Who Is Bill Haley? Age, Biography, and Wiki
Bill Haley, born on July 6, 1925, was a defining figure in the evolution of rock and roll music. His impact on the industry began in the early 1950s with his band, Bill Haley & His Comets. With hits like "Rock Around the Clock," Haley played a crucial role in bringing rock and roll to a wider audience. He passed away on February 9, 1981, but his music continues to influence artists to this day. In 2025, Bill would have celebrated his 100th birthday, reminding fans of his significant contributions to music history.
| Occupation | Rock Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | July 6, 1925 |
| Age | 55 Years |
| Birth Place | Highland Park, Michigan, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Cancer |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 9 February, 1981 |
| Died Place | N/A |
Popularity
Bill Haley's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
During his peak, Bill Haley was known for his engaging stage presence. Although specific measurements from his lifetime are less documented, Haley was approximately 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall and had a slender build commonly associated with musicians of that era.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Bill Haley was married three times throughout his life. His first marriage to his high school sweetheart lasted from 1946 to 1952. He then married his second wife, Marilyn, in 1955, but they divorced in 1961. His third wife, Joan, whom he married in 1969, remained with him until his passing. Bill had three children: two daughters and a son, who have occasionally spoken of their father's enduring legacy.
In 1929, the four-year-old Haley underwent an inner-ear mastoid operation which accidentally severed an optic nerve, leaving him blind in his left eye for the rest of his life. It is said that he adopted his trademark kiss curl over his right eye to draw attention from his left, but it also became his "gimmick", and added to his popularity.
As a result of the effects of the Great Depression on the Detroit area, his father moved the family to Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, when Bill was seven years old.
Haley's father William Albert Haley (1900–1956) was from Kentucky and played the banjo and mandolin, and his mother, Maude Green (1895–1955), who was originally from Ulverston in Lancashire, England, was a technically accomplished keyboardist with classical training.
Haley told the story that when he made a simulated guitar out of cardboard, his parents bought him a real one.
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of his death in 1981, Bill Haley’s net worth was estimated to be around $2 million. Adjusted for inflation, this figure would be considerably higher in today’s economy. His income primarily came from record sales, performances, and royalties from music that continues to be played globally. In 2025, his estate likely generates ongoing revenues from the vast catalog of his works.
Career, Business and Investments
Bill Haley’s career launched in the 1940s, but it wasn't until his hit singles in the 1950s that he achieved commercial success. He is credited with bringing African American music styles into the mainstream. Beyond music, Haley had investments in various entertainment ventures, including television appearances and licensing his music for films and commercials. His influence extended onto the big screen, as “Rock Around the Clock” featured prominently in movies, helping to solidify his legacy in American pop culture.
When "Rock Around the Clock" appeared as the theme song of the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle starring Glenn Ford, it soared to the top of the American Billboard chart for eight weeks. The single is commonly used as a convenient line of demarcation between the "rock era" and the music industry that preceded it.
Billboard separated its statistical tabulations into 1890–1954 and 1955–present. After the record rose to number one, Haley became widely popular with those who had come to embrace the new style of music.
With the song's success, the age of rock music began overnight and ended the dominance of the jazz and pop standards performed by Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Eddie Fisher, and Patti Page. "Rock Around the Clock" was also the first record to sell over one million copies in both Britain and Germany.
Danny Cedrone, not a member of The Comets, played the guitar solo on the record, though did not live long enough to see the song's success as he died shortly after the recording following a fall down stairs at his home, aged 33.
Social Network
Bill Haley’s music and influence have been acknowledged and celebrated across various social media platforms, where fans continue to share memories, music, and tributes to his legacy. While he did not have social media during his lifetime, his family and estate currently keep his memory alive, often sharing historical content and engaging with fans on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The anonymous sleeve notes accompanying the 1956 Decca album Rock Around the Clock describe Haley's early life and career: "When Bill Haley was fifteen [c. 1940] he left home with his guitar and very little else and set out on the hard road to fame and fortune.
The next few years, continuing this story in a fairy-tale manner, were hard and poverty-stricken, but crammed full of useful experience. Apart from learning how to exist on one meal a day and other artistic exercises, he worked at an open-air park show, sang and yodelled with any band that would have him, and worked with a traveling medicine show.
Eventually he got a job with a popular group known as the 'Down Homers' while they were in Hartford, Connecticut.
Soon after this he decided, as all successful people must decide at some time or another, to be his own boss again – and he has been that ever since." These notes fail to account for his early band, known as the Four Aces of Western Swing.
During the 1940s Haley was considered one of the top cowboy yodelers in America as "Silver Yodeling Bill Haley". One source states that Haley started his career as "The Rambling Yodeler" in a country band, The Saddlemen.
Education
Bill Haley completed his high school education in Highwood, Illinois, where he developed a passion for music. He honed his musical skills playing in local bands and studying the prevailing genres of the time, which ultimately paved the way for his groundbreaking work in rock and roll.
