Bill Haley and his Comets
The Comets are a classic american band. Generally they are thought of as some of the first rock&rollers ever, but more specifically they played
Western Swing. The Comets are an archetype for what country went through during the 50's. The Comets started out as a Country outfit, or more specifically a
Western Swing group, but as time went on had to adapt to the changing music market, and leaned more towards
Rockabilly and
Rock&Roll so they could stay relevant and keep getting gigs. This method of changing slightly to suit the current fad not only yeilded some classic songs which are essential peices of
americana, but also worked quite well for them, giving them great commercial success. Bill Haley and his Comets made a number of movies and television appearances including, "
Don't Knock the Rock" and "
Rock Around the Clock", two classic films. The Comets' musicianship was also of great note. The bass players,
Al Rex and
Marshall Lytle where fantastically influencial , as was the phenominal guitar player,
Frank Beecher.