"I hope you guys don't need any rehearsal time with the clock song. We've only got time for a couple of takes" - Producer Milt Gabler...
Bill Haley and the Comets were looking for the "B" side of "Thirteen Women (and only One Man in Town)" on that Monday, April 12th in 1954 when producer Milt Gabler made his pronouncement. Gathered in a studio where the ghost of King Tut could have materialized at any moment, the Pythian Temple on Manhattan's westside was chosen for its great accoustics. On an off day for the "Knights of Pythias", Bill Haley would lay down one track while the Comets would lay their's down separately...
"Rock Around The Clock" would become the "A" side of the single but only spend one week on the charts at #23. When Decca Records took out a full page ad in the May 15th issue of Billboard Magazine, along with a picture of Bill Haley and the group, "Thirteen Women" dominated the ad that listed "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" as an afterthought. It wasn't an afterthought for the producer's of the 1955 movie, "Blackboard Jungle" who liked the song enough to use it for the film's theme song. After the movie opened, sales of "
Rock Around The Clock" skyrocketed and by the end of 1955, more than 6 million units were sold. On July 9th, 1955 the single would become the first rock and roll song to reach #1...
A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, class of '87, Bill Haley would die of a heart attack in 1981 at the age of 55. Haley sold more than 60 million records worldwide with hits like "Crazy Man Crazy", "See You Later Alligator", "Skinny Minnie", "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and "Dim, Dim the Lights". But they all pale in comparison to the granddaddy of them all, "Rock Around The Clock"...
Most of the information used in today's feature story is available in a great book on Bill Haley that was published in 2005, "Rock Around The Clock". The author is Jim Dawson and the publisher is Backbeat Books...
See my commentary for more interesting information about "Rock Around The Clock"...
More April 12 Memories...
1606] England adopts the original version of the Union Jack as its flag (maybe what the JACK format needs is a flag)...
1861] The Civil War begins as Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter...
1877] The catcher for Harvard's baseball team, James Tyng, wears a modified fencing mask behind the plate (it's believed to be the 1st catcher's mask ever used in a baseball game)...
1938] The 1st U.S. law requiring a medical test for a marriage license is enacted in New York...
1945] President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia at 63. Harry S. Truman is sworn in as our new President...
1954] Bill Haley & His Comets record "Rock Around The Clock". It will top the Billboard charts for 8 weeks and is inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982 (see feature story)...
1954] Joe Turner releases the original version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll"...
1960] Bill Veeck and Chicago's Comiskey Park introduces the 1st "exploding scoreboard"...
1961] Ray Charles walks off with 4 Grammy's, including Best Male Vocalist for "Georgia on my Mind"...
1966] The Righteous Brothers are #1 with "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration"...
1966] Jan Barry (Jan & Dean) crashes his car at "Dead Man's Curve" (hmmm, might make a good song title)...
1969] Simon & Garfunkel release "The Boxer"...
1971] Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's live album, "Four Way Street" reaches gold status...
1972] The Rolling Stones release "Exile on Main Street"...
1975] Linda Ronstadt releases "When Will I Be Loved"...
1985] Senator Jake Garn of Utah listens to his constituents who pleaded for Garn to get lost, and becomes the 1st senator to fly in space as the Discovery lifts off from Cape Canaveral (of course, John Glenn will become the 2nd senator to do it several years later)...
1987] Aretha Franklin & George Michael team together for the #1 single, "I Knew You Were Waiting (for me)" (it's Aretha's 1st chart topper in almost 20 years and the 4th for George)...
1988] Sonny Bono is elected mayor of Palm Springs...
1989] Radical activist Abbie Hoffman is found dead at home at 52...
1989] Former middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson dies at 67...
1992] Lisa Bonet files for divorce from Lenny Kravitz...
1995] Drew Barrymore jumps on David Letterman's desk, lifts up her sweater with her back to the audience and gives Letterman a peep show for his birthday...
2004] Barry Bonds ties Godfather Willie Mays for 3rd place with his 660th home run...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, mulitple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
Commentary...
"Rock Around The Clock" has been recorded by over 500 artists in 30 languages. Those who sing in our native tongue include: Mickey Katz (although he may also have done a Yiddish version. By the way Mickey Katz is the father of Joel Gray), Isley Brothers, Tiny Tim, Sex Pistols (anybody have a copy of that ?), Chubby Checker, Henry Mancini, Pat Boone and Harry Nilsson...
Speaking of Yiddish, Passover begins tonight at sundown. To those who observe, enjoy your seder and Pesach...
Happy Birthday To...
1926] Jane Withers...
1940] Herbie Hancock...
1944] Steppenwolf's John Kay...
1947] David Letterman...
1950] David Cassidy...
1956] Andy Garcia...
1957] Vince Gill...
1971] Shannen Doherty...
1979] Claire Danes...
[Today is the 102nd day of 2006 with 263 days remaining in the year and 47 days remain until Memorial Day]
