This page will contain videos about Bill Haley & His Comets, as they become available.Bill Haley & His CometsThe original members of Bill Haley and His Comets, c.1952. Left to right: Marshall Lytle, Johnny Grande, Bill Haley, Billy Williamson.Bill Haley and his Comets was a rock and roll band of the 50s led by guitarist Bill Haley, one of the earliest groups of white musicians to record rock and roll bring it to the attention of white America and the rest of the world. Haley was a country performer who converted to rock and roll almost before there was such a thing. Although several members of the Comets became famous, Bill Haley was the star. With his spit curl and the band all in plaid dinner jackets jumping about, many fans consider them to be as revolutionary in their time as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones were in theirs. The band was formed as Bill Haley and the Saddlemen c.1949-1950, and performed mostly country and western songs, though occasionally with a bluesy feel. Many Saddlemen recordings would not be released until the 1970s and 1980s, and highlights included romantic ballads such as "Rose of My Heart" and western swing tunes such as "Yodel Your Blues Away." Haley began his rock and roll career with a cover of "Rocket 88" in 1951 which sold well and was followed up a cover of a 1940s rhythm and blues song called "Rock the Joint" in 1952. Both songs were released under the increasingly incongruous Saddlemen name. It soon became apparent that a new name was needed to fit the music the band was now playing. A friend of Haley's, making note of the common alternate pronunciation of the name Halley's Comet to rhyme with "Bailey", suggested that Haley call his band The Comets. The original members of the Comets when the band officially received its new name in the fall of 1952 were Johnny Grande (piano/accordion), Billy Williamson (steel guitar) and Marshall Lytle (string bass). Grande usually played piano on record, but switched to accordion for live shows as it was more portable than a piano and easier to deal with during musical numbers that involved a lot of dancing around. In 1953, Haley scored his first national success with an original song (co-written by an uncredited Marshall Lytle) called "Crazy Man Crazy", a phrase Haley said he heard from his teenaged audience. Later, he added Joey Ambrose on tenor sax and Dick Boccelli (aka Dick Richards) on drums. Along with the other original Comets, plus session musicians Danny Cedrone on electric guitar and Billy Gussak on drums (standing in for Boccelli), this was the group that recorded "Rock Around the Clock" for Decca Records on April 12, 1954. Haley's biggest hit, and one of the most important records in rock and roll history, "Rock Around the Clock", started slow but eventually sold an estimated 25 million copies and marked the arrival of a cultural shift. Ambrose's acrobatic saxophone playing, along with Lytle on the double bass--literally on it, riding it like a pony, and holding it over his head--were highlights of the band's live performances. Their music and their act were part of a tradition in jazz and rhythm and blues, but it all came like a thunderclap to most of their audience. Bill Haley and His Comets in 1956. Left to right: Rudy Pompilli, Billy Williamson, Al Rex, Johnny Grande, Ralph Jones, Franny Beecher. Top: Bill Haley.In 1955, Lytle, Richards and Ambrose quit the Comets in a salary dispute and formed their own group, the Jodimars. Haley hired several new musicians to take their place: Rudy Pompilli on sax, Al Rex (a Saddlemen musician prior to 1951) on double bass and Ralph Jones on drums, as well as Frank Beecher aka Franny Beecher on electric guitar. This version of the band became even more popular, and appeared in several motion pictures over the next few years. Other hits enjoyed by the band included R&B covers of "See You Later Alligator" in which Haley's frantic delivery contrasted with the Louisiana langour of the original by Bobby Charles. Furthermore, Haley's cover of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" was a completely new performance built out of incompletely bowdlerized bits and pieces of the original by Big Joe Turner. The difference between the two illustrates the difference between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Many more people heard Joe Turner's version because Haley covered it. When Elvis Presley recorded the song in 1956, he combined Haley's arrangement with Turner's original lyrics but failed to score a subtantial hit. In 1956, Bill Haley and His Comets appeared in two of the earliest rock and roll movies: Rock Around the Clock, and Don't Knock the Rock. In 1957, the band became the first major American rock and roll act to tour England, and their arrival at Waterloo Station in London was greeted by thousands of screaming fans who created a scene that became known as The Second Battle of Waterloo. The band's popularity began to wane as sexier, wilder acts such as Elvis and Little Richard began to dominate the record charts. After "Skinny Minnie" hit the charts in 1958, Haley found it difficult to score further successes Stateside. In 1960, the band enjoyed its last new hit in the United States with an instrumental version of "Skokiaan". That year, Haley left Decca Records for the new Warner Brothers label, where his band recorded a series of critically acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful songs, many in the country and western style. Between 1961 and 1969, Haley and His Comets recorded unsuccessful singles for a number of small labels in America such as Newtown Records, Guest Star Records, APT Records, as well as for United Artists Records. APT Records even went so far as to release a single under the name B.H. Sees Combo in order to trick American radio stations into playing music by the so-called "has been" group. Guest Star Records released an album of Haley recordings under the name Scott Gregory, possibly due to the fact Haley was having major problems with the Internal Revenue Service at the time. In 1964 there was an abortive attempt to return to Decca with a low-selling recoring of Jim Lowe's "The Green Door" backed by "Yeah, She's Evil!" a song that would later be recorded by Elvis Presley for the soundtrack of his movie, Girl Happy. For commercial success in the 1960s, the band had to turn to venues outside the United States. The group continued to be a top concert draw in Europe throughout the 1960s, including a successful stint at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany where they played around the same time the Beatles performed there. In 1961-1962, Bill Haley y sus cometas (as the band was known in Latin America) scored an unexpected hit with "The Spanish Twist" and later had what was, for a time, the biggest selling single in Mexican history with "Florida Twist." Although Chubby Checker and Hank Ballard were credited with starting the Twist craze in America, in Mexico and Latin America, Bill Haley and His Comets were proclaimed the Kings of the Twist. The band had continued success in Mexico and Latin America over the next few years, selling many recordings of Spanish and Spanish flavored material and simulated live performances (overdubbed audience over studio recordings). They hosted a TV series entitled Orfeon a Go-Go and appeared in several movies. In 1966, the Comets (without Bill Haley) cut a Mexican album with Big Joe Turner, who had always been an idol to Haley; no joint performance of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" was recorded, however. By the late 1960s, Haley and the Comets were considered an oldies act, and toured with great success with Richard Nader's Rock and Roll Revival tours through the early 1970s. The band's popularly never waned in Europe, and the group signed a lucrative deal with Sonet Records of Sweden in 1968 that resulted in a new version of "Rock Around the Clock" hitting the European charts that year. After 1974, tax and management problems prevented Haley from performing in the United States, so he performed in Europe almost exclusively, though he also toured South America in 1975. The band was also kept busy in the studio, recording numerous albums for Sonet and other labels in the 1970s, several with a country music flavor. In 1974, Haley's original Decca recording of "Rock Around the Clock" hit the American sales charts once again thanks to its use in American Graffiti and Happy Days. In February 1976, Haley's saxophone player and best friend, Rudy Pompilli, died of cancer after a 20-year career with the Comets. Haley continued to tour for the next year with a replacement musician, but confessed that his heart was no longer in it. In early 1977 he announced his retirement and settled down at his home in Mexico. The Comets continued to tour on their own. In 1979, Haley was persuaded to return to performing with the offer of a lucrative contract to tour Europe. An almost completely new group of musicians, mostly British, were assembled to perform as The Comets, and Haley appeared on many TV shows as well as the movie Blue Suede Shoes, filmed at one of his London concerts. In November 1979, Haley and the Comets performed for Queen Elizabeth II, a moment Haley considered the proudest of his career. It was also the last time he performed in Europe and the last time most fans saw him perform "Rock Around the Clock." In 1980, Bill Haley and His Comets toured South Africa but Haley's health was failing and it was reported that he had a brain tumor. The tour was critically lambasted, but surviving recordings of a show in Johannesburg show Haley in good spirits and good voice. But further concerts and recording sessions were cancelled -- including a potential reunion with past members of the Comets -- and he returned to his home in Harlingen, Texas where he died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on February 9, 1981. More than 100 musicians performed with Bill Haley & His Comets between 1952 and Haley's death in 1981, many becoming fan favorites along the way. Several Comets reunions were attempted in the 1980s. The Original Comets, who performed with Haley in 1954-1955, are still touring the world as of 2004, packing showrooms in the United States and Europe. Two additional groups also claim the name Bill Haley's Comets and extensively tour in the United States: one featuring Haley's 1965-68 drummer John "Bam-Bam" Lane, the other run by his 1959-69 bass player, Al Rappa. All three groups lay claim to the title of "official" band, and on Oct. 1, 2004, Lane filed a lawsuit against the 1954-55 Comets, alleging trademark infringement. Selected musical highlightsThis list consists of songs that are often cited by Comets fans as among their best recordings, however Bill Haley and His Comets recorded hundreds of songs between 1952 and 1979. For a complete discography and song list, visit Bill Haley Central (http://www.billhaleycentral.com).
This page about Bill Haley & His Comets includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Bill Haley & His Comets News stories about Bill Haley & His Comets External links for Bill Haley & His Comets Videos for Bill Haley & His Comets Wikis about Bill Haley & His Comets Discussion Groups about Bill Haley & His Comets Blogs about Bill Haley & His Comets Images of Bill Haley & His Comets |
|
For a complete discography and song list, visit Bill Haley Central (http://www.billhaleycentral.com).. 2004- R.U.L.E. Gold (as of 01/04/05). This list consists of songs that are often cited by Comets fans as among their best recordings, however Bill Haley and His Comets recorded hundreds of songs between 1952 and 1979. 2003- Blood In My Eye Gold. 1, 2004, Lane filed a lawsuit against the 1954-55 Comets, alleging trademark infringement. 2002- Last Temptation- Platinum. All three groups lay claim to the title of "official" band, and on Oct. 2001- Pain Is Love- 3X Platinum. Two additional groups also claim the name Bill Haley's Comets and extensively tour in the United States: one featuring Haley's 1965-68 drummer John "Bam-Bam" Lane, the other run by his 1959-69 bass player, Al Rappa. 2000- Rule 3:36- 3X Platinum. The Original Comets, who performed with Haley in 1954-1955, are still touring the world as of 2004, packing showrooms in the United States and Europe. 1999- Venni Vetti Vecci- Platinum. Several Comets reunions were attempted in the 1980s. Ja Rule has co-starred in a number of action movies such as Half Past Dead, The Fast and the Furious, Scary Movie 3, and Assault on Precinct 13. More than 100 musicians performed with Bill Haley & His Comets between 1952 and Haley's death in 1981, many becoming fan favorites along the way. and Tupac Shakur, though most in the rap community, including Lil' Mo and several others of the aforementioned victims of Ja Rule's bashing, have expressed hope that all rappers could learn a lesson from what happened to Biggie and Tupac and stop serious feuds before someone ends up hurt. But further concerts and recording sessions were cancelled -- including a potential reunion with past members of the Comets -- and he returned to his home in Harlingen, Texas where he died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack on February 9, 1981. It remains to be seen whether this 'dispute' will elevate to the level of Notorious B.I.G. The tour was critically lambasted, but surviving recordings of a show in Johannesburg show Haley in good spirits and good voice. Dre and Eminem were gay lovers; suggested Dre's newest female protege, Truth Hurts, might be a transsexual; and even claimed that Eminem's young daughter would end up a prostitute. In 1980, Bill Haley and His Comets toured South Africa but Haley's health was failing and it was reported that he had a brain tumor. He referred to Lil' Mo as an ungrateful bitch who had never had a hit single without his help; alluded that Dr. It was also the last time he performed in Europe and the last time most fans saw him perform "Rock Around the Clock.". Dre, Lil' Mo, Truth Hurts, and Eminem's 6-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade, along with 50 Cent on a single track. In November 1979, Haley and the Comets performed for Queen Elizabeth II, a moment Haley considered the proudest of his career. The feud eventually escalated to such a level that Ja Rule mocked Eminem, Dr. An almost completely new group of musicians, mostly British, were assembled to perform as The Comets, and Haley appeared on many TV shows as well as the movie Blue Suede Shoes, filmed at one of his London concerts. Initiated by 50 Cent's labelling Ja Rule, among others, a "fake" gangster, or a "wanksta", because of their pop sensibilities, the two rappers exchanged insults and disses in a series of singles and underground mixtapes. In 1979, Haley was persuaded to return to performing with the offer of a lucrative contract to tour Europe. In 2003, it was this very dichotomy which started a rap war between Ja Rule and fellow MC 50 Cent. The Comets continued to tour on their own. "Always On Time" with Ashanti, "Put It On Me" with Lil' Mo, and "Between Me And You" with Christina Milian are just three examples of such songs, which have married his thuggish image with more sensitive, relationship-minded topics. In early 1977 he announced his retirement and settled down at his home in Mexico. Despite culling a gangster image, Ja Rule's biggest hits have, to date, been hip-hop inspired ballads, all of which have contained at least one female singer on the chorus. Haley continued to tour for the next year with a replacement musician, but confessed that his heart was no longer in it. in 2001. In February 1976, Haley's saxophone player and best friend, Rudy Pompilli, died of cancer after a 20-year career with the Comets. This led Mo to leave Murder Inc. In 1974, Haley's original Decca recording of "Rock Around the Clock" hit the American sales charts once again thanks to its use in American Graffiti and Happy Days. With Ashanti's career on the rise, Mo felt that Ja and Irv Gotti were ignoring her and focussing unfair amounts of time and money on Ashanti. The band was also kept busy in the studio, recording numerous albums for Sonet and other labels in the 1970s, several with a country music flavor. Lil' Mo, Ja Rule's former friend, had a falling out with Ja shortly after they released the "I Cry" music video together, in 2001. After 1974, tax and management problems prevented Haley from performing in the United States, so he performed in Europe almost exclusively, though he also toured South America in 1975. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band's popularly never waned in Europe, and the group signed a lucrative deal with Sonet Records of Sweden in 1968 that resulted in a new version of "Rock Around the Clock" hitting the European charts that year. It peaked at No. By the late 1960s, Haley and the Comets were considered an oldies act, and toured with great success with Richard Nader's Rock and Roll Revival tours through the early 1970s. It debuted at #1 in the UK Singles Chart, giving him his biggest single of his career there (even though at the same time it broke the record of the lowest selling #1 debut single ever). In 1966, the Comets (without Bill Haley) cut a Mexican album with Big Joe Turner, who had always been an idol to Haley; no joint performance of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" was recorded, however. Kelly and Ashanti. The band had continued success in Mexico and Latin America over the next few years, selling many recordings of Spanish and Spanish flavored material and simulated live performances (overdubbed audience over studio recordings). They hosted a TV series entitled Orfeon a Go-Go and appeared in several movies. The first single from this album, "Wonderful", has been released, and features R. In 1961-1962, Bill Haley y sus cometas (as the band was known in Latin America) scored an unexpected hit with "The Spanish Twist" and later had what was, for a time, the biggest selling single in Mexican history with "Florida Twist." Although Chubby Checker and Hank Ballard were credited with starting the Twist craze in America, in Mexico and Latin America, Bill Haley and His Comets were proclaimed the Kings of the Twist. On November 9, 2004, Ja Rule released his next album entitled "R.U.L.E." The album features several guest appearances (such as Jadakiss, Fat Joe, Trick Daddy and many more). The group continued to be a top concert draw in Europe throughout the 1960s, including a successful stint at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany where they played around the same time the Beatles performed there. The song's video, which was dark and simple and featured a bulked-up Ja Rule, contrasted deeply to the colorful, happier scenes in videos such as "Always On Time" and "Mesmerize". For commercial success in the 1960s, the band had to turn to venues outside the United States. Arguably his grittiest single yet, it seemed intended to challenge 50 Cent's comments about him. In 1964 there was an abortive attempt to return to Decca with a low-selling recoring of Jim Lowe's "The Green Door" backed by "Yeah, She's Evil!" a song that would later be recorded by Elvis Presley for the soundtrack of his movie, Girl Happy. Ja Rule returned in November of 2003 with the new single "Clap Back", on the album Blood In My Eye. Guest Star Records released an album of Haley recordings under the name Scott Gregory, possibly due to the fact Haley was having major problems with the Internal Revenue Service at the time. The female vocalist who sang the chorus of "Murder Reigns" was not credited as a "featured" artist, though she appeared in its music video. Sees Combo in order to trick American radio stations into playing music by the so-called "has been" group. The song also had received criticism for its sampling of Toto's "Africa", something that had just recently been done on another rapper's most recent album. APT Records even went so far as to release a single under the name B.H. MTV and other music video channels only played the video with the censored title of "The Reign", and with the word "murder" removed from the chorus' lyrics. Between 1961 and 1969, Haley and His Comets recorded unsuccessful singles for a number of small labels in America such as Newtown Records, Guest Star Records, APT Records, as well as for United Artists Records. The album's final single, "Murder Reigns" also failed to become a huge hit, especially at pop radio, most likely due to the controversial song title. That year, Haley left Decca Records for the new Warner Brothers label, where his band recorded a series of critically acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful songs, many in the country and western style. In late 2002 and early 2003, as Ja Rule ruled mainstream radio with "Mesmerize", another single of his, which featured Ashanti and Nas, "The Pledge", was released to radio, but failed to gain pop support. In 1960, the band enjoyed its last new hit in the United States with an instrumental version of "Skokiaan". "Mesmerze" featured Ashanti on vocals and was another smash pop and urban radio hit--and an enormous MTV and VH1 video hit--for the duo. After "Skinny Minnie" hit the charts in 1958, Haley found it difficult to score further successes Stateside. The second single from The Last Temptation, "Mesmerize", followed the pattern used in "Always On Time", hoping to repeat its success; it worked. The band's popularity began to wane as sexier, wilder acts such as Elvis and Little Richard began to dominate the record charts. Thus far, Rule seems to have changed his mind. In 1957, the band became the first major American rock and roll act to tour England, and their arrival at Waterloo Station in London was greeted by thousands of screaming fans who created a scene that became known as The Second Battle of Waterloo. Around the time of The Last Temptation's release, Ja Rule started saying that it would likely be either his last or second-to-last album, after which he would concentrate solely on other aspects of his life, such as his acting career and the managing of Murder Inc. In 1956, Bill Haley and His Comets appeared in two of the earliest rock and roll movies: Rock Around the Clock, and Don't Knock the Rock. Brown's attempted return to mainstream music with the single did not succeed. When Elvis Presley recorded the song in 1956, he combined Haley's arrangement with Turner's original lyrics but failed to score a subtantial hit. Despite "Thug Lovin'"'s being the first single from Ja's fourth album, The Last Temptation and Brown's "comeback" appearance on the song, it was relatively unsuccessful compared to many of Ja's previous singles. Many more people heard Joe Turner's version because Haley covered it. Ja then featured Brown, Murder Inc.'s newest artist, in his next single "Thug Lovin'" in the fall of 2002, as he had done previously with Baltimore, Lil' Mo, and Ashanti when they were the newcomers. The difference between the two illustrates the difference between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. did shortly sign Bobby Brown. Furthermore, Haley's cover of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" was a completely new performance built out of incompletely bowdlerized bits and pieces of the original by Big Joe Turner. Following all this, Murder Inc. Other hits enjoyed by the band included R&B covers of "See You Later Alligator" in which Haley's frantic delivery contrasted with the Louisiana langour of the original by Bobby Charles. There was even talk that Michael Jackson had enlisted the help of Irv Gotti and Ja Rule and was in the process of signing a contract with Murder Inc. Haley hired several new musicians to take their place: Rudy Pompilli on sax, Al Rex (a Saddlemen musician prior to 1951) on double bass and Ralph Jones on drums, as well as Frank Beecher aka Franny Beecher on electric guitar. This version of the band became even more popular, and appeared in several motion pictures over the next few years. at the time. In 1955, Lytle, Richards and Ambrose quit the Comets in a salary dispute and formed their own group, the Jodimars. Some dismissed the claims as rumors, since it seemed that everybody in the industry wanted to be affiliated with Ja and Murder Inc. Their music and their act were part of a tradition in jazz and rhythm and blues, but it all came like a thunderclap to most of their audience. and was preparing to released a long-awaited comeback album. Ambrose's acrobatic saxophone playing, along with Lytle on the double bass--literally on it, riding it like a pony, and holding it over his head--were highlights of the band's live performances. Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston had cameos in the video and speculation soon arose that one or both of them had been signed to Murder Inc. Haley's biggest hit, and one of the most important records in rock and roll history, "Rock Around the Clock", started slow but eventually sold an estimated 25 million copies and marked the arrival of a cultural shift. The "Down 4 U" video was a hit at MTV in the summer of 2002 because of its beach setting and its party theme. Along with the other original Comets, plus session musicians Danny Cedrone on electric guitar and Billy Gussak on drums (standing in for Boccelli), this was the group that recorded "Rock Around the Clock" for Decca Records on April 12, 1954. The remix of "Down Ass Chick", called "Down 4 U", fared slightly better at mainstream radio, thanks once again to a chorus sung by Ashanti, in addition to raps from Baltimore, Rule, and Vita. Later, he added Joey Ambrose on tenor sax and Dick Boccelli (aka Dick Richards) on drums. The song heralded the return of Charli Baltimore--who was a "featured" rapper on the track--to the music industry after a five year absence. In 1953, Haley scored his first national success with an original song (co-written by an uncredited Marshall Lytle) called "Crazy Man Crazy", a phrase Haley said he heard from his teenaged audience. In spring of 2002, the third single from Pain Is Love, "Down Ass Chick", was far less successful at pop radio than its two predecessors had been. Grande usually played piano on record, but switched to accordion for live shows as it was more portable than a piano and easier to deal with during musical numbers that involved a lot of dancing around. "Rainy Dayz" became yet another successful song in which a female vocalist's singing complimented Rule's own unique style of rapping. The original members of the Comets when the band officially received its new name in the fall of 1952 were Johnny Grande (piano/accordion), Billy Williamson (steel guitar) and Marshall Lytle (string bass). Blige invited Ja Rule to record a song with her, called "Rainy Dayz", which was added to a 2002 rerelease of her most recent album, 2001's No More Drama. A friend of Haley's, making note of the common alternate pronunciation of the name Halley's Comet to rhyme with "Bailey", suggested that Haley call his band The Comets. Looking to capitalize on the same type of strategy, Mary J. It soon became apparent that a new name was needed to fit the music the band was now playing. The only exception to this was American VH1 which played the original pop versions of the music videos rather than the hip-hop versions. Both songs were released under the increasingly incongruous Saddlemen name. Both remixes featured vocals and rap verses from Ja Rule and both far outperformed the song's original versions, in mainstream radio, urban radio, and music video channels, in America and Europe alike. Haley began his rock and roll career with a cover of "Rocket 88" in 1951 which sold well and was followed up a cover of a 1940s rhythm and blues song called "Rock the Joint" in 1952. In early 2002, the formula was repeated with Lopez' next single, "Ain't It Funny". Many Saddlemen recordings would not be released until the 1970s and 1980s, and highlights included romantic ballads such as "Rose of My Heart" and western swing tunes such as "Yodel Your Blues Away.". The "Murder Remix" of "I'm Real" contained vocals by both Lopez and Rule and went on to become one of 2001's biggest hits. The band was formed as Bill Haley and the Saddlemen c.1949-1950, and performed mostly country and western songs, though occasionally with a bluesy feel. Lopez had enlisted the help of Ja Rule and Irv Gotti in the production of an urban remix for her unsuccessful, pop-sounding song "I'm Real". With his spit curl and the band all in plaid dinner jackets jumping about, many fans consider them to be as revolutionary in their time as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones were in theirs. Ja's popularity in the hip-hop industry was cemented even further in the summer of 2001, thanks to a hugely popular duet with Jennifer Lopez. Although several members of the Comets became famous, Bill Haley was the star. Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, Britney Spears, Destiny's Child, Jennifer Lopez, and Gaye's own daughter, Nona, among others, sang the original lyrics to Gaye's song. Haley was a country performer who converted to rock and roll almost before there was such a thing. He, along with Nelly, Eve, and Fred Durst, added their own original rap lyrics about the disease to the song. Bill Haley and his Comets was a rock and roll band of the 50s led by guitarist Bill Haley, one of the earliest groups of white musicians to record rock and roll bring it to the attention of white America and the rest of the world. Ja Rule had a memorable part in the song. "God Bless Rock and Roll" (1979) - Haley's final single release. The song went on to become associated with the terrorist attacks and the subsequent war in Afghanistan more so than with AIDS. However, in December, the song was rereleased as planned, with several new versions/remixes of both the song and the video, in order to benefit AIDS charities as originally planned. "Hail Hail Rock and Roll" (1979). After 9/11, however, the song was rush-released to radio and to MTV; its video having been hastily thrown together "home-movie" clips from the very recent studio recording of the song. "I Got a Woman" (1976) - Ray Charles cover previously recorded by Haley in 1959. It was to be released in December. "Same Old Loverman" (1975) - Rudy Pompilli solo instrumental recording of the Gordon Lightfoot song. Just days before the tragedy of September 11th, around the same time that "Livin' It Up" was breaking big, the American supergroup lineup known as the "All Star Tribute" was recording a cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", in order to raise international AIDS awareness as well as money to combat the disease. "Rudy's Rock" (1975) re-recording; Rudy Pompilli solo recording with the Comets sans Haley. The song and video were also notable because they provided MTV viewers and listeners of mainstream radio the first introduction to singer Ashanti, who was the featured singer on the single's chorus. "Games People Play" (1970) - cover of the Joe South protest song. The followup single and video, "Always On Time", was released in December of that same year and was even bigger than "Livin' It Up", becoming Ja Rule's biggest pop radio hit to that point. "No Letter Today" (1970) - re-recording of a song Haley first recorded in 1960. The song, which featured guest vocals by R&B singer Case, went on to become another smash hit for the rapper thanks in part to its familiar sample of Stevie Wonder's "Do I Do". "A Little Piece at a Time" (1970). In the fall of 2001, after "I Cry" had run its course, Ja Rule released "Livin' It Up", the first single from his third album, Pain Is Love. "Dance Around the Clock" (1970) - re-recording of a song Haley introduced in 1964 as a sequel to "Rock Around the Clock". The album's third single, "I Cry", also featured singing from Lil' Mo, but the song failed to blow up as the two prior singles had, even despite getting respectable video play on MTV2. Unreleased until 1999. In late 2000, Rule released his second album, Rule 3:36, which spawned the huge hits "Between Me And You", featuring young newcomer Christina Milian on vocals, and "Put It On Me", featuring his label-mates Vita and Lil' Mo. "Almost Persuaded" (1969) - country cover featuring a vocal by drummer Bill Nolte. He later started his own record label, with friend Irv Gotti, called Murder Inc. Hall hit. The same year, he released the "How Many Wanna" single off of a movie soundtrack. "That's How I Got to Memphis" (1968) - cover of the Tom T. It spawned the singles "Holla Holla" and "Daddy's Little Baby", which only achieved minor success compared to his later singles. "Flip, Flop and Fly" (1968) - Big Joe Turner cover (Haley recorded this song many times over the years, but the 1968 version for Sonet is considered his best attempt). After his auspicious start on "Can I Get A...", Ja wasted little time preparing and releasing his debut album, Venni, Vetti, Vicci, in 1999. "Cryin' Time" (1968) - country cover originally by Buck Owens. Jeffery Atkins (born February 29, 1976, Hollis, Queens, New York City), better known as Ja Rule, is a rapper who made his name on several tracks of recordings by his mentor Jay-Z, the most notable of which was the smash 1998/1999 hit "Can I Get A...". Unreleased until 1999. Ja Rule News (http://www.bandnews.org/Ja%20Rule/). "Jealous Heart" (1967) - solo recording made by Haley without the Comets. Fansite (http://www.murderinc-online.com/). "How Many?" (1966) - remake of a song originally recorded for Decca in 1957. Biggest unoffical Murder Inc. "Land of A Thousand Dances" (1966). Ja Rule Official Site (http://www.defjam.com/jarule/). "The Green Door" (1964) - recorded for Decca. Fat Joe & Jadakiss) #44 US. "She Thinks I Still Care" (1964), country cover. 2004 "New York" (feat. "Jimmy Martinez" (1964) - recorded in Spanish without the Comets. Kelly and Ashanti) #5 US, #1 UK. "One Phone Call" (1963) - instrumental featuring Rudy Pompilli, unreleased until 1999. R. "Tenor Man" (1963). 2004 "Wonderful" (feat. "Marie Twist" (1962). 2003 "Clap Back" #44 US, #9 UK (double A-side with Reigns in the UK). "The Spanish Twist" (1962). Ashanti) #2 US, #12 UK. "Yakety Sax" (1962) - cover of the Boots Randolph classic. 2002 "Mesmerize" (feat. "Florida Twist" (1961) - top-selling single in Mexican history up to this time. Bobby Brown) #42 US, #15 UK. "Chick Safari" (1960). 2002 "Thug Lovin'" (feat. "Hawk" (1960). Case - re-release) #5 UK. "I Don't Hurt Anymore" (1960). 2002 "Livin' It Up" (feat. "Stagger Lee" (1960) - folk blues based upon the story of Frankie and Johnny. 2002 "Down 4 U" (Irv Gotti presents The INC featuring Ja Rule, Ashanti, Charli Baltimore and Vita) #6 US, #4 UK. "Tamiami" (1960) - instrumental featuring Rudy Pompilli and Johnny Grande. Charli "Chuck" Baltimore) #21 US. "Skokiaan" (1959), cover of one of the first Afro-pop hits. 2002 "Down Ass Chick" (feat. "A Fool Such As I" (1959) - previously recorded by Elvis Presley. Ja Rule) #12 US, #17 UK. "Joey's Song" (1958) - instrumental featuring Rudy Pompilli. Blige feat. "Corrine Corrina" (1958) - folk song also recorded by Big Joe Turner. 2002 "Rainy Dayz" (Mary J. "Skinny Minnie" (1958) - Haley's last top-40 hit in the United States. Ja Rule and Caddillac Tah) #1 US, #4 UK. "Ain't Misbehavin'" (1957) - Fats Waller composition. 2001 "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)" (Jennifer Lopez feat. "Rock the Joint" (1957) - re-recording of the 1952 hit. Ashanti) #1 US, #6 UK. "Rock Lomond" (1957). 2001 "Always On Time" (feat. "Rip it Up" (1956) - cover of the Little Richard hit. Ja Rule) #27 US, #6 UK. "Rockin' Thru the Rye" (1956). 2001 "What's Going On" (All Star Tribute feat. "Don't Knock the Rock" (1956)- title song of the film. Case) #6 US, #27 UK. "Hot Dog Buddy Buddy" (1956). 2001 "Livin' It Up" (feat. "Goofin' Around" (1956) - instrumental featuring Franny Beecher. Ja Rule) #1 US, #4 UK. "Rudy's Rock" (1956) - instrumental featuring Rudy Pompilli. 2001 "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" (Jennifer Lopez feat. "See You Later Alligator" (1955). Lil' Mo) #40 US. "The Saints' Rock and Roll" (1955). 2001 "I Cry" (feat. "Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie" (1955). Lil' Mo and Vita) #8 US. "Razzle-Dazzle" (1955). 2001 "Put It On Me" (feat. "Mambo Rock" (1955). Christina Milian) #30 US, #26 UK. "Dim, Dim the Lights" (1954). 2001 "Between Me And You" (feat. "Shake, Rattle and Roll" (1954). Amil and Ja Rule) #27 US, #24 UK. "Rock Around the Clock" (1954). 1998 "Can I Get A..." (Jay-Z feat. "Real Rock Drive" (1953). "Crazy Man Crazy" (1953). "Rock the Joint" (1952) - originally released under the name Bill Haley and the Saddlemen. "Rocket 88" (1951) - originally released under the name Bill Haley and the Saddlemen. |