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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bill Haley.....Rockabilly 's Firstborn of many bretheren, October 8, 2002
It seems that every rockabilly/R&B and rock & roll artist from the mid-50's has laid claim to "inventing" rock & roll, yet upon examining the historical record via recordings (eg: early demos, as well as pre-fame obscure label recordings) only one name stands in the gap as legitimately qualifying for the title of "inventor of Rock & Roll" and that would have to be Bill Haley, a white country singer from Boothwyn, PA, whose early 50's experiments with adding R&B/jump blues and swing to his nightclub appearances with his band "The Saddlemen" resulted in a new vibe in music that took hold like wildfire, first in Philadelphia, and upon getting the music out on the radio, the rest of the world. They called the new music "Cowboy Jive", for lack of a better name! The name "Rock & Roll" supposedly was coined by Cleveland, Ohio disc jockey Alan Freed who frequently played Haley & The Comets' recording of "Rock A Beatin' Boogie" where the phrase turns up in the lyrics of the chorus. A direct connection to "Cowboy Jive" if ever there was one! The book "Sound & Glory" is an intimate, detailed story of Bill Haley's rise in the late 40's and early 50's and the evolution of his band "The Saddlemen" into the "Comets" from the small country music combo into a small rockabilly combo, and on to a 6 and 7 piece full-blown rock & roll band with sax and piano along with steel guitar. The stories in the book are first-person interviews with the original band members, and many of the other people around him from his early radio days through the ups and downs of his later career. The extremely rare photos the book is filled with alone, are worth the price; most of them being from Jack Haley's family collection, and have never before been seen in print. Haley was also the first rock & roll artist to tour overseas (something Elvis never did), which he continued all the way up till the end of his career. Another TREMENDOUS plus is an exhaustive Haley discography meticulously compiled by the late Herbert Kamitz, an Austrian Haley scholar. "Sound And Glory" belongs in the library of every serious afficianado of rock/pop and rockabilly music.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where it all started, August 27, 2002
Anyone who is interested in rock 'n' roll and its history, should buy a copy of this book. This book pretty much tells how the first rock 'n' roll band got started. Even surprises like the FBI trying to find dirt on Haley, because Hoover was a racist and didn't want blacks to mingle with whites during concerts. One concert Haley made them remove a rope that was segregating crowds. This is only one of many things I found interesting in this book. No doubt Elvis was the king, but as you read this book, you will understand why Haley is the true founding father of rock 'n' roll! - there are two books out about Haley, and both are very good, but this one goes a little deeper.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book on the bands history, January 19, 2009
Very good book on Bill Haley & His Comets history. I learned quite of bit of things I never knew about. It's a shame three of the Comets (Joey, Marshall & Dick) quit just the before the band hit it big. The direction and sound of the band after 1956 could of been quite different. Lot of nice photo's in the book too. An affair by Haley led to his first divorce.
If your a Haley fan this is a must read book. There is a nice discography of songs receorded from 1946 to 1989. The book was published in 1990. There is also a list of all the musicians that played with Haley, a list of Haley's Mexican recordings, Songs recorded by Haley but never released, and an A to Z list of songs recorded by Haley & the band between 1946 and 1990.
Joey, Marshall & Dick are still performing and they are stationed in Branson, Missouri at the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theatre. I got to see them this past November and they put on a great show.
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