OCEAN CITY — Bill Haley, Jr. says much of his life has been a process of learning about the man behind some of the most iconic songs in the history of American music: his father and rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bill Haley.
In July of 1955, Bill Haley was the uncontested “king of rock ‘n’ roll” and he and His Comets, his able backing band, sat atop the Billboard Charts on the success of their smash hit “Rock Around The Clock,” which took the musical world by storm selling 25 million copies worldwide.
Later that same year, Bill Haley, Jr. was born.
This Saturday night, Bill Haley, Jr. and the Comets will perform “Rock Around the Clock” and many of his father’s classic tunes at the Ocean City Performing Arts Center. Yet, the show Haley Jr. will perform is much more than just a “tribute” to Haley’s timeless rock ‘n’ roll music; it’s more a celebration of American music and a history lesson about the birth of rock ‘n’ roll.
“I never wanted anyone to think that I was trying to exploit my famous father,” said Haley Jr., “but I realized that I had a great deal of insight into the stories behind these songs, and being able to share those stories, the songs, and the history of rock ‘n’ roll has always resonated with our audience.”
Growing Up Haley
It took becoming a fan of the Beatles for Bill Haley Jr. to realize just how famous his father was.
“Like many kids, I was infatuated with the Beatles after their performance on the Ed Sullivan show,” said Haley Jr. “I remember raving about them to my mother and she said, ‘your father knows them very well.’ I think it really hit me in that moment about who my dad was.”
From 1950-1955, there were very few acts in American popular music on a faster climb to stardom than Bill Haley and his Comets. They blended together country music with rhythm and blues (or “race music” as it was called then) to form a new and exciting sound that was called rock ‘n’ roll.
“My father doesn’t get enough credit as one of the founders of rock ‘n’ roll,” he said, “and I think that my dad struggled with the fact that he is often passed over by historians who credit artists like Elvis Presley or Chuck Berry with the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll. Chronologically, my dad was blending those two sounds together to make rock ‘n’ roll several years before anyone else.”
Bill Haley spent much of his life on the road, and had a long and well documented battle with alcohol. As a result, he wasn’t around much for his son’s early years and was an elusive figure through adulthood.
“For the first few years of my life, he was on the road 45 weeks a year,” remembers Haley Jr., “and for most of my life he was kind of out of my life. That’s probably a big reason why I wanted to steer clear of the family name and go my own way.”
The Reluctant Rocker
In an effort to pave his own path in life, Haley Jr. became a journalist, and kept music and songwriting as merely a hobby. He has owned a business magazine called 422 Business Advisor, which is located in southeast Pennsylvania, since 1995.
He was given some free studio time and had formed a band in order to do an album of his own songs in 2010, and when it was completed, they had a CD release party at a small club in Phoenixville. The “Haley” name on the marquee inevitably brought in some fans of the elder Haley, and they prompted the younger Haley to sing a few of his father’s songs during the gig.
“I have always been somewhat reluctant to sing my dad’s songs, even though my voice has an uncanny resemblance to his,” said Haley Jr; “but I did and the rest is kind of history.”
A fan took a cell-phone video of Haley Jr. singing one of his father’s songs, and posted it on Youtube. A few weeks later, Haley Jr. was contacted by a big promoter (Wolfman Jack Entertainment) who talked him into polishing the act into a high energy, rock-n-roll history show performing some of his father’s music and other timeless classics of the 50’s and 60’s.
The band tours extensively in the states, and has performed in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.
“Audiences overseas, especially younger ones, have a much deeper appreciation or love for this style of American music but our domestic audiences are still very passionate about it”, he said. “I’m not sure if the style will ever truly be appreciated by younger audiences in the states, unfortunately, and I’m not sure why that is. You never know what is going to resonate with people.”
Haley says this region is also special to him because Baltimore and the surrounding areas were one of the first cities where radio stations starting playing his father’s music in heavy rotation.
Still, playing his father’s music has been, in some ways, almost therapeutic for Bill Haley, Jr.
“Psychologically, I was a son who felt abandoned by my famous father, and it was difficult for a long time,” he recalls, “but having grown and matured, and having the opportunity to talk to many of the people who knew him well, I think I now understand the conflicting forces in my father’s life.”
Forgotten Father of Rock-N-Roll?
Bill Haley, who died at the age of 55 in 1981, is unequivocally one of the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll, albeit one that was either ignored by the media or eclipsed in popularity by artists, like Elvis Presley, who he had taken under his wing and helped at the beginning of their careers.
“My dad always liked Elvis, and he helped him and encouraged him the way Hank Williams had done with my dad at the beginning of his career,” remembers Haley. “But, I know that my dad was bitter about how things turned out, and how he has become a forgotten figure of rock ‘n’ roll’s birth, and I’m sure that fueled some of problems that he had.”
Despite some of Haley’s struggles and his unfortunate place in music history, the legacy he leaves behind is forever etched into these simple songs that have made generation of people dance and swing. They are raw with emotion, and they are one of the first recipes that made up what we now know as rock-n-roll: hillbilly yodelin’, rhythym and blues, and just a pinch of big band jazz music.
Bill Haley Jr. and the Comets will take audiences back to that important time in music history this Saturday night, and in doing so, he will tip his proverbial musical cap to his famous father who he’s still trying to understand.
For tickets, which are still available, call Ticketmaster 1-800-551-7328 (SEAT) or go to Ticketmaster.com or visit Ocean City Convention Center Box Office at 4001 Coastal Highway , Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. or call 410 289-2800
Tickets available at $18.50 up to $28.50. Discounts available to groups of 12 or more.