Bill Haley

One of America's most prolific rock and roll musicians is William John Clifton Haley (Bill Haley) born on July 6, 1925 and died February 9, 1981. He popularized rock and roll in the early 1950s with Bill Haley & His Comets. He sold over 25 million hits with Rock Around the Clock, See You Later, Alligator, Skinny, Minnie and Shake Rattle and Roll.
Bill left home at 15 with his guitar and nothing else and set out to gain fame and fortune. He had useful experiences but almost starved to death. In 1952 Bill's band the Saddlemen recorded Crazy Man, Crazy which became the first rock and roll hit on the American charts. In 1953 Rock Around the Clock was written for Haley but he did not record it until 1954. This song was not successful until it was used in the opening credits of the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle. With the song's then success, rock music began and the dominance of the jazz and pop culture was over. The new music confused most people over 30, which lead to Cold War suspicions that rock and roll was a part of a communist plot. J. Edgar Hoover tried to dig up incriminating material on Bill, but nothing could be found.
Bill was the first major Ame4ian rock singer to tour Europe with his 1950s hits. He was aging (already 30!) and was quickly being eclipsed in the US by Elvis Presley. Haley continued, however to tour in Latin America, Australia and Latin America.
Haley fought alcohol addiction in the 1970s and it was rumored that he had a brain tumor. Martha, Bill's wife denied the brain tumor and felt Haley's drinking problems plus serious mental problems were the issue. He was diagnosed with an excess of adrenalin, but medication had no effect. The death certificate lists natural causes as the reason of his death.