Monthly Highlights Update: May 2024

It's May and as we start to move towards summer, it's time to update our monthly highlights!

Last month, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the day when a little known Swedish band took the world by storm after winning the Eurovision song contest on April 6th, 1974. That band was, of course, ABBA, and they would go on to become icons of popular music. We focused on three of their greatest albums, "Ring Ring" (1973), "Arrival" (1976) and "Voulez-Vous" (1979).

This month we are jumping back twenty years. In May 1954, a seemingly mediocre 28 year old singer and his group released their version of a largely unknown 12 bar blues song. That singer turned out to be Bill Haley, his group turned out to be the Comets, and, of course, the song turned out to be 'Rock Around the Clock.'

Although it has long been disputed by popular music historians as to the origins of the first rock 'n' roll song, 'Rock Around the Clock' certainly stands as a strong contender. Haley's version took the slower 12 Bar Blues of the original and sped it up, placing more emphasis on the electric guitar, America's new favourite instrument. Whilst it might seem odd that a teenage revolution was kicked off by a man considered old by 1950s pop standards, the impact of 'Rock Around the Clock' simply cannot be overlooked. It paved the way for rock music to become popular music and ultimately marks the starting point for arguably the most important cultural movement of the 20th Century, the results of which are still evident today.

So, for May 2024, we are going to honour Bill Haley, his Comets and 'Rock Around the Clock', by focusing on three of the greatest early rock 'n' roll albums. Although this genre and era is much more closely associated with EPs and singles, a look into these three albums, all of which from 1957, provides for a truly insightful glance into the peak of post-war posterity, rock 'n' roll, and Americana. Head on over to the home page to check them out!