1 month before I was born, Bill Haley was greeted by 5,000 fans , when he arrived from New York on the liner Queen Elizabeth at Southampton, for his debut UK concert tour on this day, 5 February in 1957. Haley was the first American rock artist to tour the UK.
In 1972, I was 15, and the highlight of the year for me was to see my idol, Bill Haley, perform in Ladbrokes Lucky Seven bingo hall in Nottingham’s Victoria centre. I recall Rudi Pompelli stepping off stage into the audience, playing his saxophone and shaking hands with everybody, including me. Little did I know that two years later I would be playing with the great man myself! After the show, I wanted to obtain Bill Haley's autograph but could not gain access to the dressing room. One of the roadies agreed to grab it for me, although it later transpired that the roadie had been signing the autographs himself. Still, I got the real thing when I played on the same bill with Haley a little later (pun intended!)…
In 1974, I was fortunate to play piano in Bill Haley’s band when he toured the UK. Bill Haley has always been a favourite of mine since my interest in Rock & Roll was first kindled.
Just 2 years later, also on 5 February in 1976, American saxophonist Rudy Pompelli died of lung cancer aged 52. Although not a smoker himself, it is believed he contracted the disease through second hand smoke. With Bill Haley and his Comets, he had the 1955 UK & US No.1 single with 'Rock Around The Clock', Pompilli released one solo album, Rudy's Rock: The Sax That Changed the World.
Rockin Dave in the '70's
Tonight, I will be playing more than a few Bill Haley classics at my show at Midnight Rock at around 8pm. I hope to see some of you there.
