Bill Haley

Johnny Grande, 76, an original member of Bill Haley and His Comets who played piano on their hit "Rock Around the Clock," died June 3 at his home in Clarksville, Tenn. "Rock Around the Clock" was recorded in 1954 and was a No. 1 hit for eight weeks before going on to sell 22 million copies worldwide, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Johnny Grande, 76, an original member of Bill Haley and His Comets who played piano on their hit "Rock Around the Clock," died June 3 at his home in Clarksville, Tenn. "Rock Around the Clock" was recorded in 1954 and was a No. 1 hit for eight weeks before going on to sell 22 million copies worldwide, according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

John (Bam Bam) Lane had just been graduated from high school in Cumberland, Pa., when he answered a wantad for a drummer in a band in nearby Chester. He had to lie about his age--the ad said applicants needed to be at least 21--but he beat out 18 other drummers for the gig. "It wasn't until after I got the job," Lane said in a telephone interview this week, "that I found out it was with the Comets."

In the article about NASA's Deep Impact rocket hitting Comet Tempel 1 on July 3 ["NASA on Collision Course," June 23], you forgot that there's another celebration going on at the same time: Bill Haley's original group, the Comets, will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of their "Rock Around the Clock" going to No. 1 on the charts at the Egyptian Theatre and the Museum of Television & Radio. This was the first rock 'n' roll record to do so. Do you see the connection? July 2, 1955: Rockin' Comets hit No. 1; July 3, 2005: Rocket hits Comet Tempel 1. Coincidence?

Nearly half a century after "Rock Around the Clock" helped give birth to rock 'n' roll, original band members from Bill Haley and His Comets are still rockin'. The musicians, now in their 60s and 70s, may be slowed by age, but these retirees still have the beat, occasionally touring around the world. "We were the band that created the sound," says Marshall Lytle, at 67 the youngest of the group known as the Original Comets.

1."Hound Dog"; "Don't Be Cruel"--Elvis Presley 2. "Crazy"--Patsy Cline 3. "Rock Around The Clock"--Bill Haley and the Comets 4. "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay"--Otis Redding 5. "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"--Marvin Gaye 6. "Mack the Knife"--Bobby Darin 7. "Light My Fire"--The Doors 8. "Blueberry Hill"--Fats Domino 9. "Old Time Rock and Roll"--Bob Seger 10. "My Girl"--The Temptations SOURCES: Newsweek and Amusement and Music Operators Assn.

In the article about NASA's Deep Impact rocket hitting Comet Tempel 1 on July 3 ["NASA on Collision Course," June 23], you forgot that there's another celebration going on at the same time: Bill Haley's original group, the Comets, will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of their "Rock Around the Clock" going to No. 1 on the charts at the Egyptian Theatre and the Museum of Television & Radio. This was the first rock 'n' roll record to do so. Do you see the connection? July 2, 1955: Rockin' Comets hit No. 1; July 3, 2005: Rocket hits Comet Tempel 1. Coincidence?

Regarding the question of the first rock 'n' roll record as discussed in Pop Eye (Aug. 2), I kindly submit that authors Steve Propes and Jim Dawson completely miss the mark. While there were probably many small events instrumental in rock's formation, as a first-generation rock 'n' roller I know what ignited the flame in the breasts of the teen record buyers of the day, and it was a man, a movie, a song and a medium. The man was Bill Haley, the song was "Rock Around the Clock," the movie was "Blackboard Jungle," and the medium was a 45-rpm piece of vinyl.

Who would have thought that attracting attention from the recording industry would be so difficult for the daughter of rock 'n' roll pioneer Bill Haley? Certainly not Gina Haley, whose father helped launch the rock revolution 40 years ago with his landmark recording of "Rock Around the Clock." The fresh-faced singer-songwriter is still confused about the industry's indifference toward her recent L.A.

The Rolling Stones aren't ready for rocking chairs yet, and neither is a pioneering group from Chester, Pa., that makes the British legends look boyish. The original Comets--Bill Haley's backing band for such singles as "Crazy, Man, Crazy," "See You Later, Alligator," Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and the signature tune of '50s rock, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock"--proudly claims 63-year-old tenor saxophonist Joey Ambrose as its youngest member.

Nearly half a century after "Rock Around the Clock" helped give birth to rock 'n' roll, original band members from Bill Haley and His Comets are still rockin'. The musicians, now in their 60s and 70s, may be slowed by age, but these retirees still have the beat, occasionally touring around the world. "We were the band that created the sound," says Marshall Lytle, at 67 the youngest of the group known as the Original Comets.

The Rolling Stones aren't ready for rocking chairs yet, and neither is a pioneering group from Chester, Pa., that makes the British legends look boyish. The original Comets--Bill Haley's backing band for such singles as "Crazy, Man, Crazy," "See You Later, Alligator," Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and the signature tune of '50s rock, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock"--proudly claims 63-year-old tenor saxophonist Joey Ambrose as its youngest member.

The musicians onstage at the House of Blues aren't the kind that usually play the Sunset Strip rock club. With their snow-white hair and generous waistlines, wearing matching red plaid jackets and black bow ties, they look like a Senate subcommittee on their way to a polka party.

Who would have thought that attracting attention from the recording industry would be so difficult for the daughter of rock 'n' roll pioneer Bill Haley? Certainly not Gina Haley, whose father helped launch the rock revolution 40 years ago with his landmark recording of "Rock Around the Clock." The fresh-faced singer-songwriter is still confused about the industry's indifference toward her recent L.A.

Regarding the question of the first rock 'n' roll record as discussed in Pop Eye (Aug. 2), I kindly submit that authors Steve Propes and Jim Dawson completely miss the mark. While there were probably many small events instrumental in rock's formation, as a first-generation rock 'n' roller I know what ignited the flame in the breasts of the teen record buyers of the day, and it was a man, a movie, a song and a medium. The man was Bill Haley, the song was "Rock Around the Clock," the movie was "Blackboard Jungle," and the medium was a 45-rpm piece of vinyl.

1."Hound Dog"; "Don't Be Cruel"--Elvis Presley 2. "Crazy"--Patsy Cline 3. "Rock Around The Clock"--Bill Haley and the Comets 4. "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay"--Otis Redding 5. "I Heard it Through the Grapevine"--Marvin Gaye 6. "Mack the Knife"--Bobby Darin 7. "Light My Fire"--The Doors 8. "Blueberry Hill"--Fats Domino 9. "Old Time Rock and Roll"--Bob Seger 10. "My Girl"--The Temptations SOURCES: Newsweek and Amusement and Music Operators Assn.

The musicians onstage at the House of Blues aren't the kind that usually play the Sunset Strip rock club. With their snow-white hair and generous waistlines, wearing matching red plaid jackets and black bow ties, they look like a Senate subcommittee on their way to a polka party.

Tony Martinez, the bandleader-turned-actor who played the farm hand Pepino on "The Real McCoys" and was one of the few Latino faces on network television in the 1950s and early '60s, has died. He was 82. Martinez died Monday of natural causes in a hospital in Las Vegas, according to his wife of 21 years, Myra.

John (Bam Bam) Lane had just been graduated from high school in Cumberland, Pa., when he answered a wantad for a drummer in a band in nearby Chester. He had to lie about his age--the ad said applicants needed to be at least 21--but he beat out 18 other drummers for the gig. "It wasn't until after I got the job," Lane said in a telephone interview this week, "that I found out it was with the Comets."