Bill Haley
Bill Haley was an American musician credited with bringing rock and roll to mainstream white audiences in the 1950s.
His band Bill Haley & His Comets recorded "Rock Around the Clock" (1954), which became one of the best-selling singles of all time after appearing in the film *Blackboard Jungle*.
Though not rock's originator, Haley helped popularize the sound that Black artists had developed.
Pioneering music variety program
- jukeboxCoin-operated music player
- sock hopInformal school dance
- drive-inVenue serving seated motorists
- post-warAfter military conflict ends
baby boom · suburban · diner · tailfins · Sputnik · poodle skirts · Korean War · Cold War
Driving bass, freewheeling treble
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- rhythm and bluesPostwar Black popular music
- countrySovereign state or territory
- hillbillyRural mountain dweller stereotype
slap bass · guitar riff · uptempo · backbeat · shuffle · twang · doo-wop · greaser
Director of musical ensemble
- guitaristOne who plays six strings
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
- performerOne who entertains audiences
- showmanDramatic, attention-grabbing performer
touring · concert · stage · recording · chart-topper · single · album · live performance
First to forge ahead
- groundbreakingIntroducing radical new ideas
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- seminalFoundational and influential
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
trendsetter · pathfinder · genre-defining · landmark · historic · legendary · iconic · celebrated
American Bandstand
Pioneering music variety program
- jukeboxCoin-operated music player
- sock hopInformal school dance
- drive-inVenue serving seated motorists
post-war · baby boom · suburban · diner · tailfins · Sputnik · poodle skirts · Korean War · Cold War · Levittown
boogie-woogie
Driving bass, freewheeling treble
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- rhythm and bluesPostwar Black popular music
- countrySovereign state or territory
hillbilly · slap bass · guitar riff · uptempo · backbeat · shuffle · twang · doo-wop · greaser · ducktail
bandleader
Director of musical ensemble
- guitaristOne who plays six strings
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
- performerOne who entertains audiences
showman · touring · concert · stage · recording · chart-topper · single · album · live performance · entertainer
trailblazer
First to forge ahead
- groundbreakingIntroducing radical new ideas
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- seminalFoundational and influential
revolutionary · trendsetter · pathfinder · genre-defining · landmark · historic · legendary · iconic · celebrated · immortalized
Bill HaleyPerry Como
Pat Boone · Bing Crosby · big band music · easy listening · Tin Pan Alley
Bill HaleyElvis Presley
Little Richard · Jerry Lee Lewis · James Dean · Marlon Brando