Invoice Haley and His Comets lit up the skies of world popular culture with a meteoric new sound after they recorded “(We’re Gonna) Rock Across the Clock” in New York Metropolis on this present day in historical past, April 12, 1954.
It grew to become rock ‘n’ roll’s first hit music — on each side of the Atlantic.
“Rock Across the Clock” topped the U.S. Billboard singles chart for an unimaginable eight straight weeks in the summertime of 1955 and was a serious hit in the UK earlier that yr.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, APRIL 11, 1945, US TROOPS ENTER BUCHENWALD CONCENTRATION CAMP, CONFRONT NAZI HORRORS
“We premiered it,” Haley informed Rolling Stone Journal in 1967.
“We put nation & western along with rhythm & blues, and that was rock. The primary three years had been ours, all ours, ’til [Elvis] Presley got here alongside.”

Invoice Haley and his Comets carry out onstage in 1955 in New York. They recorded “(We’re Gonna) Rock Across the Clock” in New York Metropolis in 1954. (PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Pictures)
“It was not the primary recording of ‘Rock Across the Clock,’ nor was it Invoice Haley’s first rock and roll report,” music scholar David Deacon-Joyner wrote for the Library of Congress.
“It was, nevertheless, the seismic occasion that kicked off the rock revolution.”
“We put nation & western along with rhythm & blues, and that was rock.” — Invoice Haley
The 12-bar blues tune with bouncy bass beat and blistering guitar solo, which might develop into a signature of the style, was the primary rock music heard by hundreds of thousands of individuals world wide.
“Rock Across the Clock” was recorded as an afterthought for Decca Information at Pythian Temple Studios, 135 West seventieth St. on Manhattan’s Higher West Aspect.

Invoice Haley and His Comets rehearse on the Dominion Theatre in London, the place they’ll open their British tour. The Comets embrace accordion participant Johnnie Grande, bassist Al Rex, and saxophonist Ruddy Pompilli. (Getty Pictures)
The session was “arrange not for the recording of ‘(We’re Gonna) Rock Across the Clock,’ however of a music known as ‘13 Ladies (and Solely One Man in City),'” reviews Historical past.com.
“It took the group almost all of their scheduled session to get a useable take of “13 Ladies’ … With time operating out and no likelihood of extending the session, Haley and his Comets had been keen to put down the music they’d been enjoying dwell for a lot of months to enthusiastic viewers response.”
MEET THE AMERICAN WHO INVENTED THE ELECTRIC GUITAR AND INSPIRED ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
That music, “Rock Across the Clock,” was recorded in simply two takes that “had been synchronized later and combined onto a 3rd tape” by producer Milt Gabler, Deacon-Joyner wrote.
It was outstanding engineering for its time.
“I believed, ‘WOW that is nice!!!! … The music simply rocks.” — Ringo Starr in 2021, of listening to “Rock Across the Clock” the primary time
The raucous music’s repetitive lyrics are an ode to partying all night time — a theme repeated by quite a few rock acts to observe — punctuated by slick licks from session guitarist Danny Cedrone, who barely rehearsed the music.

Ringo Starr, left, of The Beatles and Joe Walsh of the Eagles have a good time Starr’s 77th birthday at Capitol Information Tower on July 7, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. Starr recorded a remake of 1955 landmark hit “(We’re Gonna) Rock Across the Clock” in 2021, that includes Walsh on guitar. (Scott Dudelson/WireImage)
“An authorized jaw-dropper,” GuitarWorld.com enthused in a 2018 tutorial of the basic rock riff.
Cedrone was paid simply $21 for the session and died two months later after falling down a staircase, “by no means understanding the impact his solo would have on the subsequent few many years of standard music,” the outlet famous.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, APRIL 10, 1970, PAUL MCCARTNEY CONFIRMS BEATLES BREAK-UP TO GLOBAL PRESS
“Rock Across the Clock” didn’t make an impression when it was launched because the b-side to “13 Ladies” and was destined for creative anonymity earlier than fortune intervened.
“A ten-year-old child in Los Angeles flipped ‘13 Ladies’ and fell in love with the now-famous B-side,” notes Historical past.com.

A poster for George Lucas’ 1973 comedy “American Graffiti” starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Paul Le Mat. (Film Poster Picture Artwork/Getty Pictures)
“That child, Peter Ford, occurred to be the son of actor Glenn Ford, who was slated to star within the upcoming teenage-delinquency drama ‘Blackboard Jungle.’”
The film was launched in March 1955 with “Rock Across the Clock” as its rebellious teen anthem.
The energetic tune impressed children to bounce spontaneously in theater aisles and “made the music grew to become a worldwide smash,” Marty Ostrow wrote of the music on behalf of the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame.
“It was … a seismic occasion that kicked off the rock revolution.” — David Deacon-Joyner, music scholar
Liverpool teenager Richard Starkey, later generally known as Ringo Starr, was among the many kids on each side of the Atlantic blown away by the film theme music and the response it impressed.
“They ripped up the cinema!!! They simply threw the chairs and went loopy,” Starr mentioned in 2021, after recording and releasing his personal model of “Rock Across the Clock.”
“I believed, ‘WOW that is nice!!!!’ I keep in mind that second prefer it was yesterday, it was unimaginable. And the music simply rocks.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Legendary rock guitarist Joe Walsh performs the signature solo on Starr’s current remake.

Invoice Haley and His Comets, that includes Al Rappa standing on his double bass, carry out on “Thank Your Fortunate Stars” TV present at Aston Studios in September 1964 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Picture is a part of David Redfern Premium Assortment. (David Redfern/Redferns)
“Rock Across the Clock” loved a rebirth within the Seventies because the opening music to Nineteen Fifties interval film “American Graffiti” and the unique theme music of the favored TV hit it impressed, “Completely happy Days,” which debuted in 1974.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Different information might lay declare to actually being the primary,” writes music historical past outlet Rebeatmag.com, “however ‘Rock Across the Clock’ was the primary heard by hundreds of thousands world wide.”
For extra Way of life articles, go to www.foxnews.com/life-style.