Rock is Fifty! The Return of Haley?s Comets March 22, 2005

Panel:
The Comets: Joey Ambrose, Saxophone and Vocals; Franny Beecher, Lead Guitar; Johnny Grande, Piano; Marshall Lytle, Bass and Vocals; Dick Richards, Drums

Hosted by: ?Little? Steven Van Zandt

In March 1955 the movie Blackboard Jungle unwittingly jump-started rock ?n? roll when it used Bill Haley and the Comets? ?(We?re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock? over the film?s opening credits. According to music historian Fred Bronson, the song ?created a dividing line between all that came before and all that followed.... It was the beginning of the rock era.? On the fiftieth anniversary of Blackboard Jungle, the Museum will screen a new compilation of pioneering early rock performances from The Ed Sullivan Show, 1955?60, featuring the first appearance of Bill Haley and the Comets. After the screening, the original Comets will discuss their role in the birth of rock.