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PreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text===North of the Mason-Dixon Line=== [[File:BillHaley.JPG|thumb|[[Bill Haley and His Comets]] during a TV appearance.]] {{Listen |filename=Bill Haley and His Comets - Rock Around the Clock.ogg |title=Bill Haley and His Comets - "Rock Around the Clock" (1954) |description=[[Bill Haley and His Comets]]' "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" (1954) is credited with popularizing rockabilly music. |post=right }} In 1951 a [[western swing]] bandleader named [[Bill Haley (musician)|Bill Haley]] recorded a version of "[[Rocket 88]]" with his group, the [[Saddlemen]]. It is considered one of the earliest recognized rockabilly recordings.<ref>''Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll (1953–1968)''. Clay Cole, David Hinckley. (Bill Haley & the Saddlemen) at the Twin Bar in Gloucester, New Jersey. page 58.</ref> It was followed by versions of "[[Rock the Joint]]" in 1952, and original works such as "Real Rock Drive" and "[[Crazy Man, Crazy]]", the latter of which reached number 12 on the American [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] chart in 1953.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hale6200.htm|title=RCS-Bill Haley's page|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324085101/http://www.rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/h/hale6200.htm|archive-date=March 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>Often excluded from lists of rockabilly groups, Comets guitarist [[Franny Beecher]] said, "They wanted to play a more basic style than I was used to, more country really, they called it rockabilly." in Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll. John Swenson. 1982. Stein and Day. page 60. {{ISBN|0-8128-2909-3}}</ref> On April 12, 1954, Haley, performing with his band as [[Bill Haley and His Comets]], recorded "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" for [[Decca Records]] of New York City. When first released in May 1954, "Rock Around the Clock" made the charts for one week at number 23, and sold 75,000 copies.<ref>{{cite web|date=September 26, 2007|title=Bill Haley Biography|url=http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Haley,_Bill/Biography/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220555/http://www.starpulse.com/Music/Haley,_Bill/Biography/|archive-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref> In 1955, it was featured in the film ''[[Blackboard Jungle]]'', resulting in a resurgence of sales.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Melik|first=James|date=May 2, 2004|title=Rock profits and boogie woogie blues|language=en-GB|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3622285.stm|access-date=June 27, 2021}}</ref> The song hit No. 1, held that position for eight weeks, and was the number two song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 1955.<ref name="billboard1955">{{cite web|title=Billboard year end charts 1955|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/yearend_chart_display.jsp?f=The+Billboard+Hot+100&g=Year-end+Singles&year=1955|access-date=January 8, 2018|website=Billboard.com}}</ref> The recording was, until the late 1990s, recognized by ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' as having the highest sales claim for a pop vinyl recording, with an "unaudited" claim of 25 million copies sold.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rock Around the Clock Tribute|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/RockClockTribute.html|access-date=January 8, 2018|website=Rockabillyhall.com|archive-date=April 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430162450/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/RockClockTribute.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Maine native and Connecticut resident [[Bill Flagg]] began using the term rockabilly for his combination of rock 'n' roll and hillbilly music as early as 1953.<ref name="rockabillyhall.com">{{cite web|title=Bill Flag at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BillFlagg1.html|access-date=January 1, 2009|archive-date=October 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006235311/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BillFlagg1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He cut several songs for Tetra Records in 1956 and 1957.<ref>{{cite web|title=RCS - Bill Flag page|url=http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/f/flag1000.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714195012/http://rcs-discography.com/rcs/artists/f/flag1000.htm|archive-date=July 14, 2012}}</ref> "Go Cat Go" went into the National Billboard charts in 1956, and his "Guitar Rock" is cited as classic rockabilly.<ref name="rockabillyhall.com" /> In 1953, 13-year-old [[Janis Martin]] was performing at the Old Dominion Barn Dance on [[WRVA (AM)|WRVA]] out of Richmond, Virginia.<ref>[http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/exhibits/radio/wrva.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103084500/http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whoweare/exhibits/radio/wrva.htm|date=January 3, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=WRVA Old Dominion Barn Dance|url=http://www.hillbilly-music.com/programs/story/index.php?prog=300|access-date=May 22, 2014|publisher=hillbilly-music.com}}</ref> Martin performed a mix of country songs for the show peppered with [[rhythm and blues]] hits in a style that has been described as "proto-rockabilly".<ref name=":3" /> She later stated, "the audience didn't know what to make of it. They didn't hardly allow electric instruments, and I was doing some songs by black artists."<ref name=":3">{{cite web|title=Janis Martin - Rockabilly Central|url=http://www.rockabilly.net/articles/janis.shtml|access-date=May 22, 2014|publisher=Rockabilly.net}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page