Where rock’n’roll is concerned, I can only mean one person; the man from Boothwyn, Bill Haley. His biggest hit started out on B-side of the 45 single, “Thirteen Women”! However, DJ’s and teenyboppers had their way, flipping the 45 to play “Rock Around the Clock”, which reached a respectable #23 on the pop charts in May of 1954.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? - Movie producer Richard Brooks cast Glenn Ford to star in “Blackboard Jungle.” While meeting at the actor’s home, Ford’s 11-year old son Peter was playing the song on his Philco. Brooks put “Rock Around the Clock” in the opening credits of the film, running it straight into the first scene. With the release of the movie, the song became the very first rock’n’roll to top the pop charts, holding the #1 spot for almost two months.
UNSUNG GUITAR HERO – The great guitar lead in the song was not recorded by a Comet. Haley hired veteran Philly session man Dan Cedrone for the job. He received $21 for the session.
The session itself was four hours long, held in New York at a studio called the Pythian Temple. Almost three-and-a-half hours were spent on the A-side tune, "Thirteen Women"! Two quick takes at the end of the session produced the historic B-side.
Bill Haley had worked with Dan Cedrone several times before on earlier recordings. Haley went to Cedrone's house for dinner the night before. They discussed the next day's session and reportedly decided then to use a solo from an earlier song which they felt would be a perfect fit. They were right!
Sadly, Dan Cedrone never lived to see the tremendous success of this tune. He died in an accident less than a month after the recording session. His 1946 Gibson ES-300 guitar resides in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame.
EXTRA FACT: There would not be another #1 Rock'n'Roll song at the top of the charts until April, 1956. Guess who? It was Elvis Presley with "Heartbreak Hotel."
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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