Bill Haley And His Comets - Green Tree Boogie

Bill Haley And His Comets
Green Tree Boogie / Sundown Boogie
London HL 8142 (1955)

A recent call had me rushing off to view a box of records that a local seller had put aside for me.  On arrival I found a box of 10" shellac 78s which I would normally avoid due to the pure weight and also rarely finding anything that would interest me. However within the box were several discs in surprisingly great condition, this being one.

Released in the UK in 1955, the a side to this disc was originally released in the US on Essex Records back in 1951 where it was credited to Bill Haley And The Saddlemen.  At the time of its initial release it would have been considered as what was called western swing, a sub genre of country music.

Western swing had began in the US Great Plains' dance halls during the late 1920s slowly gaining more appeal with names such as Bob Willis, Light Crust Doughboys and Texas Playboys.  Bill Haley appeared on this scene in the mid 1940s eventually forming his own band by 1950.

Whilst a sub-genre to country music, there is no doubt to the influence western swing had on rockabilly and rock & roll music. In the UK, Bill Haley was the man who is credited with introducing the UK population to rock & roll via his western swing style of music.  Many UK performers acknowledge Bill as being one of their many influencers that encouraged them to pursue music even though by the time he first reached the UK in 1957 he was an old man of 32!

The flip side of this single, "Sundown Boogie," is also an older tune, first released in the US in 1952 again on the Essex label as the flip side to "Juke Box Cannon Ball." By 1955 Bill Haley and anything rock & roll were in peak demand and this was no doubt a chance for London Records to cash-in on the craze.

Whilst being credited as selling over 60 million records worldwide, Bill unfortunately did not achieve the accolades and the level of success of other rock & roll stars such as Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis although he did remain a popular touring act though the 1960s & 70s even performing at the Royal Variety Performance for Queen Elizabeth II in 1979.

Soon after that show personal issues and rumored ill health curtailed his career and Bill died on 9th February 1981 aged only 55. 

In February 2006, the International Astronomical Union announced the naming of asteroid 79896 Billhaley to mark the 25th anniversary of Haley's death.

FLAC