Al Rex

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Al Rex

Postby Derek Mowbray » Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:02 pm

Al Rex bass player with Bill Haley and his Comets died on 24th May 2020 aged 91 ,he played bass for Bill ,in 1949 as one of The Saddlemen in 1949 he left but rejoined Bill`s Comets in 1955 after three of The Comets left to form The Jodmiars .Al was famous for his slap style playing and his antics on stage lying on his bass and playing it guitar style. He was in two films, Rock Around the Clock and Don`t Knock the Rock.He left again in 1958 did some solo work but without much success .He was the last surviving member of the 1956 Comets.
https://youtu.be/I7ye2WTHb90
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Re: Al Rex

Postby Teflon » Fri Jun 26, 2020 8:15 pm

Sad news, and another link to the past gone :( .

As an aside, I posted a link to that video on a guitar forum which is primarily populated by folk considerably younger than me. I fully expected some unappreciative comments, but was pleasantly surprised. One poster summed it up saying he had always considered Bill Haley & co to be a bunch of comical old men, but: "Watching that, they're sharp-dressed young men and Beecher is as cool as ...expletive removed..." I now feel I have done a service to a small part of the younger generation :D .

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Re: Al Rex

Postby GoldenStreet » Mon Aug 31, 2020 9:45 pm

Al Rex's Hydrogen Bomb from 1959...



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Re: Al Rex

Postby Derek Mowbray » Tue Sep 01, 2020 7:33 pm

Although it was released in 1959 the sound is very like the early Bill Haley records he did on The Essex label such as Green Tree Boogie ,so this could have been recorded when he was with The Saddlemen, the steel guitar work sounds a lot like Billy Williamson .
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Re: Al Rex

Postby GoldenStreet » Tue Sep 01, 2020 11:51 pm

The Al Rex tracks, Hydrogen Bomb and I Gotta Go, were issued in the UK on two Roller Coaster compilation albums in 1978 and 1980 respectively and, by all accounts, were recorded during the 1950s for the Philadelphia label, Arcade...

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Rockaph ... ter/940283

https://www.discogs.com/Various-The-Ret ... er/1663754

Details of other Arcade releases...

http://www.45cat.com/label/arcade-philadelphia

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