Bill Haley & His Comets

Bill Haley (born 1925 in Highland Park, Michigan; died 1981 in Harlingen, Texas) and his band, the Comets, were crucial catalysts in the transition from rhythm and blues to mainstream rock and roll. Originally leading a Western swing band, Haley actively began incorporating the heavy backbeats and 12-bar blues structures of Black R&B artists like Louis Jordan into his country repertoire. Recording for Decca Records, Haley scored massive crossover hits with "Crazy Man, Crazy" and his famous 1954 cover of Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll."