Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of
The Breakthrough Of Rock 'n' Roll
There are many competing events and dates that lay claim to have been the BIRTH of rock 'n' roll.
From Ike Turner recording "Rocket 88" in March 1951 - to Alan Freed's "Moondog Coronation Ball" rock 'n' roll concert in Cleveland in March 1952 - to Elvis recording "That's All Right Mama" in July 1954.
But there is one thing that all music historians agree on.
The event and point in history when rock 'n' roll finally broke through from the sidelines of its early days into mass awareness and acceptance.
And that was when the record "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley & The Comets became the first-ever rock 'n' roll song to reach the top of the record charts.
The world became aware that this had happened with the publication of the edition of Billboard magazine that appeared in the first week of July 1955.
NOTE ABOUT ANNIVERSARY DATES
The date of this historic occurrence is referenced in most history books as "July 9th 1955" - the cover date on the issue of Billboard that had the dramatic news of the record's ascension to the #1 position. However - the news itself was determined and publicly known BEFORE July 9th 1955.
For the benefit of those deciding on which date to mark the 50th anniversary - recent research has clarified the matter and determined the following:
July 1st 1955 - Chart position officially determined and certified by Billboard
July 2nd 1955 - Issue published and thus the news first publicly known
July 9th 1955 - Cover date on the issue of Billboard
In addition - in the very middle of this triumphant week - Bill Haley had a milestone birthday! He reached the grand old age of 30! In those days considered far too old to be a teen idol! Especially as he was on his second marriage and already had 4 kids!
In any event July 6th 2005 marks the 80th anniversary of the birth of Bill Haley - which may be an additional hook for coverage.
Music historians long ago determined that the rock era officially began when what had been a teen cult suddenly took center stage.
The chart success of "Rock Around The Clock" was that moment.
The record stayed in the #1 position for 8 consecutive weeks. It went on to top the charts in virtually every country in the western world. It eventually sold over 25 million copies worldwide.
It directly led to the making of the first-ever rock 'n' roll movie (also titled "Rock Around The Clock") and a sequel movie within 9 months.
Bill Haley & The Comets (already rock 'n' roll pioneers dating back to 1951) became worldwide stars. Though eventually eclipsed by younger, sexier performers - the group was still so successful throughout the 1950's that an analysis of the Billboard charts reveals that only two rock 'n' roll performers in the entire decade (Elvis Presley and Fats Domino) had more chart success.
And most importantly - the group became the first rock 'n' roll artists to perform outside America.
During their legendary 1957 tour of Britain they were seen by over 300,000 fans - among them future members of most of Britain's future elite rock bands - including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Hollies and many more.
In this regard - Bill Haley & The Comets were not just among the key pioneers of rock 'n' roll - they were also - quite crucially - the Johnny Appleseeds of rock 'n' roll.