
continue to refer to his band as the John Lane Comets to differentiate
it from Mr. Rappa's group
or that featuring the 1954-55 musicians.
It also needs to be said that just because
someone is listed below that doesn't mean
they or anyone else is actually making a claim that they were a member
of the Comets. This is also an
issue that was raised in the MySpace posting. There were only a
relative few individuals who were actual
card-carrying Comets; Haley used many session musicians and even stage
performers (not the least of which
is Danny Cedrone, the guitar player on the
original "Rock Around the Clock", who was never,
and was never claimed to be, a member of The Comets; similarly, Franny Beecher did not become a full member of The
Comets until
the year after he started working on Haley recording sessions). But all
of the
names below are those who are known to have
(or have been claimed to, as the case might be) performed with Bill
Haley (etc.) in some capacity.
If anyone spots an error on this list, or
can provide updated information about anyone listed below, please
contact me at the e-mail address
at the top of this page. Nothing here is set in stone, and if I've made
a mistake in good faith,
please correct me. (As of May 2009 I plan to do an overhaul of this
page in the near future, culling dead weblinks, etc.
where possible.) Meanwhile, welcome to the Who's Who. There is
some real talent
listed here.
THE BILL HALEY WHO'S WHO
Lou ABBOTT. Drummer
for Joey Rand's
edition of Bill Haley's Comets in 1984-85.
Carmen ABUNDES. One half of the singing
duo Las Hermanas Vicary with her sister,
Victoria. Besides touring and performing with Haley the Comets
during a 1961 tour of Mexico, the sisters also provided vocals on the
Haley recording of "Twist Lento" for
Orfeon Records. As of early 2008 she was living in the Las Vegas area.
Victoria ABUNDES. One half of the
singing
duo Las Hermanas Vicary with her sister,
Carmen. Besides touring and performing with Haley the Comets during
a 1961 tour of Mexico, the sisters also provided vocals on the Haley
recording of "Twist Lento" for
Orfeon Records. As of early 2008 she was living in Florida.
Tonyo ADONII. Listed in Sound and
Glory as playing drums
for the Comets at some
point. No other information available.
Walt ALDRIDGE. Played guitar
synthesizer for Haley's final
recordings in 1979 for the Everyone Can Rock and Roll album.
Today he's regarded as a top country songwriter, with hits by Reba
McEntire,
Pam Tillis and Ronnie Milsap to his credit. He still works in the
studio, and is also a producer. He co-founded the group The Shooters.
Jerry ALLISON. Drummer for Buddy Holly
and the Crickets. See Holly's entry under "Rumors and Legends".
James 'Slim' ALLSMAN. Guitar player Allsman befriended Haley
while appearing on one of Bill's radio programs in the late 1940s.
Together, they formed the Four Aces of Western Swing, with Allsman on
lead guitar. Allsman later left the Four Aces and joined with future
Comets Billy Williamson and Johnny Grande to form the Southern
Swingsters, circa 1949. He also worked with Jimmy
Collett in the Arizona Ramblers. Allsman owned what was claimed to
be Haley's first electric guitar, and
reportedly auctioned it for some $35,000 at Sotheby's before he passed
away a few years ago.
Tommy ALLSUP. Click here for more
information.
John ALTMAN. Noted British-born film
score composer, also known for his work with Monty Python and The
Rutles. Altman joined the Original Comets on stage during their July
2005 performance at the Viper Room in West Hollywood. Altman played
soprano saxophone (or as Marshall Lytle called it, the "little sax")
during "The Saint's Rock and Roll".
Lou AMBERS. Session musician for the June
1965 recording session for APT Records. Ambers played trumpet on "Haley
a Go Go", "Tongue Tied
Tony" and other tracks. No apparent relation to the famous boxer of the
same name.
Joey AMBROSE. See D'Ambrosio, Joey.
Don ARNONE. Sat in on lead guitar for the
June 1965 recording
sessions at New York's Bell Sound Studios for APT Records. A well-known
jazz guitarist in his own right, Arnone's body of work included
recordings with the Tal Farlow Quartet and Tony
Mottola. In 1958 he was a session musician at Bell Studios for a
series of recordings by Buddy Holly and the
Crickets including "Rave On." He was still recording as recently as
1992.
Ron ATWOOD. Rhythm guitarist for the Comets in May and June of
1972, standing in for Ray Parsons. Also known
as
Ron Wayne Atwood, he continues to perform and record today, and
recently released a CD entitled Outlaw Cowboy, which included a
version of "A Little Piece at a Time," which was written for Bill
Haley's 1971
album Rock Around the Country. Atwood's Web site can be found
at ronwayneatwood.com. Photo
courtesy Ron Wayne Atwood.
Back to index
Abie BAKER. Bass
player for the 1964 recording session that
briefly reunited Bill Haley and Decca Records for "The Green Door."
Baker was an active session musician, working with acts from Ruth Brown
to The Coasters. His son is jazz guitarist Mickey Baker.
George BAKER. Sax player for the Comets
during 1976, Baker had
the unenviable task of succeeding the late Rudy
Pompilli. A good friend of Herb Hutchinson's,
Baker was trained by fellow Comet Bill Turner,
but came down with a cold prior to the tour and was heavily criticized
for
his performance. Turner reports Baker has retired from sax
playing.
Gus BACKUS. Former member of the
Del-Vikings who performed with the 1954-55
Comets at a 2007 celebration marking the 75th birthday of Paul Wurges.
Lou BALDINO. Click here
for more
information.
Alan BANKS. Keyboard player for Joey Rand's
version of Bill Haley's Comets during the period 1984-86. Banks
currently lives in Toronto.
Everett BARKSDALE. Rhythm guitarist at
the 1965 recording
session for APT Records that produced "Haley a Go Go." A popular
session musician in his later years, Barksdale began his career in the
1930s
playing with bands in Detroit and Chicago. He worked with Art Tatum and
other jazz greats and was known for his acoustic guitar work. He
continued to work into the 1970s. Born in 1910, Barksdale died in
1986.
Julian 'Bashful Barney' BARNARD. Barnard was Haley's bass
player in the Four Aces of Western Swing and was often a featured
vocalist on
songs like "Behind the Eight Ball." Bashful Barney passed away in
1990.
George BARNES. Briefly served as lead
guitarist for The
Jodimars in the 1950s, standing in for Chuck Hess.
A session
musician for some 40 years, Barnes' career dated back to the 1930s
when, at the age of 14, he formed the George Barnes Quartet. A few
years
later, he joined NBC as a conductor/arranger. In the 1950s he joined
with Carl Kress in a popular duo, and later worked with Bucky
Pizzarelli. He recorded a number of instrumental albums in the 50s and
60s. Prior to his death in 1977 he recorded two albums' worth of
material for Concord Records. A Web site devoted to him can be found here.
David BARONE. Played piano for the Everyone
Can Rock and
Roll
sessions in 1979 at Fame Studios. He currently performs as a
Contemporary Christian artist.
Dave BATES. Replaced Ed
Ward as the Comets'
stage drummer in the spring of 1962, and stayed with the group until
that August when he was replaced by newcomer Dave
Holly. In March 1962 he was replaced by Sticks
Evans for a series of live recordings at the Roundtable Club in New
York.
Blaine BATTS. Drummer with Al Rappa's
edition of Bill Haley's
Comets during the groups 1988 tour of Florida. His brother is Warren Batts.
Warren BATTS. Lead guitarist with Al Rappa's
edition of Bill Haley's
Comets since the 1990s. His brother is Blaine Batts.
Paul BAYS. Lead guitarist with Joey Rand's
edition of Bill Haley's Comets circa 1986.
Franny BEECHER. Lead guitar 1954-1962. One of rock and roll's
premiere guitarists, Franny joined Haley after cutting his teeth with
Benny Goodman, Buddy Greco, as well as Slim
Allsman's
Arizona Ramblers. With Goodman, he played at the inauguration of
President Harry S. Truman.
Beecher was considered a session musician for his
first year working for Haley, filling the shoes of Danny
Cedrone, who had died. Beecher made one of his first public
appearances with the band on the Toast of the Town show with Ed
Sullivan. Beecher developed a gimmick - a high-pitched little kid's
voice that he would sometimes
use when singing. Haley used this gimmick in the opening of "See You
Later Alligator," "Rip it Up," and
"Billy Goat", and Beecher got almost a whole song to himself in 1959's
"ABC Rock".
In 1960, he briefly left the Comets to work with Rudy
Pompilli and Ralph Jones in a group called
the Merri-Men. He
returned to the Comets
in 1961 but left again in early 1962, returning in the spring of that
year to make a final set of
recordings with Haley at the
Roundtable Club in New York. Retired from music for a time
after resigning from the Comets, though in 1975 he performed with sax
player Rudy Pompilli not long before Rudy's death.
He later toured with a Comets reunion group organized in 1977. In 1982
he rejoined some of his former
Comets colleagues for another reunion that included a recording session
that
produced the single "Bring Back the Music"/"The Hawk Talks," the latter
being an instrumental spotlighting his guitar work. In 1987, he
reunited with the original 1954-55 Comets for a tribute to Dick Clark
and continued to perform with them until the summer of 2006 when it was
announced that he had retired from touring. It was soon announced that
Beecher was only on sabbatical and that he would rejoin the group for a
European tour in early 2007. This did not ultimately occur and as of
the spring of 2008 Beecher remains retired from the Comets, although he
still performs in Bridgeport, Penn.
Tony BENSON. Played drums for Haley
during his 1975 tour of
Brazil as a last-minute replacement for Freddie
Moore who couldn't get the time off
college. He worked with Bill Turner's Blue Smoke
Band from 1972 to 1984, after which he entered the video store business
though he continued to play with Blue Smoke occasionally. Tony lives in
New Jersey and plays drums with trios at local
clubs when he isn't working as a grounds maintenance man for the Staten
Island Zoo.
Pat BERG. Played rhythm guitar for the
Comets during
October-November 1967.
Julian BERT. Piano player during Haley's
final Orfeon recording
sessions in Mexico in early 1966. Bert also played piano with the
Comets when they backed Big Joe Turner around
the same
time. Bert continues to play jazz piano today and as of early 2001 was
a member of Millennia, a group that backed Greg Waters and performed at
the Festival de Jazz de Acapulco.
Cappy BIANCO. See Olivier, Joe.
Ed BLACK. Rhythm guitarist for the
Phoenix-based group The
Superfine Dandelion, who in August 1967 backed Bill Haley on the
recording "Rock on Baby" which sat unreleased for 32 years.
Black went on to be a high-profile session man for the likes of Linda
Ronstadt and Karla Bonoff. He is now deceased.
Jerry BLAINE. A record distributor for
Essex Records, Blaine was one of the background singers on Haley's 1953
recording of "Crazy Man
Crazy" - he was apparently visiting the recording studio and was
drafted to participate.
Blaine was the owner of the Jubilee and Josie labels and
produced hits by the Orioles and other doo-wop legends. He died in
1973.
Mark BLAIR. Played drums for either the Al
Rappa or John Lane versions of Bill Haley's
Comets. Today, he is with the band Crooked Shooz (see their Web site here).
Alex BLAND. British sax player who
briefly stood in for Joey D'Ambrosio during a fall
2001 tour by the 1954-55
Comets when Joey had to drop out.
Slim BLAND. Briefly played rhythm guitar
for the Saddlemen in
the early 1950s. Bland was a member of the Bland Brothers, who appeared
on radio and TV. He may have later relocated to Florida and continued
his musical career, but this has not been confirmed. His full name
might have been Marty Bland, but this too awaits confirmation.
Jimmy 'Little Red' BLOUNT. A former
member of Louis Prima's
band, trombonist Blount joined the Jodimars in 1958 but left after a
short time. He recently retired from his job with the State of Georgia
and still performs in Dixieland Jazz bands.
Bill BORELLI. Recorded with the
Saddlemen, playing second piano
alongside Johnny Grande at the 1950 Atlantic
Records recording session that produced "Why Do I Cry Over You" and
"I'm Gonna Dry Every Tear With a Kiss." He is listed as co-writer of
the hit
1952 song "Here in My Heart."
Ricky Lee BRAWN. Drummer for the
Stargazers, The Big Six and
other well-known British rockabilly and swing groups, Brawn produced
the 1954-55 Comets' 1997 recording sessions that produced the CD The
House is Rockin' for Rockstar Records. Brawn plays drums and
provides backing vocals on
several tracks on the album. Brawn also played drums backing Marshall
Lytle at a 1991 recording session that was
released in 1994 as the CD Air Mail Special, credited to
Marshall and the Shooting Stars. He has also sat in on some Comets
shows, and
once did "duelling drums" with Dick Richards.
Married to Helen
Shadow.
Bill BROOKS. Branson, Mo.-based gospel
music singer and star
of The Promise. In 2007, he provided backing vocals for the
1954-55 Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at
Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)".
Randy BROOKS. Also a Branson, Mo.-based
gospel music singer and actor in The Promise, who like Bill
Brooks provided backing vocals for the 1954-55 Comets on their novelty
single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and
Visit Me!)".
Reno BROWNE. (Real name: Josephine Clarke). One of the silver
screen's first female western superstars, Browne has an unusual place
in the world of Bill Haley. In 1950, Haley and the Saddlemen recorded
the
single "My Sweet Little Girl from Nevada"/"My Palomino and I" for
Cowboy Records. The song was released under the name Reno Browne and
Her
Buckeroos to tie in with the height of her popularity, although Browne
herself was not involved in the recording session (but is listed here
since she is
credited on the record). Browne, who also
acted under the name Reno Blair, was once married to cowboy star Lash
LaRue, had a comic book named after her, and continued to be a popular
attraction at western film festivals into the 1980s. She died of cancer
in 1991 in (appropriately) Reno, Nev. For more information, there is a
Web site dedicated to her
here. Photo
courtesy Chuck Anderson.
Wes BUCHANAN. Buchanan teamed up with Marshall
Lytle in the late 1950s in an attempt to revive the Jodimars.
Recorded the single "One Grain of Sand"/"Time is Endless" which was
issued under the name Marshall & Wes & The Jodimars. He went on
to
record for the Columbia and Pep labels and was produced by Marty
Robbins. He scored a hit in the 1970s with "Windows Have Pains." He
died in 1985.
Jacko BUDDIN. Vocals, other instruments 1989-early-2000s.
Former member
of
the Dynamite Band, he joined the
1954-55 Comets in the late 1980s to sing Bill Haley's vocals when they
launched their first tour of
the UK. The
British singer's work is
spotlighted in the 1999
Rollin' Rock CD, Still Rockin' Around the Clock and its
follow-up, Aged to Perfection. By 2002,
Buddin no was no longer performing with the Comets on North American
tours, but continued to perform with the group during their European
and UK tours for a couple of years after; a 2003 performance featuring
Buddin was released on DVD as The Fathers
of Rock and Roll.
Jim BUFFINGTON. Philadelphia-based drummer who did session
work
on first Jodimars recording sessions in July 1955 that produced the
demos "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie," "Flip, Flop and Fly" and possibly "The
Big Beat." The first two songs would sit unreleased until 1995, while
"Big Beat" is still unreleased.
David BYRD. Piano player for the 1954-55
Comets who joined the group in Branson in the fall of 2006 as the
second
replacement for the late Johnny Grande.
Back to index
Dimitri CALLIS.
Current (2002) lead guitar player for the John Lane
version of Bill Haley's Comets. Callis'
guitar skills are spotlighted on the band's CD, Almost
Live. Prior to working with Lane, Callis was a member of the Four
Seasons from 1971-73 and appeared alongside Frankie Valli on a number
of TV shows of the time.
The CAMEOS. Backing vocalists during
Haley's 1963 recording
sessions for Newtown Records.
Guy CAMPBELL. Steel guitar player for
The Down Homers
alongside
Bill Haley in the mid-1940s. Campbell is believed to have participated
in the group's 1946 Vogue recording sessions. He is now
deceased.
Mike CANNON. Mike Cannon joined The
Comets in early 1967 to play organ for the band. There is no indication
he ever recorded with Haley,
however.
Irma CARLON. According to discography
information compiled by
the late Herbert Kamitz, The Comets backed Irma Carlon on the RCA
single "No Es Maravillosa"/"Mitad del Corazon" in the early 1960s. No
other
information available. This is the only known occasion where the Haley
organization did any direct work for RCA, home label of rival King of
Rock and
Roll, Elvis Presley.
Ray CAWLEY. Bass 1969-1974. A popular member of the Comets in
the early 1970s, who inherited the bass antics of Al
Rappa, Al Rex and Marshall
Lytle
before him. He was also a featured vocalist. Prior to joining The
Comets he had been a member of Nick Nastos'
group. When
Haley retired in
1977-78, Cawley toured the U.S. with an official edition of Haley's
Comets alongside Nastos, Buddy Dee and Ray Parsons. Cawley died in a car
crash with
his wife in the summer of 1980. Reportedly, Cawley and Bill Haley once
made some private recordings for Ray's family.Photo courtesy Jared
Cravens.
Danny CEDRONE. Session lead guitar (off-and-on) between 1951
and 1954.
Perhap's Haley's most famous session musician of the early 1950s,
Cedrone
made his debut
at the 1951 Holiday Records recording session that produced "Rocket
'88." He
alternated his stint with Haley with being a member of The Esquire
Boys. Haley wrote "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" for Cedrone to use with this
band.
On
April 12, 1954, Cedrone did session work on the famous "Rock Around the
Clock" session, and his guitar solo (previously used on "Rock the
Joint")
is an all-time classic. He died in July 1954 after he fell down a
flight of
stairs, only a month after recording "Shake Rattle and Roll"/"ABC
Boogie" with Haley. It is reported that Cedrone was about to sign a
record deal with RCA when he died. In
1998, Cedrone's family lobbied to get him named to the Rock and Roll
Hall
of Fame. As of 2007, this has yet to happen.
Curly CHALKER. Real name Harold Lee Chalker. Curley
played
steel guitar on Haley's acclaimed 1970 LP Rock Around the Country
recorded in Nashville for Sonet. A respected session man, considered to
be one of the best steel guitar players of all time, he also
recorded with the likes of Lefty Frizell, Hank Thompson (I'm uncertain
if this is the same Hank Thompson who worked
with the Comets), Merle Travis
and Carl Smith, and was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in
1985. A webpage critiquing some of his work can be found here. His
recording career was cut short by a stroke and he died in April 1998 at
the age of 66. The liner notes for Rock Around the Country
misspelled his name as Curley Chawker. Photo courtesy Tom
Bradshaw.
Patrice CHEVALIER. Played lead guitar
backing Marshall Lytle for the 1991 recording
sessions that
produced the Marshall and the Shooting Stars CD Air Mail Special.
Former member of the group Tricky, he also performs with the Lo Fi
Funksters.
Johnny CLIFTON. See Alias
section.
Ed CLINTON. Lead guitarist with the
John Lane edition of Bill
Haley's Comets in 1995 and 1996. Clinton is
today a member of the Stone Broke Band (see their Web site here).
The COASTERS. Notable RnB/Rock and Roll
group of the 1950s who were closely associated with Leiber &
Stoller.
Their hits included "Poison Ivy", "Love Potion No. 9", and "Charlie
Brown." In 2007, a clip appeared on YouTube purporting to show "Bill
Haley's Comets" backing "The Coasters" on a performance of "Poison
Ivy".
The clip does not indicate which contingent of Comets this was (it
wasn't the 1954-55 Comets, however) nor which contingent of Coasters
this was, either.
B.J. COLE. Played steel guitar backing Marshall Lytle for the 1991 recording sessions that
produced the Marshall and the Shooting Stars CD Air Mail Special.
He has worked in the
studio alongside the likes of Bjork, The Verve, Emmylou Harris, k.d.
lang, Garth Brooks, Marc Bolan and ... Benny Hill? He recently released
a CD with Luke Vibert.
Jimmy COLLETT. Arizona-born singer and
fiddler. Some sources say he played fiddle on the 1950 Bill Haley
recordings "My Palomino and I"
and "My Sweet Little Girl from Nevada" which were issued under the name
Reno Browne and Her Buckaroos. He recorded many country and rockabilly
sides for the Cowboy, Arcade and Skyrocket labels when he wasn't
working as a dentist. He died in 1995.
Mike COLLINS. Drummer for the
Phoenix-based rock group The
Superfine Dandelion who backed Haley on the unusual recording "Rock on
Baby" in 1967.
Chris COLUMBY. Guitarist who worked with
one of the post-Haley versions of the Comets. No other information
available.
James COMPTON. Played piano backing Marshall
Lytle for the 1991 recording sessions that produced the Marshall
and the Shooting Stars CD Air Mail Special. Compton's career
has
included touring with The Darts, being a founding member of Ronnie and
the Rex, and he's also served as musical director on a number of West
End shows including Forever Plaid, Elvis the Musical
and Leader of the Pack.
Al CONSTANTINE. Played accordion
for Haley's country group The
Four Aces of Western Swing in the mid-1940s.
COOK BROTHERS. The Comets backed
the Cook Brothers on a 1960
single for the Arcade label: "Teenage Love Affair"/"Always
Together."
Shorty COOK. Real name Everett Hinderer. A member of
the
Down Homers in 1946 along with Bill
Haley. Cook later co-wrote "Four Leaf Clover Blues" which was one of
Haley's first recordings with the Four Aces of Western Swing. Cook
worked at a music store in Fort Wayne, Indiana until his death in
2001.
Lloyd CORNELL. Bass player Lloyd Cornell worked alongside Bill
Haley in the Down Homers in the mid-1940s, and later joined Haley's
short-lived group, The Range Drifters. Cornell is reportedly
deceased.
Carmen COSENTINO. Singer, guitarist
and musical director of John Lane's version of
Bill Haley's Comets since 2005. When he isn't performing, he runs a
cafe in New Jersey.
COUNTRY SHOWMEN. See Alias
section.
Paul COWAN. Drummer who played with the
Rappa/Lane version of
Bill Haley's Comets in the late 1980s. Cowan enjoyed a 40-year career
that included time with the Sidestreet Band, The Cruzers and 36 other
bands before he retired from drumming in 1998. Cowan has a Web site here.
Alex CRAVEN. Bass player for the John Lane version of the Comets. Craven has a Web
site here.
Back to index
Joey D'AMBROSIO aka. Joey Ambrose. Joined Haley's
Comets
at age 19, after working with the likes of Spags Spagnola and Mike
Guera. Big Joe Turner once called him, "The
palest nigger to ever blow a
blue note" -- and that was considered a great compliment. In 1955,
Ambrose jumped ship and helped create The Jodimars. Later, he entered
into the
casino industry and was a pit boss/floor supervisor at Caesar's Palace
in Las Vegas for
25 years. In the 1960s, he worked with a band called The Satellites. He
continues to work as a session musician today, and in 1987
he reunited with his Comets and Jodimars colleagues. Joey continues to
tour (2007) with the original Comets, and has become popular for his
uncanny
vocal impersonations of Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong. He lives in
Las Vegas. A variant spelling of his name is Joey D'Ambrosia. Photo
by
Alex Frazer-Harrison.
Max DAFFNER. The Jodimars' drummer from 1955-c.1957. Today, he
lives in Las Vegas and has worked recently as a sales representative
for an industrial products company. In August 1999, and again in early
2000, Daffner reunited
with his old Jodimars bandmates for 1954-55 Comets recording sessions
in
Las
Vegas, on which he played drums. He also played drums on tour for the
1954-55 Comets at a few dates in early 2001. He often performs with big
band
orchestras. Some online sources erroneously state that Daffner was a
member of Bill Haley and the Comets, but there is no evidence he ever
worked with Haley.
Geoff DAILEY. Geoff Daily was called in
to re-record some of Geoff Driscoll's
saxophone work following Haley's
March 1979 recording sessions in London, England. Some sources spell
his last name Daley.
Steve DANIELSON. Spent six months
touring with one of the
post-Haley versions of Bill Haley's Comets in the mid-1990s before
retiring from music and getting into the computer business.
Peter DAVENPORT. Steel guitar player. One of the founders of
the
British rockabilly group The Stargazers, Davenport became an honorary
Comet in the late 1980s when he was hired to play steel guitar for the
original Comets, taking the place of Billy
Williamson. He can be heard
on the 1993 Hydra Records CD We're
Gonna Party. In 2007 he joined "Haley's New Comets", a German-based
tribute production.
Chalmers DAVIS. Haley's bass player
during his final recording
sessions in 1979 at Fame Studios. He also played second piano on some
tracks. Today he works as a session
keyboardist and also tours with Little Richard.
Sonny Jim DAVIS. According to Hugh
McCallum's Haley News newsletter, a minor fan controversy
erupted in mid-1967
when Bill Haley, in an attempt at finding a new sound, hired Sonny Jim
Davis to play trumpet at live gigs. According to the Haley Fan Club
newsletters of the time, Davis was also hired to be lead singer for
Comets gigs without Haley. The trumpet experiment appears to have been
unsuccessful, as Davis had left the group after August 1967.
Dave DAY. Birth name David Fatalsky. The
Comets backed Pittsburgh-based Day on
the single "Calypso
Rock"/"Blue" which was released on the Casa Blanca and Kapp labels as
Dave Day and the Red Coats (sources differ as to whether this recording
dates to 1956 or 1959). Both
songs were co-written by Day and Bill Haley. Day also recorded under
the names Davey Day and Dave "Diddle" Day. According to music
bibliographers Carl and Nancy Janusek, in their liner notes for the
album Rock 'n' Roll Fee Bee, Day was hired by
Haley's manager, Jim Ferguson, to play rhythm guitar and sing with the
Comets at some point in the 1950s, but I have been
unable to find additional confirmation of this.
Jack DAY. Philadelphia-based country artist backed on a 1960
single "Rappin' the Bass"/"Rattle Bone Boogie" on the Arcade label. The
A-side is actually an instrumental featuring the Comets and it's not
known if Day participated in recording it. The b-side is a
vocal.
Al DEAN. Real name Albert DeNittis.
Replaced Rudy Pompilli on
tenor sax when Rudy quit the Comets for a brief time in 1960, and can
be heard on a few recordings made for Warner Brothers, including "Let
the
Good Times Roll, Creole." He reportedly retired from show business
around 1970. His brother, Tyrone DeNittis, ran the group The Tyrones which recorded a number of
Haley-published songs and were part of Haley's talent and booking
stable. Dean may have also recorded with the group.
Buddy DEE, aka. Wayne DeMint. Played drums for Haley
for
a couple of years in the
early 1970s. Later, when Haley retired in 1977-78, Dee toured with
Haley's Comets alongside Nick Nastos, Ray Parsons and Ray
Cawley. Photo courtesy Jared
Cravens.
Jimmy DeKNIGHT. See Myers, James.
Rita DELMAR. Vocalist who worked with Rusty
Keefer on his 1957 single "Rock-a-Way"/"Aintcha" which was backed
by The Comets. She also recorded the song "Teenage Heart."
Joe DENICK. Guitarist Denick reportedly
played briefly for Bill
Haley at some point before Franny Beecher
joined
the Comets in the fall of 1954. Denick apparently passed on the
opportunity to become a full-fledged Comet because he got a better job
offer. There's no indication he ever recorded with Haley and it's not
known at present whether he worked with Haley while Danny
Cedrone was still alive, or during the period
when Beecher was a session musician only. Earlier, Denick worked
alongside Beecher in a country group called the Buckaroo Ramblers.
Joe Denick died on March 3, 2006 at the age of 85. Some sources spell
his last name DeNick.
Doles DICKENS. Bass player who worked on
Haley's June 1960
recording sessions for Warner Brothers, standing in for Al Rappa. Dickens can be heard on "Let the Good
Times
Roll Creole" and "So Right Tonight." Dickens worked with the
Mello-Harps, the Phil Moore Four, the 5 Red Caps, Mahalia Jackson and
the Doles Dickens Trio and recorded a song called "We're Gonna Rock
This Morning" for Decca Records in 1949. He died in 1972.
Paul Taylor DIFFEN. Played double bass
backing Marshall Lytle for the 1991 recording
sessions that
produced the Marshall and the Shooting Stars CD Air Mail Special.
A member of Sugar Ray Ford and the Hotshots, Diffen has worked with
Wanda Jackson, Charlie Gracie and Sid King.
DOR. See Rod McKuen.
Geoff DRISCOLL. Played sax for The
Comets during Haley's spring
1979 tour of Britain and Europe and he appears in the film Blue
Suede Shoes. Participated in the March 1979 recording sessions that
became part of Haley's final LP, Everyone Can Rock and Roll,
though some of his sax work was rerecorded later by Geoff
Daily according to the Haley News newsletter. As of 1994,
Driscoll was a member of the Ashley Hutchings
Big Beat Combo.
Neal DRUMMOND. A friend of Haley's who
played guitar with him on radio station WSNJ in Bridgeton, N.J. circa
1947. He is still alive
today.
Back to index
Ronnie EADES. Played
sax on Haley's final studio recordings in
1979, alongside Ed Logan. Part of the "Fame
Gang,"
Eades joined The Rossington Band in 1987 after recording for some 400
artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Paul
McCartney.
Dallas EDWARDS aka. Dale Edwards,
Dal Edwards. Joined the Comets briefly in 1967 to replace lead
guitarist Johnny
Kay, and later worked for Joey Rand's version
of Bill Haley's Comets in the 1980s. He was touring with Rand
in November 1982 when he drowned in a Daytona Beach, Fla.
hotel swimming pool.
Sonny EDWARDS. Sax
player for the John Lane Comets in the early 2000s.
Jimmy ENGLISH. Lead guitar player for
Haley's final recording
sessions in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1979. Part of the Fame Studios
team, English recorded with many top artists including Johnny Cash,
David Allen Coe, George Jones and The Pointer Sisters.
Little ERNIE. Pianist Little Ernie is
believed to have stood in
for absent Johnny Grande when The Comets backed
popular kiddie show host Sally Starr on her
Clymax
LP Our Gal Sal in 1958, though some sources indicate Grande
participated too. Ernie had previously worked alongside Rudy
Pompilli and continued to work with him on solo
gigs in the late 1960s.
Sticks EVANS. Drummer for the Comets
during March 1962 when they performed several dates at the Roundtable
Club in New York which
produced the live LP Twistin' Knights at the Roundtable on
Roulette Records. A long-time session drummer, Evans worked with the
likes of Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Lavern Baker, Phil Spector and
Kai Windings.
Back to index
Brian FAHEY. Drummer
who launched his professional career working
for the Joey Rand edition of Bill Haley's Comets
in the 1980s. There
is a Web page that indicates Brian was with the group in the late
1970s,
but there is no record of a Brian Fahey working with Haley. Brian went
on to work with The Varmints and is now
a member of The Paladins (see their Web page here).
Earl FAMOUS. Replaced Charlie
Higler as
drummer for the Comets in the spring of 1953. Some sources, however,
suggest that Famous might have predated Higler. If this is true, than
Famous, not Higler, was the first stage drummer for Bill Haley and the
Comets.
Bill FAYE aka Billy Moon. Played rhythm guitar for
Haley for a few tours in
early 1968. Better known as Billy Moon, Faye has performed in a number
of groups since the 1960s such as The 8th Wonders, Whiskey Ring, Rom
and Koffee. Moon continues to perform, write songs and
record and has released 10 CDs of his work in recent years. He has a
Web site at www.gypsymoonmusic.com.
Photos courtesy Louis Torres and Billy Moon.
Lou FIEST. Drummer for a reunion of Bill
Haley's Comets that
gathered in 1981 to perform a tribute to Haley on NBC's Tomorrow
show.
Bill FISHER. Guitar player for a
breakaway Comets recording
session in the late 1950s that produced the single "Everybody Out'a The
Pool," which was released under the name The Lifeguards. He later
played guitar for a 1960 Bill Haley recording session at Warner
Brothers, which produced the songs "So Right Tonight" and "Let the Good
Times Roll,
Creole." He may also have worked on the Kingsmen recording sessions in
1957 that produced "Week End." Fisher died of cancer in 1999, but was
still playing guitar
until the end. Some sources spell his last name Fischer.
Giovanni FOCACCIA. Italian-born guitar
player, bass player and singer who has performed with the Al Rappa version of the Comets since 1992.
D.J. FONTANA. At a performance by
the 1954-55 Comets in
Jackson, Tenn. in the early 2000s, Elvis Presley's
legendary drummer
sat in with the
band.
David 'Panama' FRANCIS. The legendary jazz drummer and leader
of the
Savoy Sultans reportedly played session drums for Haley's original 1954
Decca
single "Shake, Rattle and Roll"/"A.B.C. Boogie." He again did session
work for Haley for his 1965 remake of "Burn That Candle" on APT
Records. He also worked with Bobby Darin, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly and
others,
appearing on many rock and roll classics along the way.
Francis continued to perform into his 80s and appeared in the Madonna
video, "Secrets." He died in November, 2001 at the age of 82. A
recently-discovered letter written by Decca producer
Milt Gabler in the 1980s suggests that Francis was not actually
involved in the
recording session for "Shake, Rattle and Roll." This information awaits
independent confirmation.
Stan FREE. Piano player on Haley's June
1965 sessions for APT
Records. A popular session man, Free also recorded with The Monkees and
other groups in the 1960s.
Merle FRITZ. Steel guitar player with
Haley's first band, the
Four Aces of Western Swing, circa 1947-48. Fritz lives in New
Jersey.
Ritchie FROST. Session drummer hired by Marshall Lytle for a 1958 recording session in an
attempt to revive The Jodimars. Frost also drummed for Ricky Nelson in
the 1950s and later the Righteous Brothers, and he provided percussion
on the Beach Boys' classic Pet Sounds album. Frost was part of
Nelson's TV show band. The 1958 Jodimars recordings sat unreleased
until 1995.
Back to index
John GARBO. Guitarist
who worked with one of the versions of
Bill
Haley's Comets formed after Haley's death -- years unknown. Today,
Garbo
is a member of a group called The MoJo Kings.
Chris GARDNER. If you're a Haley fan, you've probably seen
Chris Gardner's name on the liner notes of Bear Family's boxed sets, or
other
releases such as Rollercoaster's Rock the Joint. Gardner is one
of the world's foremost authorities on Bill Haley. He's also a
musician, having spent many years playing piano for The Stargazers a
rockabilly-style band strongly
influenced by the work of Bill Haley & His Comets. In
1989 he sat in with the 1954-55 Comets for a show (and possibly at a
later concert
where he played the accordion), and later helped finance Marshall
Lytle's project with a mixture of Stargazers and session musicians,
Marshall and the Shooting Stars. He also played piano on a version of
"Eat Your Heart Out Annie," recorded by Marshall Lytle with the
Stargazers and released in the late 1990s on the first Rockabilly
Hall
of Fame CD. Chris is webmaster of the Bill Haley Central Web
site. Photo courtesy Chris Gardner.
Gene GARF. Session pianist hired by Marshall
Lytle in a 1958 attempt to revive The Jodimars. Garf fronted the
Gene Garf Quartet, and also recorded with the Texas Playboys, Ricky
Nelson and Henry Mancini. Garf was part of Nelson's TV show band. A
Gene Garf is also credited with composing music for the TV series My
Three Sons but that may be a different person. Garf's Jodimars
recordings
weren't released until 1995.
Mike GARRISON. Lead guitarist for the
Joey
Rand edition of the Comets in the mid-1980s.
GINGER and JOHNNY. Husband-and-wife singing duo -- Ginger
Shannon and Johnny Montana -- who recorded a number of singles for
Arcade in the late 1950s-early 60s which may have used members of The
Comets as session musicians. Some sources say "Johnny" was Rusty
Wellington, a longtime
friend of Haley's who had once recorded Haley's "Rockin' Chair on the
Moon." But Ginger's family has indicated this information is incorrect
and Johnny Montana was always the second half of the duo. Ginger was
once a member of The Down Homers and in fact left the group around the
time in 1943 that Kenny Roberts joined the
group. She was one of the first female slapback bass players. Some of
The
Comets and related musicians known to have worked with the duo were Al Rex, Franny Beecher, Nick Nastos, Rusty Keefer, Al Constantine, Shorty Long,
The Keefer Sisters and Chuck
Hess. Ginger and Johnny continued their
musical career into the 1960s and 1970s, touring Europe and Puerto
Rico. Now in
their 70s, the couple live in the Pocono Mountains region of
Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy Peggy Wellington.
Loretta GLENDENNING. This singer was
the first female singer to
collaborate with Bill Haley on record. She appears on the 1951 Holiday
Records single "I'm Crying"/"Pretty Baby." Two other songs featuring
her were recorded but remain unreleased. In July 2002, a woman named
Lorette Glendenning Murray was killed in a motor vehicle accident in
New
Brunswick, Canada. It has not yet been confirmed whether this is the
same person.
Michel GOHLER. See Mickey LeBeau.
Jim 'Ed' GORBEY. Listed in Sound and
Glory as playing bass
for Haley at some point. No other information available.
John GORDON. Replaced Jim
Lebak on bass for Haley's final tours in the fall of 1979 and the
spring of 1980.
Charlie GRACIE. Early rockabilly
singer/guitarist who began his career around the same time Haley moved
to rock and roll. Best known
for his songs "99 Way", "Sway", and "Butterfly" (which was covered by
Andy Williams), Gracie maintained close ties to the original Comets. In
1987, when the 1954-55
Comets reunited for a special show, they backed Gracie on a performance
of "Butterfly". A recording exists of this, but has yet to be
commercially released.
David GRAF. Guitarist with one of the
post-Haley versions of
Bill Haley's Comets. Whether he was with Joey Rand, Al Rappa or John
Lane's groups is unknown. As recently as 2000, Graf was well known for
his acoustic guitar jazz and R & B work.
Lou GRAHAM. Real name Lewis Lyerly. North
Carolina-born
vocalist and bass player. Graham was a popular young singer who often
performed with Bill Haley and the Saddlemen in the
early 50s as a guest vocalist. The Saddlemen backed him on a number
of recordings, including "Long Gone Daddy," in 1952. In 1958, the
Comets once
again backed Graham on his classic recording of "Wee Willie Brown"
which was later reissued by Rollercoaster Records. Graham is also
believed by
some
to have also played bass for the Comets at some point, though other
sources say otherwise.
Graham died in late 1998.
Johnny GRANDE. Piano and accordion 1949-1962, rejoined Comets
1987-2006. Grande's Latin-style looks and pencil-thin moustache made
him the Comets' resident sex symbol in the 1950s. But behind the scenes
his role was far more important, as he was apparently the only member
of the
original Comets who could read music at the time! Grande was rarely
given a chance to solo on record, with the notable exception of the
accordion instrumental "A Rockin' Little Tune" in 1956 and some great
piano work on "The Walkin' Beat" in 1958 (released 1964); he also got
some piano solo work during
the Orfeon Records era. It's not
known exactly when he left the Comets -- some sources say during or
following
a fall 1962 tour of Germany, but other sources say he did some work
with Haley in 1963. In 1987 Grande reunited with fellow members of the
Comets from the 1950s and continued to perform, tour, and record with
the reunited 1954-55 Comets for nearly the next 20 years. This
co-founder of the Saddlemen and original
partner in The Comets passed away on June 3, 2006 after a brief fight
with cancer; he
continued performing with The Comets in Branson until only a few weeks
before his
death.
Carrie GRANT. Powerful-voiced female
singer Carrie Grant
collaborated with the Comets on the Newtown single "Let the Girls
Sing"/"Mish Mash" in 1963, which was released as Carrie Grant and the
Grandeurs. There has been debate whether the Comets actually backed
Grant on this session, however Bill Haley did record his own version of
"Mish Mash" in Mexico.
Bill GRAY. Played fiddle in Haley's very
first group, The Texas
Range Riders, circa 1943. He helped in the research for the Sound
and Glory biography in the early 1990s.
Bob GRAY. Click here for more
information.
Charlie GRAY. Part of Haley's stable of
recording artists when
he ran the Clymax record label. Gray was backed by The Comets on his
1958 single "Completely Satisfied"/"Wastin' Time."
George GRAY. Played guitar in Haley's very
first group, The
Texas Range Riders, circa 1943. He was married to Bill Haley's sister
and lived with the Haley family during the early 1940s. He helped in
the research for the Sound and Glory biography in the early
1990s.
Mal GRAY. Featured vocalist and Comets
band leader during the
late 1970s. Gray is featured on the unreleased (and reportedly never
completed) 1979 Comets recording,
"The King," and also participated in the Royal Command Performance for
Queen Elizabeth in November 1979. A former member of Sha Na Na, Gray
claims to have worked
with all the top rock and roll acts of the 1950s, except Elvis. For the
last decade, he's been lead vocalist and director of the American Pie
Rock 'n' Roll Theatre Show in Britain, and fronts the band The Wild
Angels. In the fall of 2000, Gray performed at a festival on the Isle
of Wight. The Wild Angels released a CD a couple of years ago called D'You
Know What I Mean?. Gray can be seen performing Chuck Berry's "The
Promised Land" on the various
recently DVD releases of a Comets concert recorded in Birmingham,
England in March 1979.
Lloyd GREEN. Green played steel guitar and dobro on the 1972
Nashville sessions that produced the Sonet LP Just Rock and Roll
Music. Green continued to be a much-in-demand session musician
through the 70s and 80s. He hasn't performed live for a few years now,
and has been spending a lot of time writing new music. A
question-and-answer session with Lloyd Green can be found on the Steel Pickers in
Cyberspace webpage. Photo courtesy Mike Meese.
Scott GREGORY. See Alias section.
Billy GUSSAK. Session drummer 1953-1955,
also drummer for some
Jodimars recording sessions, 1955. Gussak was first hired to back Haley
while the Comets were still at Essex records, and he played drums on
"Rock Around the Clock" as well. He later broke ties with Haley to
become session drummer for The Jodimars. Arthritis later forced him to
retire.
He lived in California and died in 1994. His last name is often
misspelled, most often as Guesack.
Arlo GUTHRIE. Famous folk singer of the
1960s, best remembered for his epic "Alice's Restaurant." In the
mid-1980s, he performed a special July 4th set with Joey
Rand's edition of Bill Haley's Comets.
Ben 'Pop' GUTHRIE. An early mentor of
Bill Haley's, the elderly
Guthrie was a carpenter who played fiddle at country shows. He and
Haley often worked together circa 1943, and their comedy-music routines
were
popular.
Back to index
Reed HADLEY. Played
bass for the John Lane
and Al Rappa
version of Bill Haley's Comets for 14 years, making him one of the
longer-serving musicians to have worked with any of the post-Haley
bands. Hadley can be seen singing with the Lane/Rappa Comets circa
1988-89 on the DVD Best of the Rock 'n' Roll Palace. Today,
Hadley plays with a rockabilly-country group called the
Double-Clutchin' Weasels. See their Web site here.
Owen HALE. Drummer during Haley's final
recording sessions in
1979 that resulted in the LP Everyone Can Rock and Roll. Hale
is
still
a sought-after session musician and is currently a member of Lynard
Skynard.
Wanda HALE. Harmonica, vocals. While Haley
worked with a number
of female singers during his career, Wanda Hale was the only credited
female session musician. Hale played harmonica and provided background
vocals for Haley's final recording sessions in 1979 which produced the Everyone
Can Rock and Roll album for Sonet. She is now
deceased.
Gina HALEY. Bill Haley's youngest daughter, Gina Haley has
followed her own musical paths since the 1990s, recording an acclaimed
album of original works, and also working with producer Michael
Sembello and other noted musicians. She also sang in a group called The
Bridge before forming her own group, the Gina Haley Band. In recent
years, Gina has become a proponent of her father's work, and on July 6,
2005, got the opportunity to sing with the Original 1954-55 Comets
during their show at the Viper Room in West Hollywood. She has also
worked as an actress
and continues (2007) to work on various musical projects.
John "Jack" HALEY. Bill Haley's eldest
son, Jack Haley co-wrote the moving biography Sound and Glory
(1990) which profiled his father's career. Often noted for his
resemblence to his dad, he agreed to get on stage and sing with the
Original Comets during a March 2005 performance in New York City
marking the 50th anniversary of Rock Around the Clock being used in the
film Blackboard Jungle.
Martha Velasco HALEY. Bill Haley's
third and longest marriage was to a woman who was hired to be a dancer
and singer
for The Comets during an early 1960s tour of Mexico. It has been
speculated that it is her voice that provides
unidentified female vocals on some Orfeon recordings such as "Twist
Lento (Slow Twistin')" and the 1966 remake of "Skinny Minnie." She is
still alive and active today.
Bruce HAMBLIN. Bass player who worked
with one of the post-Haley
Comets groups that was formed in the early 80s. One Web site suggests
Hamblin was with the group in the late 1970s but there is no record of
a
Bruce Hamblin working with Haley, so it must have been after 1981.
Hamblin went on to work in the rockabilly group The Varmints and later
Trio Grande. He died in 1996.
Jackson HANEY. Guitarist who joined the
1954-55 Comets in the summer of 2006, following the retirement of Franny Beecher. He is originally from Oklahoma
City.
Gor HART. Provided backing vocals for the
1998 Comets CD The
House is Rockin'.
Betty HARTELL. The Comets backed Betty
Hartell on a 1959 Arcade
Records recording session for the single "A Fallen Star"/"Have I Told
You Lately That I Love You?"
Bob HAYES. A business associate of Haley's
in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Hayes worked with Haley's music
publishing companies
Seabreeze Music Inc. and Valleybrook Publications Inc. He later
replaced Lord Jim Ferguson as the Comets'
personal
manager in 1958. In 1960 or 61, the Comets backed Hayes on a couple of
songs apparently recorded during their time at Warner Brothers records.
The two songs, "Pistol Packin' Mama" and "Jack in the Box," sat
unreleased until 1999, and the story behind these recordings remain a
mystery.
Martin HEAPHY. Provided backing vocals
for the 1998 Comets CD The House is Rockin'.
Dorothy HEAVLOW. A neighbor of Haley's
during his childhood,
Heavlow played accordion in Haley's very first band, the Texas Range
Riders, circa 1943. She helped in the research for the Sound and
Glory biography in the early 1990s.
John HENNESSEY. Played guitar for the Al Rappa edition of The Comets in the early 2000s.
He also worked as a building painter.
Ernie HENRY. Played organ on some of
Haley's 1965 recordings for APT Records. This is a different Ernie
Henry than the jazz musician who
died in 1957.
Curley HERDMAN. This country singer and
fiddler recruited the
Saddlemen (including possibly Bill Haley himself) to back him on a
recording of Haley's "Rose of My Heart" in 1951. Variant spelling:
Curly
Herdman.
Charlie 'Fingers' HESS. aka. Ty Heston, Chuck Hess.
According to some sources, briefly played
guitar with Bill Haley and the Saddlemen (other sources say it was
actually Haley's short-lived group the All-Western Sextet) in the early
1950s,
and was the lead guitarist for the
Jodimars in 1955 and 1956. He also worked as a solo artist, recording a
classic version of "Guitar Boogie" called "Chuck's Boogie" which was
later re-issued by
Rollercoaster Records. Despite undergoing a heart transplant in the
mid-1990s, Hess continued to perform into the '90s under the name Ty
Heston,
playing a
special guitar hooked into a machine called a GOVOX, making him a
virtual one-man-band. Hess died in the fall of 1999 on his way home
after a concert.
He lived in Lessburg, Fla.
The HIGHLIGHTS. See Alias
section.
Charlie HIGLER. Higler was the first drummer hired by Haley
after
renaming his band The Comets. (Some sources, however, suggest that
Higler actually replaced another drummer named Earl
Famous.) Higler, who was only a teenager at the
time, was only with the group for a brief time before being replaced by
the more mature Dick Richards. Higler is still
playing drums and a few years back paid the 1954-55 Comets a visit at
one of
their shows, reuniting with his old bandmates.
Karl HIMMEL. Played drums on Haley's
classic 1970 LP Rock
Around the Country. Best known for his work with J.J. Cale and Neil
Young, in 1998 Himmel played drums on the album Secrets of the
Heart
by Bobby Charles -- the writer and original performer of "See You Later
Alligator."
Milt HINTON. Legendary bass player and photographer who worked
as a session musician for Haley on the 1965 sessions for APT records.
Hinton worked for the likes of Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy
Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Duke
Ellington and John Coltrane in a career dating back to the 1930s. He
died on Dec. 21, 2000 at the age of
90. In 1991 many of his photographs were published in Overtime: The
Jazz Photographs of Milt Hinton. In 2001 selections from this book
were reprinted in a book of art postcards of the same title. Photo
courtesy Don Mopsick.
Buddy HOLLY. See Rumors and Legends
Dave HOLLY. Drummer for Haley during the early-mid 1960s. In
1981-82, he performed with a
reunion of Bill Haley's Comets that included Franny
Beecher, Al Rappa, Joey Welz
and Ray Parsons.
In the late 1980s-early 1990s, he may have joined Nick
Nastos in a group called Emenon (though Nastos' involvement is
denied by his family), and there were reports he was working as a
maitre d' at a restaurant in Titusville, Fla. at about this time.
Holly's name is often misspelled as
"Holley." Photo courtesy Jared Cravens.
Jack HOWARD. Haley's manager for many
years also occasionally
performed comedy skits with Bill during the late 1940s. He operated the
Arcade label, and continued to work with Haley's music publishing
ventures until his death in 1976. In 1961-62 members of the Comets,
plus future Comet Nick Nastos recorded
"Bulldoggin' the Steel" and "A Faithful Guitar" which were issued under
Howard's
name.
Chuck HUFFMAN. Lead guitarist for the
Comets for most of 1972
during a period when Nick Nastos was not with
the
group. Huffman appears in the film Let the Good Times
Roll, the only known recording of him with the band.
Herb HUTCHINSON. Played both lead and
rhythm guitar for the
Comets during the
mid-1970s. In 1986, he ran a clothing boutique with his wife, but Bill Turner reports he now runs a music store in
Ocean City, N.J.
Back to index
Cliff
JACKSON. Listed in Sound and Glory as playing drums for
Haley at some
point.
No other information available.
JACK the Sax. See Miller, Jack.
Vince JAMES. Guitarist for the Jodimars in
1957 and 1958,
replacing Chuck Hess. James plays guitar on the
1957 single "Shoo Sue."
Kenny JONES. Guitarist who worked with
either the Al Rappa or John Lane
versions of
Bill Haley's Comets. Jones continues to perform and has released
several
CDs. His Web site can be found here.
Ralph JONES. Drummer 1955-1960. Ralph was the first Haley
drummer to
both perform on stage and participate in recording sessions. He was
hired to replace Don Raymond, who had been a very
short-lived
replacement for Dick Richards. Jones also
worked on some of the Comets
spin-off projects, including The Kingsmen, for which he wrote "Conga
Rock" (later recorded by Haley as "Conga Twist"). In 1960 he left the
Comets along with Rudy Pompilli
and Franny Beecher to form The Merri-Men, and
was the only one of the three not to rejoin the
Comets later. In
the late 1970s a he participated in a Comets reunion project and in the
1990s did session work with Joey Welz. He
underwent heart bypass surgery and this prevented
him from participating in the 1954-55 Comets' reunion in the 1990s, but
he was still
able to appear at a Comets concert in Atlantic City in 1998. His home
movies of the Comets on the road are much in demand by documentary
filmmakers, including the only known color footage from the set of Rock
Around the Clock. One of the
more beloved Comets, he passed away on June 1, 2000 in Chester, Penn.
at the age of 79.
The JUMPING JAGUARS. See Alias
section.
Back to index
Joey KAY. Drummer
for the Comets during the first half of
1969.
Replaced by Bill Nolte. In 2006, Kay was
reportedly playing
drums with the Al Rappa version of the Comets.
Johnny KAY aka. John Kacuiban. Lead guitarist
1961-1967. Hired to replace Franny
Beecher, Kay had
the benefit of working with Franny for a number of months before being
set on his own. He was also a featured vocalist with the Comets during
the 1960s. His last studio recordings with Haley as a full member of
the Comets were made in 1966 in
Mexico; an eye injury forced him to leave the band in early 1967.
He continued to work with the Comets off and on over the next few
years, however. In the fall of 1968, he
played rhythm guitar for a United Artists recording session and
returned to the band to tour as lead guitarist for a few months. In
1970, he
sat in with the band on a few gigs in the Fort Lauderdale area, and he
can be
seen (complete
with mysterious-looking eye-patch) in the 1972 film London Rock and
Roll Show which was filmed during a brief return to the group.
Became a guitar teacher in the late 1960s and currently runs a video
company in Wilmington, De., which also markets videos of Kay teaching
rock and roll guitar through its Web
site. Kay
also recorded some solo work prior to joining Haley, some of which was
reissued by the Rollercoaster label in the 1980s. Since 2007, Kay has
been back in the recording studio,
recording new albums for Hydra Records and SCJ Corp. with his band, JK
Rockets. In 2009, he released Songs from the
Cradle of Rock 'n' Roll, a collection of all-new material. See Page
1 of Extra! for a review of this CD.
Arrett 'Rusty' KEEFER. Played numerous
instruments on stage and
in recording sessions for Haley during the 1940s and 1950s, including
guitar, bass and violin. He also provided the distinctive bass opening
vocal on 1954's "Dim, Dim the Lights," and is listed as co-writer on
many Haley recordings. In 1957, the Comets backed Keefer and singer Rita Delmar on the single "Rock-a-Way"/"Aintcha",
released on the Coral label credited to Rusty Keefer and His
Greenlights. Rusty
died in 1967.
The KEEFER SISTERS. Daughters of Rusty
Keefer who recorded the 1960 single "Wee Willy Water
Dilly"/"Wedding Bouquet" (Lawn Records) backed by The Comets. They may
have also
provided some vocal backing on other Haley recording sessions at this
time for the Warner Brothers label, such as "So Right Tonight."
Tom KEEL. Played session piano for the
Comets during the 1975
Sonet
recording sessions that produced Rudy Pompilli's solo LP, Rudy's
Rock: The Sax That Changed the World.
Doug KERSHAW. In 1970, the Comets, minus
Bill Haley and Rudy Pompilli, backed
singer/fiddler Kershaw
during a television appearance.
Tex KING. Real name Orville Mitchell. One of the
original Four Aces of Western Swing, King played lead guitar for the
group and
was also a featured vocalist (his work on "Red River Valley" would be
finally released in the 1970s). He taught Marshall
Lytle how to play guitar.
The KINGSMEN. See Alias section.
James KIRKLAND. Played bass guitar for
a 1958 recording session
commissioned by Marshall Lytle in an attempt to
revive the Jodimars. Kirkland played bass for Ricky Nelson and was part
of his TV show band. The Jodimars recordings were not released until
1995. As of November 2006 he is reportedly in ill health.
Gary KOREIBA. Branson, Mo.-based star
of The Pierce Arrow
Theater Show. In 2007, he provided backing vocals for the 1954-55
Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart
(So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)".
Tom KOZER. Stood in for Ray
Parsons on
rhythm guitar during the first four months of 1972.
Peter KRAUS. Extremely popular German
singer of the 1950s and 1960s who performed "Rock Around the Clock"
backed by the 1954-55 Comets during a star-studded April 2004
concert held in Hanover, Germany to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of
Rock and Roll and the recording of "RATC." He also performed several
songs with them at a 2005 show in Vienna.
Ivan KRILL. Briefly replaced Dave Holly as
the Comets' drummer in June and July of 1965 before being replaced by John Lane.
Back to index
Mike LAMPE. Bass
player for the John Lane
version of Bill Haley's Comets in 2002. Lampe is also a member of
Dennis
Gruenling and Jump Time. See their Web page here.
T. Bone LANCE. Go here for more
information.
Tony LANCE. Bill Haley's first sax player,
Tony Lance's session
work can be heard on 1953 Essex tracks such as "Live it Up" and
"Farewell-So Long-Goodbye." Lance was reportedly a black musician,
one of many to provide valuable session work during Haley's career.
John 'Bam Bam' LANE. Drummer from July 1965 to 1968. Joined
Haley
during his stint with Orfeon Records in Mexico, and is perhaps best
remembered for his five-minute long drum solo on the Sonet live
recording
of "Caravan" in 1968. After leaving the Comets in 1968, he formed his
own group, The Flintstones. In a 1971
edition of the official Haley Fan Club newsletter, Lane said he had a
big band LP out on the Reprise label. Lane also reportedly worked for
awhile with the contingent of Comets formed in 1978 while Haley was in
retirement. In the 1980s, he joined with bass
player Al Rappa
to form an edition of Bill Haley's Comets, which in the late 80s won a
court case over the use of the name. By the end of the 1980s, however,
Lane had split from Rappa and was
leading his own contingent of Comets, along the way recording a live
album in 2002 as well as an album of Christmas
songs. Some references and publicity material
state Lane joined the Comets as early as 1963, but there is no firm
evidence that this is the case. Lane suffered a heart attack during a
show in Clearwater, Florida, on New Year's Eve 2006 and died on
February 18, 2007. Management for Lane's Comets
have indicated the band will continue to tour. For more
information on Lane's Comets, go here.
Stacey LANE. Singer who in the early 2000s
recorded an album
of Christmas songs with the John Lane Comets
entitled Someday at Christmas.
Andy Lee LANG. European rock and roller who
recorded a number of songs backed by the 1954-55 Comets in the 1990s
and again in early 2001. He has a Web site here.
Buddy LaPATA. Joined the Jodimars in 1958
as pianist. After the
group broke up, he briefly joined with Marshall
Lytle to form The Buddy Mars. He is now deceased.
LAS HERMANAS VICARY. Singing duo
made up of sisters Victoria Abundes and
Carmen Abundes who worked with Bill Haley and His Comets as a
supporting act in 1961, including performing songs on stage backed by
the band. After
a tour, the duo recorded "Twist Lento" (a Spanish-language version
"Slow Twistin'") with Haley at a recording session, but due to the
sisters being
under contract to another label, their involvement was not credited.
Jim LEBAK. Bass player during the mid-late
1970s, who can be
seen in the 1979 film Blue Suede Shoes. He reportedly released
a
solo single in the 1970s. Today, Jim lives in Bath, N.Y.
where he works part time as a bus driver for a retirement home.
Mickey LeBEAU. a.k.a. Michel Gohler. Saxophone player
for the 1982 version of Bill Haley's Comets run by Al
Rappa and John Lane. In 1984, LeBeau
joined the Clutch band (after his time with the Comets). LeBeau's
talents include the flute, keyboards, bass and singing. He was also a
member of The Cheerleaders and, at one point, the Beach Boys. He left
Clutch in 1988 to study musical arranging and film composition. In
recent years he has toured with productions of Grease and West
Side Story and also toured with Diahann Carroll. He lives in New
York City where he continues to play in Broadway musicals. (Photo
courtesy Michel Gohler)
Cousin LEE. Bandleader who took Haley under
his wing in the
mid-1940s, promoting him as "Silver Yodelling Bill."
LEE JACKSON. In 1976 during his tour
of Brazil, Bill Haley met a
rock group called Lee Jackson. This group mixed rock and roll with
samba music, creating "rock samba." At the time, this combination was
thought
to be as innovative as the day Haley combined country-western and
rhythm and blues to form rock and roll. So, Haley was invited to be the
producer of a Lee Jackson LP, which was originally titled Underground.
Historian Chris Gardner says there is little
evidence that Haley actually did any producing chores on the album,
which was renamed Bill Haley Presents Lee Jackson, other than
write a blurb for the back cover and pose for photographs for the
sleeve. But this is the only known recording to actually credit Bill
Haley as producer (though he may have produced recordings for the
Clymax and Arcade labels years earlier). The LP was released on RCA's
South
American branch and included a hasty samba version of "Rock Around the
Clock."
Tony LEE. Played second tenor sax alongside
Rudy Pompilli during Haley's final 1961 recording
session for Warner
Brothers that produced "Honky Tonk"/"Flip, Flop and Fly."
Cliff LEEMAN. Maine-born session drummer
for the Decca recording sessions
that immediately followed the departure of the Jodimars in the fall of
1955. Leeman replaced Billy Gussak. It is Leeman
who plays the drum solo on "Saint's Rock and Roll." Leeman also worked
occasional sessions before this, such as on "Mambo Rock." Replaced at
the end of 1955 by stage drummer Ralph Jones.
Leeman may also have done some drumming for the Comets in 1953 while
the group was still at Essex Records. Leeman became a well-known swing
band
drummer in the 1930s through his work with the likes of Woody Herman
and the Dorseys. He was known by the nicknames "The Sheriff" and "Mr.
Time." Leeman continued to perform into the 1970s at least. He died in
New York in 1986.
Lucas LEIGH. Teenaged piano player who
played with John Lane's edition of Bill Haley's
Comets during
several shows in Lake Tahoe in early 1999. Check out his Web site.
Gert LENGSTRAND. Guest vocalist on the 1968 Sonet live album Bill
Haley On Stage. Lengstrand performed "What'd I Say?"
Lengstrand was one of Sweden's most popular singers in the 1960s. In
1999, he produced the winning entry in the Grand Prix Eurovision song
competition. Photo courtesy Steve Winter.
Jack LESBERG. Boston-born bass player
used on Haley's March 1960 sessions for Warner Brothers, standing in
for Al
Rappa. Lesberg's work is spotlighted on the atmospheric single
"Hawk." Originally a violinist, Lesberg played with many jazz greats
including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Eddie Condon and Sarah
Vaughn. He was a music director of jazz parties in Minneapolis and was
still
recording jazz jam sessions as recently as 1999.
The LIFEGUARDS. See Alias
section.
Dave LINKUS was a member of the John Lane/Al Rappa edition of
The Comets in the 1980s. It is believed he played rhythm guitar and
might have been a singer with the band. He is reportedly deceased.
Ed LOGAN. Played session saxophones during Haley's final
recording dates at Fame Studios in Alabama in 1979. Logan played sax
with the likes of Al Green, Joan Baez, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Jose
Feliciano, Duane Allman and Stephen Stills, but is best remembered
for his work at American Studios in Memphis in 1969 backing Elvis
Presley as a member of the Memphis Horns. Logan died in April 2000.
Photo courtesy Sandy Logan.
Steve LOMBARDELLI. Sax player for a touring group of Bill
Haley's Comets formed in 1978 while Haley was in
semi-retirement. From 1979 to 1984 he played with Dr. Harmonica and
Rockett88. He later became a music teacher and also worked with a band
called The Shakes.
I received an e-mail from someone who suggests Lombardelli might have
gone on to
become a professional wrestler, but Dr. Harmonica says this isn't the
case.
Shorty LONG. Piano player for 1961-62
recording dates where
members of the Comets backed assorted artists on the Arcade
label. Long is best known as the piano player on some of Elvis Presley's classic 1956 recordings for RCA,
most
notably "Hound Dog"/"Don't be Cruel."
Lenny LONGO. Current (2007) lead singer and rhythm
guitarist for John Lane's edition of Bill Haley's Comets. Played with
many national 50s and 60s acts before joining Bill Haley's
Comets featuring John "Bam Bam" Lane in 1999. He recorded several
singles in the 70s and 80s including "Strange Little
Man" in 1972 on the Indy label, Peekee Records and a Bicentennial album
for Philen Records in 1976 entitled Happy
Birthday America on which he wrote the title song and achieved
sales of over 200,000 copies in the specialty market. He's
the featured lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist on the Lane Comets CD, Almost
Live. Folliowing Lane's death in February 2007,
Longo was named bandleader Photo courtesy Lenny Longo.
Clifford LYTLE. In the early
1950s, Clifford, brother of
Comets
bass player Marshall Lytle, occasionally
performed
with Haley and the Saddlemen, playing
rhythm guitar and doing some singing. Clifford died in 1983 in Phoenix,
Ariz.
Marshall LYTLE. aka. Tommy Page. Played bass and
occasionally guitar 1951-1955, later formed Jodimars 1955-1959;
rejoined Comets 1987-present. Joined the Comets in 1951 while still a
teenager, when he
replaced bass player Al Rex. A guitar player by training, he was taught
bass by Haley. He later became a featured vocalist and songwriter with
the group. In 1955, he left the Comets to form The Jodimars with Dick
Richards and Joey Ambrose, and continued to
work with various versions
of
the band until the late 1950s, when it broke up. Also recorded some
solo singles, most notably "Click-Clackin' Heels." Entered real estate
after
the
Jodimars broke up, but reunited with the original Comets in 1987 and
continues to perform and record with them today (2007). He also
recorded
a CD
for Vinyl Japan in 1991 backed by The Stargazers, released in 1994 as Airmail
Special by Marshall and the Shooting Stars. In 2001, he recorded a
hip-hop version of "Rock Around the Clock" and as of 2002 became the
lead singer for the Comets for all their non-European shows (by 2006 he
also was performing lead vocals on European tours). Lived in
Florida for many years, though as of 2007 he hangs his hat in Branson,
Mo. Has his
own RaBHoF webpage
here and recently launched a humor Web page at the RaBHoF
here. Photo by Alex Frazer-Harrison.
Back to index
Jimmy MACK. Rhythm
guitar player for a 1977 Comets reunion
organized by Joey Welz, although Mack had no
previous Comets connection.
Jimmy MAISE. Fiddle player for the Four
Aces of Western Swing
circa 1948-49. Maise is believed to have played on the rare Center
Records recording "Stand Up and Be Counted."
Patrick 'Paddy' MALYNN. Haley's European manager from 1966 to
1981, Malynn provided the Franny Beecher-like
vocal intro on the 1968 Sonet re-recordings of
"See You Later Alligator" (both live and studio versions) and can be
heard on several live recordings
introducing the band; he also appears in this capacity in the films The
London Rock and Roll Show and Blue Suede Shoes.
A recent DVD release of a March 1979 Haley concert in Birmingham shows
Malynn introducing the band and presenting Haley with an award. In
later years Malynn tried to mount a West End musical
play based on Haley's life. He died in a traffic accident in 1999. Photo
courtesy Herbert Kamitz.
Jayne MANSFIELD. See Rumors and Legends.
Sal MANZ. Played rhythm guitar for the
Comets for about a week
in September 1968.
Joe MAPHIS. A little known fact about this legendary guitar
player is that he briefly recorded with The Jodimars. When Marshall
Lytle attempted to revive the band in 1958, he hired session
musicians
to back him on a recording session, including Maphis. These tracks
remained unreleased until 1994. Maphis was a popular performer and
session man for many years, well known for his work with Larry Collins.
He died in 1986.
Bobby MARHU. Listed in Sound and Glory
as playing rhythm
guitar with Haley at some
point. No other information available.
Lou MARKOWITZ. Played trumpet during
the 1965 recording sessions that produced singles for the APT label.
Art MAROTTI. Played session drums and
other percussion during
the June 1965 APT Records sessions. Marotti also worked with the likes
of Claus Ogerman and Jimmy Smith.
Bobby MARTIN. Organist for Bill Haley's
1963 sessions for
Newtown Records. Not to be confused with Robert Martin, who performed
with Frank Zappa and Bette Midler, although that Martin recalls a
Philadelphia-based arranger with the same name working with him in the
late 1960s. Might be the same man.
Dave MARTIN. Piano player credited on
the 1964 Decca recording
sessions that produced "The Green Door." This contradicts claims that Joey Welz played on the session. Martin
may
also have played piano earlier that year on the Guest Star sessions
that produced the LP Rock Around the Clock King, though this
information has not been confirmed. Martin also recorded
with Louis Armstrong.
Bob MASON. Guitar player alongside Haley
in the Down Homers
who
later joined Haley's Range Drifters, a short-lived group that predated
the Four Aces of Western Swing in the late 1940s.
Nick MASTERS. See Nick Nastos.
The MATYS BROTHERS. Best known for their
songs "Muskrat Ramble"
and "Who Stole the Keeshka," the Matys Brothers were backed by The
Comets on a number of recordings including "Muskrat Ramble" in 1953,
plus "Crazy Street", "Remember", "Sweet Sixteen" and "I'm Alone Because
I Love You," which were released on Haley's Clymax label in
1958. The brothers were Walt, John, Emil, and Gene. Gene died in 1993,
while Emil died on May 5, 2008. Current
whereabouts of Walt and John are not known.
Joe MAUDLIN. Bass player for Buddy
Holly and the Crickets. See Holly's entry in Rumors and Legends.
Ray McCANN. Played guitar in Haley's very
first group, The Texas Range Riders, circa 1943.
Mark McCAULEY. A member of the New
South group at the Grand
Country Music Hall in Branson, Mo. In 2007, he provided backing vocals
for the 1954-55 Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury
Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)".
Bobby McCORMACK. Drummer hired by Joey Welz
in the late 1980s to help overdub two 1950s-vintage Haley demos: "Six
Year Olds Can Rock and Roll" and "Football Rock and Roll."
Bob McFADDEN. See Comet Claims.
Mike McFADDEN. Leader of the Phoenix-based rock group The
Superfine Dandelion which was hired to back Haley on a mysterious 1967
recording called "Rock on Baby," which wasn't released until 1999.
McFadden, who was Superfine's lead singer, played lead guitar in the
studio and wrote "Rock on Baby" specifically for Haley.
Rod McKUEN. See Comet Claims.
Dennis McLEOD. Dennis McLeod toured with
The Comets, playing
guitar, for about a month in the fall of 1967.
Freddie MEADE. Records show a 1965 single
by Freddie Meade and
the Calendars on the 20th Century Fox label that may have been backed
by members of The Comets, although Nick Nastos
may
have been the only Comet actually involved. No other information
available.
Bill MEDLEY. Singer Bill Medley rose
to
stardom in the 1960s as the
baritone half of the Righteous Brothers, who scored many rock, pop and
RnB hits, including "You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'". Medley later
enjoyed a successful solo career, recording such classics as "I've Had
the Time of My Life". Medley continues to perform and is presently
based in Branson, Mo. In 2007, he provided backing vocals for the
1954-55 Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at
Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)". His daughter, McKenna
Medley, is also a singer and often performs as an opening act for the
Original Comets. The two sang a duet a few years ago on the American TV
series, Dancing with the Stars.
Darrin MEDLEY. The son of Bill Medley,
Darrin Medley served as lead singer of Paul Revere
and the Raiders and more recently has worked with his father in
Branson, performing the hits of the Righteous Brothers in place of the
late Bobby Hatfield. In 2007, he joined his dad in providing backing
vocals for the 1954-55 Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die,
Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)".
John MELINCHOCK. Lead
guitarist/vocalist for the version of Bill Haley's Comets run by Al Rappa beginning in 1990. I received some
information that he has retired from touring and is an insurance
salesman, however I've since found a website suggesting he's still with
the band.
The MERRI-MEN. See Alias section.
Joey MICHAELS. The Comets backed Joey
Michaels on a 1959 Arcade
single: "Sixteen Cats"/"Too Blue to Cry."
Gaetano 'Guy' MICHETTI. Played lead
guitar with Joey Rand's edition of
Bill Haley's Comets in 1984-85. Michetti has also performed with Dizzy
Gillespie and
Arlo Guthrie. Michetti plays the role of George in the Beatles tribute
band, The Beats, which recently recorded a CD. Go here for
the group's Web site.
Arom MIKA. Bass player for The Superfine
Dandelion, a
Phoenix-based rock group (formerly known as The Mile Ends) who backed
Haley instead of the Comets on a 1967 recording called "Rock on Baby"
that wasn't released until 1999.
Bill MILLER. Joined The Comets in 1967, replacing Dallas Edwards on lead guitar. Miller left the
band
in early 1968, but returned to the group that July, alternating with
guitarist Nick Nastos. Miller played lead guitar
on the 1968 recording sessions for United Artists, and once again
toured with The Comets in late 1972. Photo courtesy Louis
Torres.
Dave MILLER. Producer of Bill Haley's classic tracks for
Holiday and Essex Records, 1951-54. He also played clapboard on the
1953
recording "I'll Be True" and participated in the vocal chorus on "Crazy
Man Crazy" that same year. Miller made a major miscalculation when he
refused to allow Haley to record "Rock Around the Clock" at Essex and
was sued by Haley when he tried to issue some older recordings after
Haley left for Decca Records. A producer for the likes of Sticks McGhee
before he linked up with Haley, Miller went on to create 101 Strings
and produce the Eddie Calvert hit "Oh Mein Papa." He died in 1985.
Jack MILLER aka. 'Jack the Sax.' New Jersey musician who
played
tenor saxophone during the 1981-82 Comets
reunion, replacing Jim Robinson. Played sax on
the 1982 Bill Haley's Comets
single "Bring Back the Music"/"The Hawk Talks." Jack may also
have later performed with the Al Rappa/John Lane edition of Bill Haley's Comets.
Bobby MONK. A rare two-instrument Comet,
Monk played bass for
Haley during September 1968, replacing Al Rappa.
In October he switched to drums and stayed with the group until January
1969. He also played drums during the October 1968 United Artists
recording sessions.
Johnny MONTANA. See Ginger and
Johnny.
Freddie MOORE aka. Fred Fusting.
Became Haley's drummer
in 1974 and
participated in the famous London Hammersmith Palais concert released
on Antic Records. He was scheduled to tour with Haley in 1975, but had
to
pull out when he couldn't get the time off school. Today he lives in
Baltimore,
MD., but is apparently no
longer playing drums. For some reason there are many websites (as of
2007) indicating that Moore became the first husband of actress
Demi Moore in 1980. While she did marry a man named Freddie Moore, this
is a different individual.
Gianni MORANDI. Popular Italian singer
who reportedly recorded "La Gran
Carrera" with Bill Haley in 1966 for the soundtrack of the Mexican film
Adios Cunado, according to the booklet in the Bear Family
Haley box set The Warner Brothers
Years and More. Morandi still performs and records today, but it
is not known of his duet with Haley has ever been commercially released.
Bobby MORRIS. Played drums for the
Jodimars for about a year in
the late 1950s, participating in the recording sessions that produced
the single "Shoo Sue"/"Story Telling Baby" for Parliament Records.
Morris also drummed for Louis Prima and worked in the orchestra at the
Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas during Elvis Presley's
big comeback in the
late 1960s. He ran a booking agency in Vegas for many years and is now
semi-retired. He recently met up with his former Jodimars bandmates at
a Las Vegas concert by the 1954-55 Comets.
Bill MOSS. Singer who recorded a
number of songs in the 1950s
that may have been backed by The Comets. One of his best-known
recordings, "You Look Like Something the Cat Dragged In" was written by
members of the band. He may also have been the vocalist on "It Should
Have Been Me," a song that was (erroneously?) credited to The Kingsmen when it was reissued by
Rollercoaster
records in the 1980s. No other information about Moss is available; a
gospel singer and an RnB singer by the same name exist, but it's not
known if either of these men have the Comets connection.
Tony MOTTOLA. Shared lead guitar duties along with Chuck
Hess on a number of 1955-56 Jodimars recordings for Columbia
Records, including "Well Now Dig This." A popular jazz player and
session musician, Mottola's recording career began in the 1930s with
the George Hall Orchestra. He later went on to work with the likes of
Enoch
Light and was a colleague of Art Ryerson and Don Arnone. He recorded a number of albums solo and
with orchestra, and toured with Frank Sinatra in the early 1980s and
also played on The Tonight Show and many TV series. In
1985, he scored the Stanley Lumet film Running on Empty.
Mottola died on Aug. 9, 2004 in Denville, N.J. at the age of 86. Photo
courtesy Robbie Baldock.
Steve MURRAY. Joined the Comets as
drummer in 1979 and appeared
in the film Blue Suede Shoes. Murray was also a songwriter and
wrote the 1979 Haley recording "Hail, Hail Rock and Roll."
James E. MYERS. aka. Jimmy De Knight.
In 1950, the future
credited
co-writer of "Rock Around the Clock" gained the distinction of being
the first musician known to play drums on a Bill Haley recording
session. He recorded with Haley during a session for Atlantic Records
which produced the singles "Why Do I Cry Over You" and "I'm Gonna Dry
Every Tear With a Kiss." He later released two instrumental versions of
"Rock Around the
Clock" under his own name (including a Cha-Cha version), though claims
that he played drums on the
Haley Decca recording (recounted in John Swenson's biography of Haley)
are unfounded. Myers also dabbled in acting,
appearing in small roles in films such as Shaft in Africa and The
China
Syndrome (although the Internet
Movie
Database fails to list the latter appearance). He also directed at
least one
film under the name Jimmy De Knight. In later years, Myers lived in
Bonita Springs, Fla., where he
maintained a "Rock Around the Clock" museum out of his home and he
continued to work on a number of projects, including a modernized
version of "Rock Around the Clock" with Joey Welz
that was released in 2002.
He also wrote an autobiography about his war years, Hell in a
Foxhole. He died on
May 9, 2001 of leukemia. Read more
about this larger-than-life figure on the Rockabilly Hall of Fame's
tribute page here.
Back to index
Nick NASTOS. aka Nick Masters, Nick Nantos.
Full name Mathias Nicholas Nastos.
Joined The Comets in 1964 to replace Billy
Williamson on steel guitar, though he had worked as a session
musician alongside members of The Comets for several years before that.
Nastos left the group after about a year and formed his own group. He
also recorded an album
of guitar instrumental as Nick Nantos and the Fireballers. In
1968, he rejoined The Comets as lead guitarist. In 1969 he brought
several members of his group The Country Showmen into the band,
including Ray Cawley, Bill
Nolte and Ray Parsons. In the late
60s-early
70s, in-between Haley gigs, Nastos toured with The Comets (sans Haley)
under the name The Country Showmen
When Haley temporarily retired in the late 1970s, Nastos toured with
Haley's Comets alongside Parsons, Buddy Dee and Ray
Cawley. After undergoing heart surgery and cancer treatment, Nastos
continued to perform, including
appearances on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon and Easter
Seals Telethon.
Nastos died of cancer on April 28, 1995, though he was still recording
shortly before his death. His daughter, Sia La Belle, is a Texas-based
musician. Nastos' playing style inspired many musicians, including
George Thorogood, and his death was mourned by Willie Nelson and many
other fellow musicians. Before joining Haley, Nastos recorded with The
Fireballers. Photo courtesy his son, Jared Cravens.
The NITE CAPS. See Alias section.
Bill NOLTE. Nolte replaced John
Lane as
drummer in 1969 and stayed with the band until the fall of 1971. Nolte,
who had been a member of Nick Nastos' group
prior
to joining Haley and who left the group to continue working with
Nastos, was also a fine country western singer, and examples of his
work
recorded during the 1969 New York Bitter End concert were released on
the Warner Brothers Years and More box set. His name was
misspelled Bill Wolfe in one issue of Haley News. After leaving
the Comets, Nolte continued to perform in Florida and was named to a
country music hall of fame in that region. He later worked as a
limousine driver and is still active as of 2007, although he no longer
drums. He still has fond memories of his time with The Comets. Photo
courtesy Bill Nolte.
Andrew NORBLIN. Noted guitarist who
joined the 1954-55 Comets in the spring of 2006 as second lead
guitarist (alongside Franny Beecher). Norblin,
who recorded a version of Beecher's "Goofin' Around" in tribute several
years ago, departed the group during the summer, prior to Beecher's
retirement.
Back to index
Rune OFWERMANN
played piano on a 1968 recording session for
Sonet Records in Sweden. His work can be heard on "Flip, Flop and
Fly." According to Chris Gardner, he is now a high-ranking executive
with Sonet.
Joe OLIVER. See Olivier, Joe.
Joe OLIVIER. Dutch-born musician who Joined the Comets in late
1957 to play second
guitar
on several Decca recording sessions -- the single "Mary Mary Lou" and
several tracks from Rockin' Around the World. In 1958, the
multilingual Olivier
toured with Haley across Europe and South America where he doubled as
an interpreter (per Sound and Glory). He
also
appears in the film Hier Bin Ich, Hier Bleib Ich filmed during
the 1958 German tour, and photographs
exist of Olivier performing on television, backed by Haley and the
Comets. In 1959,
members of the Comets backed Olivier on the single "The Cat"/"La Donna
Riccia" which was released under the name Cappy Bianco. He also worked
with bandleader Xavier Cugat. In later years,
he managed a Howard Johnson's restaurant, worked in catering for
American Airlines, ran a dog kennel near Utica, N.Y. and bred champion
German shepherds. Many sources spell his name Oliver. He died on
Christmas Day, 2001, at his home in Marcy, NY after a battle with
diabetes. He was 74. Photo courtesy
Lothar Mackenbach.
Clive OSBORNE. British sax player who
substituted for Joey Ambrose during the fall 2003
European tour of the 1954-55 Comets when Ambrose suddenly had to return
to the US.
Back to index
Ray PARSONS. Rhythm guitarist and featured vocalist off-and-on
from 1970 to 1979. He also acted as "carnival barker" for some shows,
and can be
seen performing this duty in the 1979 film Blue Suede Shoes,
which also shows him performing vocals on
"Rockin' Robin'." A March 1979 Comets performance in Birmingham,
released to DVD a couple of years ago, shows Parsons singing
harmony vocals with Haley on "Me and Bobby McGee."
Prior to joining The Comets, Parsons had worked with Nick
Nastos. When Haley temporarily retired in 1977-78, Parsons toured
with Haley's
Comets alongside Nick Nastos, Buddy
Dee and Ray Cawley. He released several solo
country
recordings under the name Dorsey Ray Parsons. In
1981-82 he was a member of a reunion of Bill
Haley's Comets that included Al Rappa, Franny Beecher, Dave Holly
and Joey Welz. He also worked with the Rappa, John Lane version of the Comets in 1982. Following
the
departure of Cawley from
the Comets in late 1974, Parsons temporarily played bass for the group.
Today he is retired from music and living in Colorado. Photo
courtesy Jared Cravens.
Gary S. PAXTON. Branson, Mo.-based
singer, songwriter and
producer who wrote and produced the novelty single, "When I Die, Just
Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)" for the
1954-55 Comets in 2007. He also performed backing vocals (along with a
number of Branson-based musical stars) on the recording. Also known as
Grandpa Rock, as well as "Chaplain to the Branson Entertainment
Business", Paxton was a founding member of the Hollywood Argyles, who
recorded the classic 1960 song, "Alley Oop". Paxton went on to work
with many pop groups of the 1960s and continues to be a prolific
songwriter and producer.
Roy PERKY. Occasional fiddle player with
the Saddlemen, circa
1949-50.
D'Vaughn PERSHING. Piano player who
joined the 1954-55 Comets during the summer of 2006, succeeding the
late Johnny Grande. Prior to joining the Comets,
he worked in Branson, Mo. with Andy Williams. After a few months he was
succeeded by David Byrd.
Michael PEWNY. Austrian piano player who
performed with the 1954-55 Comets during a TV appearance
in Austria a few years ago.
Bill PFENDER. Played session drums for
the Comets during the
1975 recording sessions that produced Rudy Pompilli's solo LP and his
final recordings, Rudy's Rock: The Sax That Changed the World.
Joe PICCIRILLI. Occasional bass
player for the Saddlemen, circa
1949-50. Older brother of Al Rex. According to Rex,
Joe played bass on the 1950 Keystone Records session that produced
"Deal Me a Hand" and "Ten Gallon Stetson" which had previously been
credited
to Rex. He was still alive as of the early 2000s.
Don PLANNER. Provided backing vocals for
the 1998 Comets CD The House is Rockin'.
Tom POHORILLA, a.k.a. Thomas J.
Pohorilla. Nashville drummer who toured with the Joey Rand version of
Bill Haley's Comets in early 1984. Still "alive and well" according to
an e-mail I received in April 2005.
Al POMPILLI. Cousin of Rudy Pompilli
(though Haley also referred
to
him as Rudy's little brother), Al played bass for Haley during 1958 and
1959 and
appeared in the film Hier Bin Ich, Hier Bleib Ich. He was the
first musician to play bass guitar for a Haley recording session.
Pompilli also sang
with
the band -- the only examples of this, the excellent "For You My Love"
and "Giddy Up Ding Dong,"
appear on the CD Vive la Rock n' Roll on Big Beat Records.
Replaced in September 1959 by Al Rappa.
Passed away c.1974. The original spelling of his last name was
Pompilii.
Rudy POMPILLI. Played tenor and bass saxophone, clarinet and
flute 1955-1976. Haley's
longest-serving and most beloved Comet, Rudy also acted as road manager
for many years and was a featured vocalist, too. Left the Comets for
several
months in 1957 due to
illness and again in 1960-61 after the death of his father, during
which time he and several other Comets recorded as The Merri-Men.
Otherwise,
he participated in nearly every Haley-related recording
session and live performance over the course of 19 years, before his
death from lung cancer
in
February 1976. His last recording was
a solo album on Sonet backed by
several
Comets -- Rudy's Rock - The Sax That Changed the World --
recorded
for Sonet Records in 1975. One of his very last
performances in the Philadelphia area in late 1975 reunited him with
old friend Franny Beecher and 1970s Comets
guitarist Bill Turner. His last tour with Haley
was to Brazil in late 1975. Rudy's last
name was properly spelled "Pompilii" but this was changed because Haley
feared it would always look mispelled. Warning: In early 2004 I
was made aware of a performing musician in the United States who is
claiming to be Rudy Pompilli. Don't you believe it -- I know people who
attended his funeral and they confirm that Rudy Pompilli died in 1976.
Jimmy PONDER. Branson, Mo.-based
founder and original member
of New South. In 2007, he provided backing vocals for the 1954-55
Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart
(So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)".
Elvis PRESLEY. See Rumors and Legends.
Jerry PRICE. Baltimore-based drummer who
occasionally played
with a 1977 Comets reunion, sitting in for Ralph
Jones.
Ronnie PROPHET. Canadian country music
singer with a long
career dating back some 40 years. In the 1970s he was the star of his
own country music TV series on Canadian TV, Grand Old Country.
Now based in Branson, Mo., he stars in The Ronnie Prophet Show.
In 2007, he provided backing vocals for the 1954-55 Comets on their
novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can
Come and Visit Me!)".
Paul PRUITT. Joined The Comets in
September 1971, replacing Nick Nastos. Pruitt
stayed with the group until
January 1972. Some sources claim he was the youngest guitarist to ever
work with Haley, however that record more likely belongs to Johnny Kay. Pruitt died at his home in Clayton, Del.
on May 14, 2003.
Tim PURKESS. Well-known bass player with
the British rockabilly
group The Stargazers, Purkess plays double bass on several tracks on
the 1954-55 Comets' 1998 CD The House is Rockin'.
Back to index
Johnny QUICK. See Comet
Claims
for more
information.
Back to index
Bennett RABIEGA.
Played bass guitar for an overdubbing
recording session in the late 1980s run by Joey Welz
in order
to provide new backing to the 1950s Haley demos "Six Year OIds Can Rock
and Roll" and "Football Rock and Roll". He is credited on a recent CD
release showcasing Philadelphia-area Christian musicians.
Joey RAND real name J. Graziano. Rand was hired in the
early 1980s to serve as vocalist for a Bill Haley's Comets reunion that
featured Franny Beecher and other 1950s and 60s
members of the band. After this enterprise ended in 1983, Rand went on
the road with his own version of Bill Haley's Comets. This led to legal
friction between him and Comets Al Rappa and John Lane who had their own version of Bill Haley's
Comets. Rand attempted to trademark the Comets name, but ultimately
lost a lawsuit over the issue, though he did perform in Canada under
that
name afterwards. There were claims at the time that Rand was a member
of the Comets in the 1950s, but there is no evidence to back this up.
As
recently as early 2001 Rand was performing a show dedicated to
1950's Rock and Roll and Elvis Presley, but
indicated in February 2001
that he planned to hang up his rock and roll shoes to concentrate more
on his business enterprises. A recording of "Rock Around the Clock" by
Rand's Comets was released
on the Hydra Records CD The Story of Rock Around the Clock in
2006.
Boots RANDOLPH. Click here for more
information.
Al RAPPA. Bass player 1959-1969. Joined Haley in 1959,
replacing Al Pompilli. Rappa was a featured
vocalist with the group, and
his unique singing style
earned him the nickname "The Golden Voice." He also occasionally played
trumpet. Left the Comets in early
1969, but in 1977 he joined several former bandmates in a Comets
reunion group. In 1982 he joined another Comets reunion and recorded
the single
"Bring Back the Music"/"The Hawk Talks" with Franny
Beecher, Joey Welz, Ray
Parsons and Dave Holly.
Later, he joined with drummer John Lane to
form an edition of Bill Haley's Comets. In the late 1980s, this group
won a court battle against singer Joey Rand over
the rights to the
Comets name. Rappa split with
Lane soon after, and continues to perform today with his own edition of
Bill Haley's Comets (for more information on Rappa's group, go here). One of his claims
to fame
is the ability to play
two trumpets at the same time. The US government's online trademarks
database indicates his real name may
be Albert Ruppa, but this may be a typo as there's no other source
indicating this. Some sources and publicity indicate Rappa joined the
Comets as early as 1955, which is incorrect. Photo courtesy Jared
Cravens.
RAY CHARLES SINGERS. This vocal group
provided vocal chorus
backing on the 1954 Essex recording of "Chattanooga Choo Choo."
Don RAYMOND. The first drummer to be
hired following the
departure of Dick Richards, Raymond's tenure
with the Comets lasted only a few weeks in the fall of 1955 before he
was replaced by Ralph Jones.
Bill REEDER. Branson, Mo. musician who
in 2007 played baritone
sax with the 1954-55 Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die, Just
Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)".
Paul REVERE. In the 1960s, Paul Revere,
with his group, the Raiders, rose to the top of the pop charts with
work such as "Cherokee Nation". He also starred in the music TV series,
Where the Action Is and today is a headliner at Dick Clark’s
American Bandstand Theatre in Branson, Mo. In 2007, he provided backing
vocals for the 1954-55 Comets on their novelty single, "When I Die,
Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can Come and Visit Me!)".
Al REX. Real name Al Piccirilli. Bass player,
1949-1951
and 1955-1958. According to some sources, Rex made his recording debut
in 1950 at the Keystone Records recording session, but Rex says that
was his brother, Joe Piccirilli. Rex did
work on
the Atlantic Records sessions that same year, however. Rex initially
left
the Saddlemen after
playing bass on the historic "Rocket '88" in 1951. He tried his hand at
a solo
career,
recording some classic country-rockabilly sides including "Hydrogen
Bomb" and "I
Gotta Go." When his replacement, Marshall
Lytle, quit the Comets to form the
Jodimars in the fall of 1955, Rex was persuaded to rejoin the group,
and he appeared in the
films Rock Around the Clock and Don't Knock the Rock.
He
was also a
featured vocalist with the Comets, before deciding to quit the band
once again in 1958. He continued to do occasional session work with his
former bandmates into the 1960s when they backed artists on the Arcade
label. It was reported in the late 1960s that Rex had a dozen kids and
was working as an accountant. In the late 1970s, he briefly ran a group
called The
Sound of Haley's Comets. Herbert Kamitz's extensive Bill Haley
Discography lists a 1978 release on the Arcade label, "Mollie Darling,"
that may have been backed by members of The Comets, though it was
likely recorded much earlier. The Comets also backed Rex on an early
1960s
Arcade Records release of the Haley country song "Within This Broken
Heart of Mine." In the
early 1990s,
he participated in the launching of the Haley biography Sound and
Glory. Today he lives in Norristown, Pa.
Tony RICE. Click here for more
information.
Dick RICHARDS aka. Dick Boccelli. Drums 1953-1955
(Comets), 1955-late 50s
(Jodimars), 1987-present (original Comets). The son of a blind opera
singer
named Luigi Boccelli, Richards tells Extra he initially turned down
Haley's offer to
join the Comets in 1952, recommending Charlie Higler
instead. After Higler left in 1953, Richards (who previously was part
of a duo called Richards and Lee), agreed to join the band. His
baritone voice gave him an
edge as a featured vocalist. For some reason, Richards only drummed on
stage, while Billy Gussak, Cliff
Leeman and Panama Francis were preferred
during
recording sessions at Essex and Decca. Richards did play percussion on
"ABC Boogie" and tom-toms on "Birth of the Boogie" and provided backing
vocals on many other songs. In 1955, he formed The Jodimars with Marshall Lytle and Joey
Ambrose,
sharing lead vocal duties with Lytle,
and drumming duties with Max Daffner and
Gussak.
In the late 1960s, Richards became a film, TV and stage actor under his
real name,
a job he continues to enjoy to this day. Roles include My
Blue Heaven with Steve Martin, guest roles on the HBO series Oz
in
1998 and 1999, and a stage play in Los Angeles in early 2001 (which
required him to skip a Comets tour of Europe, leading
to the unfortunate rumor that his health had failed). In 1987
he rejoined his Jodimars pals in a reunion of the Comets,
and despite fighting throat cancer in the 1980s, continues to
drum and sing with the Original Comets in 2007; he is now the oldest
member of the band and proud of it. In 2001, he was named to
the Delaware County chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of
Fame.
Jimmy RIDDLE. Harmonica and jews harp
player at the 1970
Nashville sessions that produced the Sonet LP Rock Around the
Country.
Bernie RIES. Played drums for the 1954-55
Comets during their
early 2001 tour of Europe, standing in for Dick
Richards who was performing in a play in Los Angeles at the time.
Participated in an early 2001 recording session backing Andy
Lee Lang on "Shake, Rattle and Roll."
Hargus 'Pig' ROBBINS. Played piano for
Haley on the 1970 album Rock Around the Country. Along with
fellow Rock Around the
Country vet Karl Himmel, Robbins played on
the 1998 Bobby
Charles album Secrets
of
the Heart. Charles wrote and originally recorded "See You Later
Alligator."
Kenny ROBERTS. Leader of the Down
Homers, who was reportedly
replaced by Bill Haley during a time when Roberts was in the army after
the end of World War II. Roberts claims he taught Haley how to yodel.
The exact
dates Haley was in the Down Homers are a matter of debate, though his
presence is confirmed on some recently-discovered radio recordings from
1946. It was Roberts who set the record straight that Haley was not
involved in the group's 1946
recording sessions for
the Vogue label, contrary to what collectors had thought for years.
Roberts is
still alive today and speaks fondly of Bill Haley. His Web site can be
found here.
Jim ROBINSON. Baltimore-based sax
player for a Comets reunion
organized by Joey Welz in 1977. He also toured
with
an edition of Bill Haley's Comets that toured in 1981 after the death
of Bill Haley.
Replaced by Jack the Sax.
Jesse ROGERS was a popular country western
singer of the 1940s
and 1950s who was associated with Haley during the early years, often
appearing on Bill's radio shows. The musicians list in Sound and
Glory also lists him as having played rhythm guitar with Haley at
one point. Recorded a reworking of "Wabash
Cannonball," called "Jukebox Cannonball," which would later become one
of
Haley's early classics on the Holiday label when the Saddlemen recorded
it in 1952. Rogers' 1959 single on
the Arcade label, "Night Wind"/"Say it Again" featured Comet Franny Beecher on lead guitar. Rogers was also
married to
TV kids show host Sally Starr, with whom the
Comets would later record.
Rogers died in the 1960s, his wife Sally reportedly at his side.
Richard ROME. Piano player during the 1963
Newtown recording
sessions. Rome was a popular session man and arranger during the
"Philly Sound" years of the late 1960s-early 1970s, working with a
variety of
artists. He also recorded solo work.
Diego ROMERO. Played trumpet on some of
Haley's final recordings for the Orfeon label in Mexico in early 1966,
such as "Skokiaan a Go Go" and "Harlem a Go Go."
David 'Chico' RYAN. Best remembered as a
member of Sha Na Na,
Ryan
played rhythm guitar and occasionally bass for Haley during Bill's
October 1979 British tour. According to official fan club newsletters
of the time, Ryan was somewhat controversial during his time with the
band, insisting on wearing a leather jacket instead of the Comets
uniform, for example. Ryan died in 1998.
Art RYERSON. During much of 1952-53,
session guitarist Danny Cedrone was unavailable
to work with Haley due
to his involvement with his own group, The Esquire Boys. In his place,
Haley hired renowned jazz player Art Ryerson. Ryerson's work can be
heard on classics such as "Crazy Man Crazy" and "Live it Up" though
some sources such as John Swenson's biography of Haley erroneously
credit Cedrone with this work.
His daughter, Ali Ryerson, is a critically acclaimed flute
player. Ryerson died in October 2004.
Back to index
Sonny SABER. The
Comets backed Sonny Saber on a 1959 single
for
Arcade Records: "Little Daisy"/"You Told Me a Lie."
Pat SALVADORE. Played sax with Joey Rand's
version of Bill Haley's Comets circa 1986. Lives in California.
Luis SANCHEZ. Played trumpet on some of
Haley's final recordings for the Orfeon label in Mexico in early 1966,
such as "Skokiaan a Go Go" and "Harlem a Go Go."
Jeri Lynn SANDS. Singer backed by the
Comets on some singles for the Arcade label in 1959 and 1960, including
a cover version of Haley's
"The Walkin' Beat" (Haley's 1958 recording wouldn't be released until
1964).
Joey SANTOS. Singer backed by The Comets
on the 1959 Coral
Records single "Aintcha," which had also been recorded by Rusty Keefer with the Comets also backing.
Bob SCALTRITO aka. Bob Scales.
Worked as a session
guitarist
with Haley
and the Saddlemen on a couple of Holiday Records recording sessions in
1951 ("Green Tree Boogie"). Better known as a member of the Esquire
Boys, he worked alongside Danny Cedrone for a
number of years. Some sources erroneously state that Cedrone and
Scaltrito were brothers. Scaltrito
continued to run the Esquire Boys after Cedrone died in June 1954, and
passed away himself a number of years ago.
Frankie SCOTT. In 1957, Rudy
Pompilli
couldn't tour and record for many weeks due to illness. Scott was hired
to play sax for several Decca recording sessions, including the single
"Billy Goat"/"Rockin' Rollin' Rover" and the Rockin' the Oldies
album. He also toured with the Comets during Pompilli's absence, which
likely caused some controversy in those racially divided days since
Scott was black. According to Sound and Glory, Scott often
played with the Comets even when Pompilli
returned, and the duelling sax duets between Rudy and Frankie must have
been something to behold! In 1956, Scott recorded the single "Walking
Up Four Flights of Stairs"/"She Said," backed by the Comets (some
sources
say this single dates from 1959, but this information appears to be
incorrect). The single was
released on both the Casa Blanca and Kapp labels, credited to Frankie
Scott and the Scottsmen.
Bobbe SEYMOUR. See Comet Claims for
more
information.
. 
Helen SHADOW. Lead guitarist and singer for The Queen B's,
Shadow is noted for her distinctive Mohawk haircut. In October 1997 and
early 1998 she provided backing vocals on the 1954-55 Comets' CD The
House is Rockin'. Wife of the Stargazers' Ricky
Lee Brawn.
Ginger SHANNON. See Ginger and
Johnny.
Bobby SHARP. See Bud Sharp.
Bud SHARP. Joined the Comets in November
1968 to play bass. When Al Rappa returned in
December, Sharp switched to
rhythm guitar and stayed with the group until January 1969. Also was
session bass player on the 1968 United Artists recordings including
"That's How I Got to Memphis." Some sources give his name as Bobby
Sharp.
Mike SHAY. Shay joined the Comets in late 1965-early 1966, and
played second guitar on a number of Orfeon label recordings made in
Mexico in January 1966, and he also played sax with the group. After
leaving The Comets, Shay for a time partnered with Johnny
Kay in running a music store and teaching school in Florida.
Tony SHERIDAN. In the early 1960s, Tony
Sheridan hired a group
of Liverpool rockers known as The Beatles to back him on a series of
recordings, including a cover version of Haley's "Skinny Minnie." In
2001 at a show in Hamburg, Sheridan joined the 1954-55 Comets onstage
to perform "Skinny Minnie" once again.
Jerry SHOOK. Well known Nashville session
musician who played
rhythm guitar during the 1972 recording sessions that produced the
Sonet LP Just Rock and Roll. Shook's sizable discography
includes work
for Jerry Reed, Ringo Starr, Steve Young and Joan Baez.
Miles SHORTER. See Comet Claims for
more
information.
Morgan SHUMAKER. Drummer for Al Rappa's
version of The Comets, years unknown. At one point, Shumaker was a
member of the group The Downbeats, best known for the instrumental
"Midnight Express." Now in his early 60s, Shumaker is still
performing.
Frank SIKORA. Listed in Sound and
Glory as playing sax for
Haley at some point. No
other information available.
Bob SIMPSON. First piano player for the
Jodimars, Simpson was
hired in the fall of 1955 and allegedly participated in the first
Columbia recording sessions, including "Let's All Rock Together" and
"Well Now Dig This." Chris Gardner disputes this, suggesting no piano
is in evidence on most of those tracks.
Brad SKINNER. Session drummer on Haley's
1965 recordings for APT Records.
Marty SMITH. The Comets backed Marty
Smith on a 1961 Arcade
Records release "Spoiled, Pampered and Babied"/"Storm on the
Ocean."
Phil SMITH. Saxophonist for one of the
versions of Bill Haley's
Comets formed after Haley's death. Today, Smith lives in California
where he writes and
records songs for children. His Web site can be found here.
Duke SNOW. Real name John Muntz.
Snow was a guitar player with
Bill Haley's very first band, a group called the Texas Range
Riders, and he remained a close friend of Haley's during the difficult
early years of his career. He continues to sing, and is also considered
a talented painter. In 2000, he) visited with Comet Marshall
Lytle.
Snow's artwork can be seen at www.snoproart.com
David SOMERVILLE. Originally from
Canada, Somerville was a
vocalist with one of the first Canadian groups to make it big on the
world music scene - the Diamonds. The group scored numerous big hits in
the 1950s, including all-time classics such as "The Stroll" and "Little
Darlin'". In 2007, he provided backing vocals for the 1954-55 Comets on
their novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife
Can Come and Visit Me!)".
Pete SPENCER. Second rhythm guitar and
occasional bass player
with the Comets beginning in 1979.
Sally STARR. Vocalist. In 1958, Starr recorded an album of
kid-oriented rockabilly titled Our Gal Sal for Haley's Clymax
label.
The recordings were backed -- and many songs were written by -- Haley
and members of the Comets. They also worked together on a single,
"Rocky the Rockin' Rabbit." Starr is still active at age 76, hosting a
radio show in Vineland, N.J. - A webpage dedicated to her can be found herehere.
Starr was married to Jesse Rogers. A few years
ago she
made a public appearance alongside Comets Dick
Richards and Johnny Grande.
Photo courtesy Billy Ingram.
Wayne STEVENS. Played drums for Haley's
tour of
November-December 1976. His cousin was Herb
Hutchinson, and prior to working with the Comets he had performed
extensively with Danny and the Juniors.
Jesse STONE. The Comets backed Jesse
Stone, a country singer, on a 1961 Arcade
Records release: "A Penny For Your Thoughts"/"I'll Find Someone." Not
to be confused with the legendary blues
songwriter of the same name who composed "Shake Rattle and Roll" and
"Razzle Dazzle"
under the name
Charles Calhoun.
Lee STUART. Guitarist and former Sha Na
Na musician who at one
point toured with Bill Haley's Comets -- either the Al
Rappa or John Lane groups (not known for
sure).
Dates unknown. In 1999-2000 was a member of the group Solarized.
SUPERFINE DANDELION. Phoenix-based rock group that backed
Haley on the 1967 recording "Rock On Baby," which wasn't released until
1999. See Mike McFadden.
Back to index
Art TABER. Backed by
members of The Comets in 1961-62 on his
Arcade single "Shackled."
Freddie TANE. Rhythm guitar player and
singer with Joey Rand's
version of Bill Haley's Comets in 1984-85. A producer, songwriter, and
multi-instrumentalist, Tane was a member of the popular folk duo
McDonnell Tane, and has also performed with The Presidential Targets,
The Forgotten Ones, and The Qwerks. He currently lives in Connecticut
and has a Website at www.bigbambooproductions.com.
Photo courtesy Freddie Tane.
Pete THOMAS. Sax player during Haley's
final tours in late 1979
and 1980. Thomas is a prolific session musician and producer who has
worked with just about everyone from P.J. Harvey to R.E.M. Billy Bragg
once said he deserved a monument for his services to Rock music. Thomas
has a Web site at www.petethomas.co.uk.
'Big Al' THOMPSON. A giant of a man,
based on surviving photos,
Thompson played "bull bass" for the Saddlemen in 1949-50. His comical
antics with the bass predated those of the musician who replaced him, Al Rex, as well as Marshall Lytle.
His only known recording with Haley is the rare 1949 Center Records
single "Loveless Blues"/"Stand Up and Be Counted" issued as Johnny Clifton and His String Band.
Hank THOMPSON, aka. Hank Scholz.
Occasional member of the Comets during the 1970s. Although a trained
pianist, Thompson learned to play bass at the start of a 1974 tour to
replace Ray
Cawley who had quit the night before. Fellow Comet Bill Turner reports he once heard that
Thompson at one point won his own record deal.
Jerry TILLEY. Haley's last lead
guitarist, Tilley joined the
Comets in 1979 and toured with Haley for the next year. He appears in
the movie Blue Suede Shoes and recorded several tracks on
Haley's final LP Everyone Can Rock and Roll. Continued to tour
with the
Comets for a time after Haley died and later backed Fats Domino. Some
sources spell his name Gerry Tilley.
Dean TINKER. Briefly played drums for
Haley in 1955 after Don Raymond left the
Comets, and before Ralph Jones was hired.
Lou TORRES a.k.a. Louis Torres. Puerto Rico-born musician who
replaced Al Rappa on bass
guitar for a tour in late 1967/early 1968. Prior to working with Haley,
Torres
was a member of a group called The Vampires. Around his time with The
Comets, Torres found religion. Today, he is a Seventh-Day
Adventist minister and vice-president of the Mission College of
Evangelism in Portland, Oregon. He has also written several books and
lectures on the TV network 3ABN. After
leaving The Comets, Torres and his wife began performing religious
classical music and in 1974 were regular perfomers on New York City TV
programs. As of late 2002, Torres was planning to release a CD of music
with his wife and daughter. He has a website here. Photo courtesy Louis Torres.
TRIO LOS PANCHOS. Believed to be the name
of the mariachi band
that backed
Haley on his recording of "Jealous Heart" which was recorded in Phoenix
in 1967 but not released until 1999.
Bill TURNER. Real name Bill Trimarco. Played lead
guitar
for Haley
from 1974 to late 1976. In 1975 he participated in one of Rudy Pompilli's final performances at the Nite Cap.
He's
still performing today, occasionally sitting in with the original
Comets. He is the leader of Bill Turner and the Blue Smoke Band, which
recently celebrated its 29th anniversary as a group, and his
Web site can be found here.
The group frequently performs at Bally's Wild, Wild West Casino in
Atlantic City. In 1996, Turner's group provided the music for a series
of MTV commercials featuring Elvis impersonators
promoting the M-2
satellite. Turner also was responsible for casting the spots which
first aired on Aug. 1, 1996. The Blue Smoke Band has performed more
than 7,600 shows since it was created, and as of 2007 continues to tour
the US. Turner himself continues to be an active and
enthusiastic promoter of Bill Haley's legacy.
'Big Joe' TURNER. The Boss of the Blues. In 1966 the R&B
great
and originator of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" recorded an album for Orfeon
Records in Mexico, with The Comets as his session band. At about the
same time, he provided the vocal intro for the Haley recording of "Land
of a Thousand Dances." He continued to perform and receive adulation
from fans up until his death in November 1985 at the age of 74. Haley
and Turner were
good friends for many years, and besides "Shake, Rattle and Roll,"
Haley recorded his "Flip, Flop and Fly" many times, while the Comets' Billy
Williamson was fond of performing "Hide and Seek" and "Feelin'
Happy." The 1966 Orfeon session with the Comets was the result of
Haley's desire to help his friend revive his career. During an
interview for CBS TV's West 57th in the mid-1980s, Turner
refused to speak ill of
Haley when
the reporter tried to put Haley in a bad light for allegedly stealing
Turner's thunder (and record royalties) when The Comets covered "Shake,
Rattle and Roll" in 1954. It was discovered in 2001 that at
least one of Turner's original songs was published by one of Haley's
music companies.
The TYRONES. Popular Philadelphia group
run by Tyrone DeNittis
that recorded a number of hit songs including "Blast Off" and "I'm
Shook." Sponsored in part by Bill Haley, the Tyrones recorded a number
of Haley/Comets-written songs. It is also believed that
several Comets including Franny Beecher took
part in the recording sessions, which were later "cleaned up" by Johnny Grande and Billy
Williamson. DeNittis' brother, Al Dean,
briefly
joined the Comets as sax player in 1960. Several Tyrones classics were
used a few years ago on the soundtrack of the animated film The
Iron
Giant.
Back to index
UNKNOWN FEMALE. An unidentified woman can be
heard singing on some of Haley's early-mid 1960s recordings for Orfeon
Records, on tracks such as "Twist Lento" and the 1966 re-recording of
"Skinny Minnie". It has been suggested this might have been Martha Haley, Bill's wife at the time, but this has
not yet been confirmed.
UNKNOWN MALE. An unidentified man can be heard singing a
rehearsal version of the 1963 recording "Tandy" which is included in
the Bear Family box set The Warner Brothers Years and More. Rudy Pompilli is a likely suspect, but this has yet
to be confirmed.
Back to index
Richie VAL. Guitarist who
sat in with the 1982 reunion of Bill
Haley's Comets during a gig in Daytona Beach, Florida. Val also worked
with The Drifters and Danny and the Juniors. Val's Web site is here.
Caterina VALENTE. Popular French-born vocalist who
dueted with Haley on "Vive la Rock and Roll" in the 1958 German film Hier
Bin
Ich, Hier Bleib Ich. This track was released many years later by
Bear
Family Records. Valente was a big star in Europe, thanks to
hits such as "The Breeze and I." Valente was also an accomplished
classical guitarist. She continued to have many hit records
through the 1960s ranging from jazz to rock and roll, was a popular
U.S. TV personality in the early 1960s on The Entertainers,
and continued to perform and record into the 2000s. Her name is often
spelled
Katarina Valente.
Isabel VARELI. German performer who
sang "Hey Bop a Re Bop"
with the 1954-55 Comets during a TV appearance in Germany in 2005.
Martha VELASCO. See Haley,
Martha.
Slim VINCENT. Musician who worked with
Bill Haley in the 1940s
when Haley was a member of Cousin Lee's band.
Back to index
Ernie WALKER.
Occasional rhythm guitar player with the
Saddlemen, circa 1949-50.
John WALLACE. Played sax backing Marshall
Lytle for the 1991 recording sessions that produced the Marshall
and the Shooting Stars CD Air Mail Special. Sax player for the
Stargazers, Wallace has also worked with David Bowie, Rick Astley and
James Taylor. Wallace sat in with the 1954-55 Comets during a show
circa
1989-90.
Major WALLACE. Rhythm guitarist during
Haley's final 1980 tour
of South Africa. Wallace has the distinction of being the last known
touring
musician to be hired by Haley before his death. An unreleased radio
recording
of Wallace singing "Rockin' Robin" in Johannesburg exists; it is the
last known recording of Bill Haley and the Comets in performance before
Haley's death less than a year later.
Ed WARD. Joined The Comets in 1960,
replacing Ralph Jones as drummer. Ward also
recorded with the
group at both Warner Brothers and Gone Records. He left the Comets in
1962.
Ed WARMINSKI. Listed in Sound and
Glory as playing rhythm
guitar for Haley at one
point. No other information available.
Dooley WARREN. See Comet Claims for
more
information.
Jack WEBER. Played saxophone for Joey Rand's edition of Bill Haley's Comets, circa
1984-85.
Jimmy WEIDOW. Rhythm guitarist and singer
with The Saddlemen
circa 1950.
Georg 'Shurli' WEISS. Described as an
Austrian rock and roll
icon, Vienna-based Weiss is known for his group Girly and the Blue
Caps. The 1954-55 Comets backed him on some recordings in the 1990s,
including a version of "Blue Christmas" in 1997.
Timmy WELLS. aka Timothy Weller.
Guitarist, singer and
music teacher who lists on his resume that he performed with Bill
Haley's Comets, though he doesn't specify if this was Al
Rappa's, John Lane's or Joey
Rand's version of the group. He continues to
perform and teach in the New Orleans area, and recently released a CD
of
children's music. Go here for
more information.
Joey WELZ. a.k.a. Joseph Welzant. This piano player
and
singer is a bit of an enigma in the Haley
history book. The exact time Welz spent with Haley is
a
matter of debate. Some sources say he joined the Comets as piano player
in
1962, after Johnny Grande left the group during
a
German tour, but the
actual date has not
been confirmed. He was the engineer for a 1962 Armed Forces Radio
broadcast in
Germany featuring Haley that was released in 2001 on the Hydra label.
It is not certain how
long Welz played with the Comets. For
years it was felt he played piano during the 1964 Decca Records session
that produced the single "The Green Door"/"Yeah, She's Evil" but recent
research shows the credit given
to Dave Martin, although Welz and Haley Fan
Club
head Hugh McCallum are adamant that he was there. The only firm
information known is
that he played piano for the Comets during the summer of 1965 and
recorded a number of songs without Haley but backed by The Comets
during this time, such as the single "You Changed" on the Tear Drop
label and the apparently unreleased "Comet 65". He
also claims to have participated in some of the 1965 recording sessions
for APT Records, although once again available evidence does not
confirm this. A photograph of
Welz with the Comets including John 'Bam-Bam' Lane
indicates he was with the group at some point in 1965
(which was when Lane joined the band). Welz had recorded a number of
songs as a solo artist as early as the late 50s, and
after his time with the Comets established a prolific solo career.
During Haley's temporary retirement
in 1977 he organized The Comet Revival (called the Rockin' Comets by
some sources), which involved Franny Beecher, Ralph Jones and Al Rappa (no
relation to an official contingent of Comets led by Nick
Nastos that operated at the same time). In late
1981, within days of Haley's death, Welz organized a Comets "reunion"
consisting of former Comets (including Beecher and Rappa) and
unrelated session musicians that appeared on
the Tomorrow show on NBC and later toured and recorded the
single "Bring Back the Music"/"The Hawk Talks" as Bill Haley's Comets.
In early 1990s, he gathered some session musicians under the name The
Comets to
overdub the 1950s-vintage Haley demo
"Football Rock and Roll" for a single. At one point, he was also Duncan
Yo-Yo Champion of the World. In 2002, he released an
album of songs co-written by James Myers,
including
a hip-hop version of "Rock Around the Clock". His resume also includes
recordings with the Al Rappa Comets (of which he was reportedly a
member at one point in the
mid-2000s) and Ralph Jones. For more
information on Welz, go to Blackcat
Rockabilly Europe.
Moe WEXLER. Wexler played piano on the
1968 recording sessions
for United Artists records, most of which remained unreleased until
1995. His out-of-control piano solo on "Flip, Flop and Fly" was a
highlight.
Craig WEHRINGER. New York City bass
player for the Joey Rand version of Bill Haley's Comets in early 1984.
Jimmy Jack WHITAKER. Branson,
Mo.-based gospel music singer.
In 2007, he provided backing vocals for the 1954-55 Comets on their
novelty single, "When I Die, Just Bury Me at Wal-Mart (So My Wife Can
Come and Visit Me!)".
Billy WILLIAMSON. Co-founder of the Saddlemen and the Comets
played steel guitar for Haley from 1949 to 1963, and was a featured
vocalist on many recordings ("Hide and Seek," "Jamaica D.J.," et al).
He also served as the band's "class clown"
in concert. A number of unreleased solo recordings of Williamson backed
by the Comets exist, including a version of Lou
Graham's classic "Wee Willie Brown" and rehearsal recordings of
"Chick Safari" and "Tenor Man" which were later vocalized
by Bill Haley. Williamson abruptly retired from show
business in 1963, and
reportedly never sang or played another note, though according to one
source - Hugh McCallum's Haley News - he was involved in an
unsuccessful attempt to reunite the 1950s
Comets just prior to Haley's death. Exactly when he made his last
recordings with
Haley is a matter of debate, but it is known he participated in at
least
some of the Newtown sessions in early 1963 (the aforementioned "Tenor
Man" rehearsal recording in which he sang duet with Johnny
Kay). He succumbed to cancer
in
March, 1996.
Pete WINGFIELD. This session musician
played piano during the
March 1979 recording session in London that produced part of Haley's
final album, Everyone Can Rock and Roll. He remains a respected
session man in England, working with the likes of Frankie Ford, Jackie
Lee Cochran and Johnny and the Roccos.
Bill WOLFE. See Bill Nolte.
Bobby WOOD. Piano player for the 1972 Nashville sessions that
produced the Sonet LP Just Rock and Roll. Wood was part of the
American Studios team in Memphis that recorded with Elvis
Presley in
1969. Photo courtesy Tony de Silva.
David WOOD. Bass player and backing vocalist with Joey Rand's edition of Bill Haley's Comets in 1986.
He
has since retired from the music business. (Photo courtesy David
Wood)
'Brother Wayne' WRIGHT. Originally a fiddler for Cousin Lee, Wright became friends with Haley in the
mid-1940s. He co-hosted a radio show with Haley on WSNJ in Bridgeton,
N.J. and helped train Bill in the ways of a deejay. He joined Haley's
short-lived group The Range Drifters and later played in the Buckaroo
Ramblers alongside Franny Beecher.
Paul WURGES. Known as the German Bill
Haley, Wurges was videotaped performing "Rock the Joint" with the
1954-55 Comets for the group's 2003 DVD The Fathers of Rock and Roll
but according
to Hydra Records owner Klaus Kettner, whose company produced the video,
the performance was not included due
to technical problems. Wurges also performed with the Comets during his
75th birthday celebration in 2007.
Back to index
Mike ZAMPINI. Originally hired by Haley to
replace
long-time
sax man Rudy Pompilli for the 1976 European tour,
Zampini
spent time rehearsing
with the band, but the tour was cancelled and he quit the Comets as a
result. It's possible he may have played a few gigs with the band when
they performed without Haley.
Rex ZARIO. Real name Rosario Lefavi.
Italian-born
country-rockabilly
singer and longtime associate of Haley's. Zario was hired to look after
Haley's publishing interests following the death of Jack
Howard. He owned the Arzee label and was
responsible for releasing a number of previously unreleased Haley
country recordings in the 1970s. Best known for his recording "Go Man
Go Get Gone," as well as a version of "Jukebox Cannonball", Zario was
backed by the Comets on his 1961 Arcade single
"Between the Lines"/"Do You Think it's Fair." He died in 1991.
Back to index
* * * * * * * *
Comet claims
Over the years, a number of individuals have
either claimed themselves or have been linked by
third parties to Bill Haley & His Comets. The following is a list
of names that either remain unconfirmed, or have been disproven by
available evidence. I invite anyone with verifiable information to
contact me, so that I know whether to move any of these people into
the main list, or keep them here as "disproven" claims. I'm also
including some claims regarding individuals being backed by The Comets.
Some "family legends" that I have received via e-mail will
not be
included here out of respect for privacy, unless the information has
been posted to a Web page or other public media.
Louis
F. BALDINO. Disproven.
As early as 1962, a high school teacher named Lou Baldino was telling
stories to his class about his time as a drummer with Bill Haley and
the Comets. There is no record of this man ever working with Bill
Haley. It is possible he may have performed under another name, or
possibly as a one-time stand-in, however no evidence has yet been
provided to suggest this. His claim to have played drums on the
original "Rock Around the Clock" is most definitely untrue. That was Billy Gussak playing drums. Baldino died some years
ago. My source for this listing was a number of news forum postings in
the late 1990s, which
appear (as of 2007) to no longer be online.
Bob GRAY. Unconfirmed.
Rhythm guitarist who according to
one source played with Bill Haley and the Comets. No dates are offered
and there is no record of any guitarist by that name working with
Haley. Gray might have been a member of one of the Comets groups formed
after
Haley's death. Gray is a member of the Dixielanders, a Dallas-based
Dixieland jazz band.
T. Bone LANCE. Unconfirmed.
According to a November 1969 Cashbox
article, Lance claimed to have toured with the Comets as bass player,
but there's no record of a bass player by that name ever working with
Haley.
During the 1960s, Haley's regular bass player was Al
Rappa, though he did use other musicians for recording sessions and
off-and-on through 1968. Not to be confused with Tony
Lance who was a session saxiphonist for Haley in 1953.
Bob McFADDEN. Unconfirmed
Well-known voice actor
who recorded the Beat anthem
"The Beat Generation" with Rod McKuen. According
to McKuen, the recording session was backed by members of The Comets,
however
this
information has yet to be confirmed (the B-side was entitled "The
Mummy"). McFadden is best known for
providing voices on Rankin & Bass animated classics such as Rudolph
and Frosty's Christmas in July. He was also the voice of Snarf on
the '80s classic TV show Thundercats. He died in 2000.
Rod McKUEN (aka DOR, Oliver Cool) Unconfirmed.
In the 1950s, this
famous folk singer and poet recorded a song called "The Beat
Generation"
under the pseudonym "DOR" along with Bob
McFadden. According to McKuen, the session band on this Brunswick
session consisted of members of Bill Haley and the Comets. This
information has yet to be confirmed, however McKuen has made this claim
in the liner notes of at least one of his albums. No other information
about this session is known, though the song has been reissued many
times over the years. McKuen's Web site can be found here.
Johnny QUICK. Disproven.
The best known non-Comet of
them all. Featured on a Dutch TV special several years ago, Quick, a
Death Valley resident, is even the subject of a song by the musical
group Trona about him and his
supposed time with The Comets. He was never a member of Bill Haley and
the Comets. Quick claims to have been the original
drummer for Haley in the mid-1950s. There is no evidence to back up
Quick's claims
and there is no record of a Johnny Quick ever working with Bill Haley
in any capacity. Other accounts say Quick was a member in 1979, at a
time when Steve Murray was drummer. The
strangest
claim is that he was a Comet from 1954 to 1979, which would make him
longer-serving than 20-year veteran Rudy
Pompilli, yet he somehow managed to avoid being photographed,
recorded or filmed with Haley during this long period of time. Additional
information: A former (genuine) member of The Comets has
informed me that Quick was a magician who once worked as a supporting
act for a few weeks during a Comets gig in 1978, during the period that
Bill Haley was in temporary retirement. By all accounts, this is the
closest he ever got to Bill Haley.
Bobbe SEYMOUR. Unconfirmed.
Steel guitar player who, in a 1997 interview for Steel Guitar World
Magazine, claimed to have
been a member of The Comets at age 16. In a recent MySpace posting, Mr.
Seymour (likely responding to this listing) denied having made the
claim of having been a member of the band and said he filled in with
the band for a few days (though he didn't say when).
During the time Steel Guitar World suggests Seymour's
involvement with the Comets
(which appears to have been the late 1950s-early
1960s), Billy Williamson was Haley's only
steel guitar player and several Comets from that era say they don't
recall anyone else playing the instrument while Williamson held
sway. I'm listing him as "unconfirmed" pending
further information. Under the criteria of this listing, if he did
perform with the band,
even for a few days, then he does qualify for the main listing and I'd
be happy to move him there.
Miles SHORTER. Disproven based upon
available evidence.
British sax player who claims to have performed
with Bill Haley and the Comets during their 1980 tour of South Africa.
According to all available information, Pete
Thomas was Haley's only sax player during this tour. It's possible
Shorter might have been a supporting act, or may have performed
informally with the Comets during this tour. All members of The Comets
are introduced at the beginning of a radio recording made in South
Africa in May 1980 and Shorter is not mentioned. If he played with the
band in any capacity during the tour, no supporting evidence has been
provided.
Dooley WARREN. Unconfirmed.
According to an e-mail I received about a year ago, Warren reportedly
played drums with some incarnation of either Bill Haley and His Comets
or a later Bill Haley's Comets groups. There's no one by this name
listed as working with Haley, but he might have worked with a
post-Haley group. Any information to clarify his involvement is
welcomed.
In addition to the above, I'm told of a female
performer who promoted herself as the only female member of Bill
Haley's Comets. I don't have her name, but other than session musicians
and
guest stars such as Catarina Valente, no woman
is known to have performed as an official member of The Comets. Also,
as indicated in the main section, as recently
as early 2004 there was a musician in Ohio claiming to be Rudy Pompilli, even though Rudy died in February 1976.
Errors
Several famous musicians have been erroneously
linked to Bill Haley:
Tommy ALLSUP. In a 1999 article for Rolling
Stone that is
available online, Asleep at the Wheel lead singer Ray Benson
erroneously states that Allsup, best known as a guitar player for Buddy
Holly,
worked as a steel guitarist for "Bill Haley and the Westernaires."
Aside from the fact Haley never had a group by that name, there is no
indication Allsup ever worked with Bill Haley. It's possible Allsup
might have been part of the Crickets the day they backed Haley for a
show, but this has yet to be confirmed.
Boots RANDOLPH. One of the most
famous sax players of all time,
Boots Randolph has never claimed to have been a member of the Comets,
however liner notes on some of his 1960s releases for Guest Star
records erroneously indicated that The Comets backed him for a
recording
session. Research for the Warner Brothers Years and More box
set
failed to uncover any evidence that this happened. However a mid-1960s
single on the Logo label had a Randolph tune on the B-side, with a
Comets cover version of his "Yakety Sax" on the a-side!
Tony RICE. A 2004 book entitled Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo:
The Secret History of Yodeling Around the World indicates that
Haley performed or recorded some of his 1940s yodelling recordings with
a guitarist named Tony Rice. There is no evidence of anyone by this
name ever working with Bill Haley during this period. There was a
popular bluegrass guitarist of the same name who rose to fame in the
1970s, but that is probably not the same man. Although I am listing
Tony Rice as an error, I welcome any confirmation that he was in fact
involved in any Bill Haley endeavor in the 1940s.
Rumors and legends
Over the years several famous individuals have
been rumored as performing with Bill Haley & His Comets, but
evidence is lacking to confirm this:
Buddy HOLLY. One story that has passed into the legend of Bill
Haley is the report that Buddy Holly and his band, the Crickets, once
backed Haley for a 1955 concert when the Comets were delayed. This
story is recounted in John Swenson's biography of Bill
Haley, but some feel
this story is more legend than fact, however. Holly, of course, became
one of rock and
roll's earliest martyrs when he died in a February 1959 plane crash
alongside Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Click here for the
Rockabilly Hall of Fame page dedicated to Holly.
Jayne MANSFIELD. The 1950s and 60s, sex goddess and violinist
was a guest star on an edition of The Arthur Godfrey Show in
March
1956 along with Bill Haley and the Comets. It is believed that
Mansfield may have sung a song called "Rock and Roll Wedding" backed by
The Comets on the broadcast. This cannot be proven until someone
locates a
recording or kinescope of the program (anyone who can help, please
contact me). Mansfield passed into Hollywood legend when she died in a
1967 car crash. Her daughter, Mariska Hargitay, is one
of the stars of the TV series Law and Order: Special Victims
Unit. Update November 2003: it has been suggested that
Mansfield may not have performed with Haley and the Comets after all.
It is known that she was one of the guests on a 1957 TV special called Atlantic
City Holiday which also featured Haley and the Comets, and it is
believed this is where the rumor started. Once again, nothing can be
completely confirmed or disproven until a recording of the Godfrey show
in question is located.
Elvis PRESLEY. In
answer to a question I
receive quite often,
there is no indication Bill Haley and Elvis Presley ever performed
together, although they did tour together and share the bill a few
times in 1954-55. In 1958 Elvis visited Haley backstage during the
Comets'
tour of Germany. There was discussion about Elvis joining Haley on
stage but, perhaps for fear of rioting, this never happened. An
interview with Comets sax man Rudy Pompilli in the
1970s had him
being rather ambiguous whether the Comets ever worked with Presley,
however. Elvis remained a big Haley fan throughout his life, and
reportedly joined the Bill Haley and the Comets International Fan Club
in the 1960s.
Aliases
Bill Haley and the Comets were often credited
under other names. Here are a list of the different groups Haley
belonged to, the alias used by The Comets over the years, as well as a
few recent variations. These are listed in roughly chronological
order.
THE DOWN HOMERS. Haley's first professional musicial work was
with this country group in 1946. The exact dates Haley was with the
Down Homers are not known, though it's no longer thought that he
recorded
with the group on the Vogue label. Some sources spell the group's name
Downhomers.
THE FOUR ACES OF WESTERN SWING. Haley's first major group,
circa
1947.
ALL-WESTERN SEXTET, THE RANGE DRIFERS, TEXAS RANGE RIDERS.
Short-lived groups run by Haley before The Saddlemen. The Range Riders
dates back to his teenage years.
JACK HALEY. Alias briefly used by Haley
during some shows circa
1950. He never recorded under the name to our knowledge, but he did
name is eldest son Jack.
JOHNNY CLIFTON AND HIS STRING BAND.
Alias used by Haley for a
1950 single at a time when he considered changing his name. John and
Clifton were his middle names.
RENO BROWNE AND HER BUCKAROOS. See Browne,
Reno.
THE SADDLEMEN. For those who don't know, this was the name The
Comets used back in the days before Rock and Roll. Under this name, the
group also recorded with Curley Herdman and Lou Graham.
THE JODIMARS. In the fall of 1955,
Comets Marshall Lytle, Dick
Richards
and Joey Ambrose quit the band in a salary dispute
and created The Jodimars. The group won a recording contract with
Columbia Records and enjoyed some minor hits in 1956. Later, the group
became one of the first rock and roll groups to take up residence in
Las Vegas. By 1958, the group had broken up, though Lytle attempted to
revive the group several times. The trio reunited in the 1980s and this
ultimately sparked the revival of the 1954-55 Comets.
THE JUMPING JAGUARS. Billy Williamson
and Franny Beecher are believed to have
recorded
several tracks under this name, possibly in 1956 during the making of
the Rock and Roll Stage Show LP. Two recordings do exist and
have been released on the Charly label, including "Knock Kneed Nellie
from
Knoxville" with an apparent Williamson vocal. It is my opinion this is
not Williamson singing, however Beecher has confirmed his and
Williamson's involvement.
THE GREENLIGHTS. Used when backing Rusty
Keefer on a 1957 single.
THE KINGSMEN. In 1958, during a lean
period for Haley, The Comets recorded two singles under this name.
Surprisingly, an instrumental
called "Week End" became a hit and the group
appeared on American Bandstand. Since there was a conflict
between The Comets touring and recording separately from Haley, a
"touring group" of musicians were gathered to perform as The Kingsmen.
Not to be confused with the band that later recorded the classic
"Louie, Louie." One Kingsmen
recording, "It Should Have Been Me," was reissued on the Rollercoaster
label and credited to the Kingsmen, though this might have actually
been a Bill Moss recording.
THE NITE CAPS. In 1958, the Chess label
released a single
"Haunted Sax"/"Jelly Bean" under this name. Some mystery surrounds it.
Haley Fan Club president Hugh McCallum claims these were demos recorded
by The Comets ("Haunted Sax" being a Rudy Pompilli
original) that were released possibly without consent of the Haley
organization, sparking a legal battle. The name refers to the local
Chester-area pub where Pompilli regularly performed. Bob
Hayes may have had something to do with this
release, but no information is available. The release date is per
several sources but may be incorrect. The single itself is a
collector's item.
THE LIFEGUARDS. A less-successful
attempt at a spin-off, which
folded in 1959 after only one single, "Everybody Out'a The
Pool."
THE RED COATS. Used when backing Dave Day
on
a 1959 single.
THE SCOTTSMEN. Name possibly used by The Comets when backing Frankie
Scott on a 1959 single. There is some indication that other than
Scott no other Comets were involved in the recording sessions.
THE MERRI-MEN. Name adopted by several Comets
during a brief
breakaway period in 1961. They released one single: "Big Daddy"/"St.
Louis Blues."
B.H. SEES COMBO. Strange moniker used when issuing some of
Haley's Newtown recordings in 1963-64, possibly due to Haley's tax
problems
in the U.S. The Bill Haley Fan Club newsletters at the time, however,
suggest the name change was intended as a gimmick to trick deejays into
thinking that this was a new group.
THE GRANDEURS. Used when backing Carrie
Grant on a 1963 single.
SCOTT GREGORY. Alias used when
re-issuing some of Haley's Guest
Star label recordings in the mid-1960s. The reasons for Guest Star
using this pseudonym are unknown, since they did release the LP Rock
Around the Clock King featuring the same recordings under Haley's
name.
THE HIGHLIGHTS/THE HIGHLIGHTERS. Alias
used when the Comets
instrumental, "Hot to Trot" was released on the Arcade label in the
early 1960s. The flipside, "All the Way with LBJ" was not recorded by
the Comets, however. The two names seem to have been
interchangable.
THE COUNTRY SHOWMEN. Comets guitarist Nick Nastos formed this group in the mid-60s,
before rejoining the Comets in 1968. The group included bass player Ray Cawley and drummer Bill Nolte.
In 1969, Nastos and Haley effectively merged their two bands when Nolte
and Cawley joined The Comets. Over the next few years, when The Comets
were not touring, Haley's sax man Rudy Pompilli
toured with The Country Showmen. According to Hugh McCallum's Haley fan
club newsletters of the time, the group was also variously known as The
Country Gentlemen and Nick Masters' Country Revue, however Nolte says
the group was only ever known as The Country Showmen.
The following band names refer to the different
versions of Bill Haley's Comets that have existed separate from Bill
Haley himself:
THE ROCKIN' COMETS. Band formed by Joey Welz
in the late 1970s.
BILL HALEY'S COMETS. No less than six groups have used this
version of the name over the years. The first was a group formed in
1977-1978 in order to keep The Comets going after Haley's temporary
retirement. The second, formed in 1982, was a reunion group that
recorded one single before disbanding in 1983. The third was a group
run
by Joey Rand in the mid-1980s. The fourth group to
use the name was the group fronted by Al Rappa
and John Lane from the early 1980s until Lane and
Rappa
split up. The fifth group is the one currently run by John Lane. The
sixth group to use this name is the group made up of members of the
1954-55 Comets (see below).
THE SOUND OF HALEY'S COMETS. Short-lived group formed by Al Rex in the 1970s.
BILL HALEY'S COMETS FEATURING AL RAPPA. Billing currently
(2002)
used by the group led by Al Rappa.
THE ORIGINAL COMETS, 1954-55 COMETS, TRIBUTE TO BILL HALEY
FEATURING
HIS ORIGINAL COMETS, THE ORIGINAL BAND. These are different names
used by the members of the 1950s Comets who continue to tour and record
today.
Go to "PAGE ONE"
for NEWS
and REVIEWS
Go to "PAGE THREE" for NEWS
ARCHIVE, OLDER REVIEWS and OLDER FEATURES
"ROCK AROUND THE
CLOCK" TRIBUTE PAGE
