Music
Bill Haley
1925–1981 · singer, guitarist, bandleader
Rock and roll pioneer of “Rock Around the Clock,” born in Highland Park, the Ford factory town surrounded by Detroit, in 1925.
- Born
Highland Park, Michigan- Died
Harlingen, Texas
aged 55- Birth name
- William John Clifton Haley
- Detroit years
- 1925–1932
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Bill Haley, the bandleader who carried rock and roll to a mass audience, was born on July 6, 1925, in Highland Park, the small city surrounded by Detroit that had grown up around Ford's automobile plant. His early childhood was spent in the Detroit area, but the Great Depression hit the auto region hard, and when Bill was about seven his father moved the family to Bethel Township, Pennsylvania. Haley built his career there, first as a country and western singer and radio host, then as leader of the Comets. “Rock Around the Clock,” recorded in 1954, became a worldwide hit after it opened the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle, and “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “See You Later, Alligator” followed. Haley sold tens of millions of records and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, six years after his death.
Highlights
- Born in Highland Park, Michigan, on July 6, 1925
- “Rock Around the Clock” (1954) became rock and roll's first global anthem
- Hits include “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “See You Later, Alligator”
- More than 60 million records sold
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1987