Although 94.9 WHOM is known for “Light Rock”, that definition has certainly changed from the inception of “Rock & Roll”, which I suppose has to have a date of birth….and I think that day is TODAY!
54 years ago, Bill Haley & The Comets' “Rock Around the Clock” officially entered the Pop charts. As that song that is credited as being the very first rock’n roll hit, it seems reasonable to call today the “Birthday of Rock & Roll”!
Disc jockey Alan Freed is credited with coining the term, but there has to be a song that launches the genre—and this one was it! The song was re-released after the debut of the movie “Blackboard Jungle”-and it entered the Billboard chart on this date. By July, it was #1 in the United States and well on its way to accomplishing the same feat in England!
The song sold an estimated 6 million copies that year—and a total of 22 million by the time Bill Haley died in 1981.
Below is an early video performance of the tune. Although the quality of the video recording has suffered, the vibrancy of the song, its energy and relevance have not “skipped a beat”-but rather have grown with the years!
Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5fsqYctXgM
If you’d like my blog in your box, I, Tim Moore-will personally send it to you daily!
Tim.moore@citcomm.com Just let me know!
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