Bill Haley
40 records in the collection· mostly on Brunswick, London, Ronnex
Bill Haley was an American singer and bandleader whose group, Bill Haley and His Comets, helped turn rhythm-and-blues-influenced rock and roll into mainstream popular music in the 1950s. Although “Rock Around the Clock” became his defining recording, earlier and contemporary sides such as “Crazy Man, Crazy” and “Rock the Joint” document the transition from country and western swing towards rock and roll.
This introduction was written by AI from what is known of the artist. Ask us if you want to know more about a particular record.
Records by Bill Haley
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- AABC Boogie
- BShake rattle and roll
Bill Haley and his Comets recorded 'ABC Boogie' and the iconic 'Shake Rattle and Roll' for Brunswick (05338) in 1954. This is one of Haley's most important and commercially successful recordings, and a cornerstone of early rock and roll. Haley was the first white artist to have major rock and roll hits and remains a defining figure of the 1950s.AI summary
Brunswick 05338 Rock
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- ABurn that candle
- BRock a beatin' Boogie
Bill Haley performing 'Burn That Candle' and 'Rock a Beatin' Boogie' on Brunswick 05509. Haley was one of the pioneers of rock and roll; these recordings document the very early phase of the genre in the mid-1950s.AI summary
Brunswick 05509 Rock
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- ABurn that candle
- BRock a beatin' Boogie
Bill Haley and His Comets on Brunswick 05509, performing 'Burn That Candle' and 'Rock a Beatin' Boogie'. Early Haley from the pioneer of rock and roll; Brunswick 05000-series sides are common, though earlier numbers may be less frequently reissued.AI summary
Brunswick 05509 Rock
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- ACalling all Comets
- BDon't knock the Rock
Bill Haley and his Comets' 'Calling all Comets' and 'Don't knock the Rock' on Brunswick 05640, from the mid-1950s when Haley was the leading figure in early rock and roll.AI summary
Brunswick 05640 Rock
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- ACalling all Comets
- BDon't knock the Rock
Bill Haley and His Comets, 'Calling All Comets' and 'Don't Knock the Rock', on Brunswick 05640. Early Haley from the rock-and-roll pioneer, though these titles suggest mid-1950s minor sides rather than major hits; Brunswick was his main UK outlet.AI summary
Brunswick 05640 Rock
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- ACalling all Comets
- BDon't knock the Rock
Bill Haley and his Comets recorded 'Calling All Comets' and 'Don't Knock the Rock' for Brunswick—pioneering rock and roll from the mid-1950s by the group best known for 'Rock Around the Clock'.AI summary
Brunswick 05640 Rock
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- ACalling all Comets
- BDon't knock the Rock
Bill Haley and his Comets performing 'Calling All Comets' and 'Don't Knock the Rock' on Brunswick 05640, a UK pressing from 1956; Haley's energetic rock-and-roll style made him one of the first major international rock stars.AI summary
Brunswick 05640 Rock
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- AChattanooga Choo-choo
- BStraight Jacket
Bill Haley with Chattanooga Choo-Choo and Straight Jacket on Ronnex 1049.AI summary
Ronnex 1049 Rock
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- ADim the Lights
- BHappy Baby
Bill Haley's early rock and roll on Brunswick, a major British pressing of a US rock pioneer in the mid-1950s.AI summary
Brunswick 05373 Rock
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- AFarewell so long goodbye
- BI'll be true
Bill Haley on 'Farewell so long goodbye' and 'I'll be true', from the obscure label LonL 522. This is an early and unverified Haley recording, possibly from the pre-'Rock Around the Clock' era (before 1954). LonL is not a known major UK label.AI summary
London L522 Rock
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- AForty Cups of Coffee
- BChoo ch'boogie
Bill Haley performing 'Forty Cups of Coffee' and 'Choo ch'boogie' on Brunswick—early rockabilly or rock and roll from the 1950s.AI summary
Brunswick 05658 Rock
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- AForty Cups of Coffee
- BChoo ch'boogie
Bill Haley and His Comets recorded this novelty and boogie number for Brunswick in the mid-1950s. While not one of Haley's most famous recordings, it documents his prolific recording career at the dawn of rock and roll.AI summary
Brunswick 05658 Rock
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- AGoofin around
- BHook Line and Sinker
Brunswick 05641 Rock
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- AHot Dog Buddy Buddy
- BRockin' through the Rye
Bill Haley recorded 'Hot Dog Buddy Buddy' and 'Rockin' through the Rye' for Brunswick 05582; this was an early Haley recording, before he became famous as the pioneer of rock and roll with 'Rock Around the Clock'.AI summary
Brunswick 05582 Rock
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- AHot Dog Buddy Buddy
- BRockin' through the Rye
Bill Haley performing 'Hot Dog Buddy Buddy' and 'Rockin' Through the Rye' on Brunswick. Haley was a pioneering figure in early rock and roll in the 1950s; this recording is from his pre-fame era before 'Rock Around the Clock.'AI summary
Brunswick 05582 Rock
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- AHot Dog Buddy Buddy
- BRockin' through the Rye
Bill Haley recorded 'Hot Dog Buddy Buddy' and 'Rockin' through the Rye' for Brunswick, catalogue number 05582, in 1954 or later; this is a dance or rock-and-roll era recording.AI summary
Brunswick 05582 Rock
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- AHot Dog Buddy Buddy
- BRockin' through the Rye
Bill Haley and His Comets on Brunswick performing 'Hot Dog Buddy Buddy' and 'Rockin' Through the Rye' — early rockabilly from the pioneering rock and roll artist, likely 1954-55.AI summary
Brunswick 05582 Rock
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- AHow many
- BSkinny Minnie
Brunswick 05743
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- AHow many
- BSkinny Minnie
Bill Haley, the pioneer of rock and roll, with *How Many* and *Skinny Minnie*, two novelty numbers from his early Brunswick period. These are minor recordings from before Haley's major hits, but from the crucial early 1950s.AI summary
Brunswick 05742 Rock
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- AI got a Woman
- BCharmaine
Bill Haley performs 'I Got a Woman' and 'Charmaine' on this Decca record, catalogue FM6682, an early rock-and-roll recording from the early 1950s.AI summary
Decca FM6682 Rock
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- AMambo Rock
- BBirth of the Boogie
Bill Haley's 'Mambo Rock' and 'Birth of the Boogie' on Brunswick 05405, from the mid-1950s when Haley was at the forefront of rock and roll.AI summary
Brunswick 05405 Rock
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- AMambo Rock
- BBirth of the Boogie
Bill Haley recorded 'Mambo Rock' and 'Birth of the Boogie' for Brunswick in the early 1950s, before 'Rock Around the Clock' made him an international star. These represent his swing and novelty output before rock-and-roll took over.AI summary
Brunswick 05405 Rock
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- AMambo rock
- BBirth of the boogie
Bill Haley, the pioneering rock-and-roll pioneer, recorded 'Mambo rock' and 'Birth of the boogie' for Brunswick 05405, early rock and roll crossover material from the early-to-mid 1950s.AI summary
Brunswick 05405 Rock
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- ARip it up
- BTeenagers' Mother
Bill Haley's 'Rip It Up' on Brunswick is one of the pioneering rock and roll records of the mid-1950s. Haley was an American bandleader whose 'Rock Around the Clock' became the anthem of the rock era.AI summary
Brunswick 05615 Rock
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- ARip it up
- BTeenagers' Mother
Bill Haley's 'Rip It Up' was recorded for Brunswick in 1954, near the height of the early rock-and-roll craze. This is a pressing of one of the records that helped establish him as a major rock figure.AI summary
Brunswick 05615 Rock
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- ARip it up
- BTeenagers' Mother
Bill Haley and his Comets performing 'Rip It Up' and 'Teenagers' Mother' on Brunswick, from the rock and roll era of the mid-1950s.AI summary
Brunswick 05615 Rock
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- ARip it up
- BTeenagers' Mother
Bill Haley on Brunswick 05615, 'Rip it up', one of the rock and roll classics of 1956. Haley was the dominant rock and roll artist of the early period and his records were widely pressed; Brunswick copies are common.AI summary
Brunswick 05615 Rock
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- ARip it up
- BTeenagers' Mother
Bill Haley and his Comets' 'Rip It Up' and 'Teenagers' Mother' on Brunswick 05615, from the mid-1950s when Haley dominated early rock and roll charts.AI summary
Brunswick 05615 Rock
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- ARock the joint
- BYes indeed
Bill Haley's 'Rock the Joint', first recorded in 1952 and one of the earliest records in the rock'n'roll style, issued in Britain on London in 1957 with 'Yes Indeed'.AI summary
London HLF8371 Rock
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- ARock the joint
- BYes indeed
Bill Haley and His Comets' 'Rock the Joint' is an early rock and roll recording from before his breakthrough, issued here on the UK London label.AI summary
London HLF8371 Rock
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- ARock the joint
- BYes indeed
Bill Haley's 'Rock the Joint', first recorded in 1952 and one of the earliest records in the rock'n'roll style, issued in Britain on London in 1957 with 'Yes Indeed'.AI summary
London HLF8371 Rock
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- ARocket 88
- BTearstains on my Heart
Bill Haley and his group recording 'Rocket 88' on the Holiday label, catalogue 105. If this is the small American Holiday Records label, this would be among the earliest rock-and-roll recordings by Haley — his 1951 cover of the Jackie Brenston original. Holiday Records was a tiny Philadelphia imprint and 78s from it are extremely uncommon. This disc requires urgent verification and expert assessment before any sale.AI summary
Holiday 105 Rock
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- ARudy's Rock
- BBlue Comet Blues
Bill Haley and His Comets on Brunswick performing 'Rudy's Rock' and 'Blue Comet Blues' — early rockabilly from the pioneering rock and roll artist, likely 1955.AI summary
Brunswick 05616 Rock
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- ARudy's Rock
- BBlue Comet Blues
Bill Haley, a pioneering rock and roll artist, on Brunswick 05616, performing 'Rudy's Rock' and 'Blue Comet Blues'—uptempo rock and roll sides from the early era.AI summary
Brunswick 05616 Rock
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- AShake rattle and roll
- BABC boogie
Bill Haley and his Comets with Shake, Rattle and Roll and ABC Boogie on Brunswick 05338, here on the original label.AI summary
Brunswick 05338 Rock
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- AShake rattle and roll
- BABC boogie
Bill Haley and his Comets with Shake, Rattle and Roll and ABC Boogie on Brunswick 05338, the British release of the 1954 rock and roll breakthrough, here on the original label.AI summary
Brunswick 05338 Rock
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- AShake Ratttle and Roll
- BDim the Lights
Bill Haley's 'Shake Rattle and Roll' and 'Dim the Lights' on Brunswick: an early rock and roll recording from one of the first white artists to embrace the genre, recorded before his breakthrough with 'Rock Around the Clock'.AI summary
Brunswick 82844 Rock
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- ATen little Indians
- BRocking chair on the moon
Bill Haley recording 'Ten Little Indians' and 'Rocking Chair on the Moon' for London HLF8194. This is an early Haley recording before his major commercial success.AI summary
London HLF8194 Rock
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- ATwo Hound Dogs
- BRazzle Dazzle
Bill Haley and his Comets performing 'Two Hound Dogs' and 'Razzle Dazzle' on Brunswick 05453, a UK pressing from 1955; Haley's early rock-and-roll sides are collected by rock historians and enthusiasts.AI summary
Brunswick 05453 Rock
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- ATwo Hound Dogs
- BRazzle Dazzle
Brunswick 05453 Rock