Fact #150916
When:
Short story:
Rock Around The Clock is heard live for the first time when Bill Haley And His Comets perform it at The Hofbrau Hotel, Wildwood, New Jersey, USA.Full article:
Dick Richards (drummer, Bill Haley And The Comets) : Wildwood was an entertainment mecca during the 1950s. In the summertime, it was better than New York City. It was the top spot on the East Coast. At every corner, there was great entertainment. When they started taking down the old clubs, they ruined it. If they were smart, they’d put the place back like it used to be and bring the entertainment back.
South Jersey was our launching pad, our home base. That’s where we created our sound.
Dick Richards (drummer, Bill Haley And The Comets) : The first crack of the drums and the kids went crazy. They were up on the floor dancing around."
Marshall Lytle (bassist) : The crowd response was very good.
Joey Ambrose (saxophonist, Bill Haley And The Comets) : We didn’t even know that we were doing something new. We were just doing our thing and the audience loved it. I’d walk off the stage and go into the audience and play the saxophone and it got a great reaction because I was the same age as the kids. I was 18. I was one of them. They were tired of listening to (How Much is That) Doggie in the Window. The teenagers wanted something of their own. It wasn’t like the band set out to do anything. It just happened that way.
Daniel MacElrevey (fan) : I was a kid during the 1950s and I remember coming off the boardwalk and hearing Bill Haley and his Comets. The doors to the club were open and you could hear everything outside and there was a crowd out in the street listening to them. And the crowd outside drew a crowd. They caused quite a stir. It was obvious ‘Rock Around the Clock’ was going to be popular.
Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. (Mayor, Wildwood, New Jersey) : They literally brought ‘race music’ into the white neighbourhoods. Nobody really realizes how important that was when you talk about race relations in this country. They changed the whole entire concept of how people viewed music. If they hadn’t done that, where would we be today?
(Source : http://www.shorenewstoday.com/wildwood/news/wildwood-celebrates-bill-haley-and-his-comets-and-the-history/article_2b1b1092-196e-5f8c-b394-b757426245ba.html)
Paul Russo (local businessman) : Everyone would try their acts here, Tony Bennett, the Count Basie Orchestra ... Jerry Lewis used to perform at the Manor supper club. The Drifters, The Platters, The Coasters, they all played at the little clubs in Wildwood. It went right through to the 1980’s, when Madonna played in Wildwood. It’s a nice history. It’s changed since the 1950’s. It’s more of a bikini beach and beer town now.
Atlantic City … kind of killed Wildwood. Most of the artists would sign contracts that said you can’t perform 90 days or 90 miles from Atlantic City, which eliminated Wildwood.
(Source : http://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/index.ssf/2014/05/60_years_ago_a_revolutionary_rock_song_debuted_in_wildwood.html)
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South Jersey was our launching pad, our home base. That’s where we created our sound.
Dick Richards (drummer, Bill Haley And The Comets) : The first crack of the drums and the kids went crazy. They were up on the floor dancing around."
Marshall Lytle (bassist) : The crowd response was very good.
Joey Ambrose (saxophonist, Bill Haley And The Comets) : We didn’t even know that we were doing something new. We were just doing our thing and the audience loved it. I’d walk off the stage and go into the audience and play the saxophone and it got a great reaction because I was the same age as the kids. I was 18. I was one of them. They were tired of listening to (How Much is That) Doggie in the Window. The teenagers wanted something of their own. It wasn’t like the band set out to do anything. It just happened that way.
Daniel MacElrevey (fan) : I was a kid during the 1950s and I remember coming off the boardwalk and hearing Bill Haley and his Comets. The doors to the club were open and you could hear everything outside and there was a crowd out in the street listening to them. And the crowd outside drew a crowd. They caused quite a stir. It was obvious ‘Rock Around the Clock’ was going to be popular.
Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr. (Mayor, Wildwood, New Jersey) : They literally brought ‘race music’ into the white neighbourhoods. Nobody really realizes how important that was when you talk about race relations in this country. They changed the whole entire concept of how people viewed music. If they hadn’t done that, where would we be today?
(Source : http://www.shorenewstoday.com/wildwood/news/wildwood-celebrates-bill-haley-and-his-comets-and-the-history/article_2b1b1092-196e-5f8c-b394-b757426245ba.html)
Paul Russo (local businessman) : Everyone would try their acts here, Tony Bennett, the Count Basie Orchestra ... Jerry Lewis used to perform at the Manor supper club. The Drifters, The Platters, The Coasters, they all played at the little clubs in Wildwood. It went right through to the 1980’s, when Madonna played in Wildwood. It’s a nice history. It’s changed since the 1950’s. It’s more of a bikini beach and beer town now.
Atlantic City … kind of killed Wildwood. Most of the artists would sign contracts that said you can’t perform 90 days or 90 miles from Atlantic City, which eliminated Wildwood.
(Source : http://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/index.ssf/2014/05/60_years_ago_a_revolutionary_rock_song_debuted_in_wildwood.html)