Perhaps the most iconic rock n’ roll song is Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock,” which helped popularize the new and emerging sound.  It was by no means the first song of its kind and Haley and his band certainly didn’t create rock n’ roll out of thin air; however, they were largely responsible for presenting the new sound to a mainstream audience. The world hasn't been the same since.

Bill Haley was a country crooner who formed the band in the early 50s. The original name of this outfit was Bill Haley and the Saddlemen, who played country music with strong swing and blues influences. Slowly but surely, the band began to break away from the country sound and Haley started combining elements of rhythm and blues, swing and rockabilly into a buoyant, bopping beat. In 1952 they had their first hits, which were two covers of old rhythm and blues songs. The next logical step was to change the name of the not-so-country-anymore band to something clever: Bill Haley and His Comets (riffing on an alternative pronunciation for Halley’s comet—crack a book, will ya?).

The band released a string of hit singles, including “Crazy Man, Crazy,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and the now-legendary “Rock Around the Clock.” Far from achieving instant fame, the song started out with modest sales and at first was eclipsed by “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” After being played during the opening credits of the movie Blackboard Jungle, the song tripled its audience and became associated—unfortunately—with delinquent youth, the subject of the movie. But for every old fogey shaking his pipe at this manic newfangled sound, there were five teenagers falling madly in love with it and rocking 'round the clock.

Bill Haley and His Comets didn’t skimp on the frenetic stage antics either. Haley’s perfect spit curl was instantly recognizable; saxophonist Joey Ambrose played his instrument acrobatically; and Marshall Lytle spent a lot of his time either riding his bass like a pony or twirling it above his head. These were, quite plainly, not your father’s music concerts. The band continued to release hits like “See You Later Alligator” and “Burn That Candle” throughout the 50s but their popularity declined when other rock idols took center stage (Elvis Presley pretty much swept all before his path).

Bill and the Comets went back to their roots of country and rhythm and blues but none of the subsequent albums topped the mid-50s frenzy of “Rock Around the Clock.” Still, the band were well acknowledged as patriarchs of rock n’ roll and their most famous song enjoyed a return to the Top 40 when it was included in the soundtrack of the nostalgia-laden movie, American Graffiti.