Editing Bill Haley & His Comets (section)

==The Comets==
More than 100 musicians performed with Bill Haley & His Comets between 1952 and Haley's death in 1981, many becoming fan favorites along the way.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Extra2.html |title=Bill Haley Extra Page 2 |publisher=Rockabillyhall.com |access-date=November 4, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011233205/http://rockabillyhall.com/Extra2.html |archive-date=October 11, 2011 }}</ref> Several short-lived Comets reunions were attempted in the 1970s and 1980s, including one contingent (organized by [[Baltimore]]-based piano player [[Joey Welz]], who played piano for the Comets from 1962 to 1965<ref name="The Bill Haley Who's Who">{{cite web |url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Extra2.html |title=The Bill Haley Who's Who |publisher=Rockabilly Hall of Fame |access-date=March 26, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204054809/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Extra2.html |archive-date=February 4, 2012 }}</ref>) that appeared on ''[[The Tomorrow Show]]'', and another run by an [[Elvis Presley]] impersonator, Joey Rand (this group later lost a legal action over the right to use the Comets name). Only one group was sent out to perform by Haley himself and his management and production company, consisting of musicians who had played with Haley throughout the 1960s and 1970s—lead guitarist "Nick Masters" (Mathias Nicholas Nastos), bassist Ray Cawley, singer Ray "Pudge" Parsons, and drummer Buddy Dee—and who had continued to perform as the Comets between gigs and during Haley's retirement. This group rerecorded "Rock Around the Clock" for the television series ''Happy Days''.<ref name="The Bill Haley Who's Who"/>

'''The Comets''', featuring musicians who performed with Haley in 1954–1955, reunited in 1987 and are still touring the world as of 2007, playing showrooms in the United States and Europe. They have also recorded a half-dozen albums for small labels in Europe and the United States. This version of the group has also been credited as '''Bill Haley's Original Comets''' and, in circumstances in which the use of the Comets name is in dispute, '''A Tribute to Bill Haley''' and '''The Original Band'''. The basic lineup of this group from 1987 to May 2006 was Marshall Lytle (bass), Joey Ambrose (sax), Johnny Grande (piano), Dick Richards (drums) and Franny Beecher (guitar). British singer Jacko Buddin augmented the group on vocals during most of their European tours, with Lytle taking over on vocals for US and Canadian tours beginning in 2000 and full-time in Europe in the mid-2000s. Since they connected with Klaus Kettner's Rock It Concerts (Germany) in 1991, they have played hundreds of shows all over Europe and have appeared on dozens of television shows. In March 2007 they opened the Bill-Haley-Museum in Munich, Germany.

Two additional groups claim the name '''Bill Haley's Comets''' and have extensively toured in the United States since forming in the 1980s: one originally led by Haley's 1965–68 drummer John "Bam-Bam" Lane, the other run by Al Rappa, who played bass for Haley off and on between late 1959 and early 1969. (The 1959 album "Strictly Instrumental" on Decca was Rappa's first recording session with Bill Haley & His Comets. Haley had used Rappa as a fill-in player on live gigs for several years prior to that.) Both these musicians claim [[trademark]] ownership of the name "Bill Haley's Comets"; this dates back to Lane and Rappa (during a period when they worked together as one band) winning a trademark infringement lawsuit against the aforementioned Joey Rand group in 1989. Both Rappa's and Lane's bands have, from time to time, recruited other former Comets for their lineups (for example, in 2005, Rappa joined forces with Joey Welz), but for the most part the bandleaders are the only regular members who have worked with Bill Haley directly. Lane died in 2007, but his group continues to perform, led by bandleader Lenny Longo, who has no direct connection with Bill Haley. Rappa incorporated numerous professional musicians from the southern Indiana area (Guitarist Warren Batts, Joe Esarey, Dave Matthews, Joe Denton, saxophonist John Urbina, bassist Jody Hamilton Miley (previous bassist with the George Jones Show), and others) to make a full band. Rappa performed his Upright Bass show before thousands in audiences all over the country. Members of Rappa's "Comets" went on to form the LocoMotion Showband and continued touring the United States without Rappa adding Galen Deig (Drums) and Jimmy Baze (Bass) before eventually disbanding. Esarey went on to graduate from Cedarville University and Luther Rice Theological Seminary. He has since pastored churches and produced his own saxophone instrumental albums. Several of the members are now active in a very popular Southern Indiana 50's / 60's band called The Duke Boys.

In March and July 2005, the members of the 1954–55 group, now billed as simply the Comets after decades of controversy over the use of the name, made several high-profile concert appearances in New York City and Los Angeles organized by [[Martin Lewis (humorist)|Martin Lewis]] as part of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of rock and roll, the release of ''Blackboard Jungle'', the 50th anniversary of "Rock Around the Clock" hitting Number 1, and the 80th birthday of Bill Haley.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-film-that-helped-launch-rock/ |title=The Film That Helped Launch Rock |work=CBS News |date=March 18, 2005 |access-date=November 4, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604091217/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/18/sunday/main681742.shtml |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Entertainment/5-06-29RocknRoll.htm |title=Rock 'N' Roll Turns 50 in July |publisher=Seniorjournal.com |date=June 29, 2005 |access-date=November 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111014044137/http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Entertainment/5-06-29RocknRoll.htm |archive-date=October 14, 2011 }}</ref> During a concert at the [[Viper Room]] in [[West Hollywood]] on July 6, 2005, the Comets were joined on stage for one song by [[Gina Haley]], the youngest daughter of Bill Haley; at a similar appearance in March they were joined by Haley's eldest son, John W. Haley. The 1954–55 Comets were also joined on stage by Bill Haley Jr. during several appearances in 2005 at Bubba Mac's in Somers Point, New Jersey, and at a 2005 concert recognizing the tenure of Bill Haley and the Saddlemen at the Twin Bars in Gloucester City, New Jersey.

In 2006, the 1954–55 Comets spent much of the year in residence at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in [[Branson, Missouri]]. Meanwhile, the John Lane edition of Bill Haley's Comets recorded an album in Tennessee in early 2006, which has yet to be released.

On June 2, 2006, Johnny Grande, keyboardist with the 1954–55 Comets and a founding member of the band, died after a short illness. The following month, 85-year-old guitarist [[Franny Beecher]] announced his retirement, though he was at one point announced as participating in an early 2007 tour of Germany. The three remaining original Comets (Lytle, Richards, and Ambrose) continued to perform in Branson with new musicians taking over the keyboard and lead guitar positions. During September 2006, [[PBS]] in the United States aired a series of programs videotaped in Branson during the spring of 2006; these shows include the last recorded performances of the complete Original Comets lineup, including Grande. Lytle died in 2013, Beecher in 2014. The last remaining members of the 1954–55 Comets, Dick Richards and Joey Ambrose, continued to perform as the Comets as of mid-2018, sometimes augmented by 1970s-era Comet Bill Turner on lead guitar.

John "Bam-Bam" Lane died on February 18, 2007<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Extra.html |title="EXTRA!" Page 1 / Bill Haley and the Comets |publisher=Rockabillyhall.com |access-date=November 4, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016214241/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Extra.html |archive-date=October 16, 2011 }}</ref> but his edition of Bill Haley's Comets is expected to continue touring, with the 2006 recordings to be released in Lane's memory.

On October 27, 2007, ex-Comets guitar player Bill Turner opened the aforementioned Bill-Haley-Museum in Munich, Germany. He will also join the New Comets during their Remember Bill Haley Tour 2011 with Haley's daughter Gina Haley.<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web |url=http://www.bill-haley.com |title=Bill Haley is back with Bill Haley's New Comets |publisher=Bill-haley.com |access-date=November 4, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110910144414/http://www.bill-haley.com/ |archive-date=September 10, 2011 }}</ref>

Several bands patterning themselves after the Comets are also active in Europe, including [[Bill Haley's New Comets]] in Germany.<ref name=autogenerated1 />

In 2011, Haley's son Bill Jr. formed the band Bill Haley Jr. and the Comets, and created a Rock 'n' Roll History Show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesherald.com/article/JR/20111111/ENTERTAINMENT03/111119955|title=Bill Haley Jr. performs father's classic tunes|access-date=January 27, 2017|website=Timesherald.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202222416/http://www.timesherald.com/article/JR/20111111/ENTERTAINMENT03/111119955|archive-date=February 2, 2017}}</ref>

On July 12, 2019, drummer Dick Richards died at age 95 in [[Ocean City, New Jersey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/comets-drummer-ocean-city-resident-dick-boccelli-dies-at/article_ce75d22c-e183-530a-8814-a1fab7e7c472.html|title=Comets drummer, Ocean City resident Dick Boccelli dies at 95|author=Vincent Jackson|website=Pressofatlanticcity.com|date=July 13, 2019 }}</ref> He was born Richard Marley Boccelli on February 12, 1924, in [[Yeadon, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://godfreyfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/1593/Richard-Boccelli/obituary.html|title=Richard Marley "Dick" Boccelli 1924–2019|website=Godfreyfuneralhome.com|access-date=July 31, 2020|archive-date=July 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722014415/https://godfreyfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/1593/Richard-Boccelli/obituary.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/07/24/dick-richards-drummer-shot-fame-bill-haley-comets-dawn-rocknroll/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/07/24/dick-richards-drummer-shot-fame-bill-haley-comets-dawn-rocknroll/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Dick Richards, drummer who shot to fame with Bill Haley and his Comets at the dawn of rock'n'roll – obituary|date=July 24, 2019|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=July 31, 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On May 24, 2020, ex-Comet bassist, Albert "Al Rex" Piccirilli, died.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.timesherald.com/news/local/pioneering-bass-player-for-the-comets-passes-away/article_084635c6-a065-11ea-9bbe-cb3b69289b86.html|title=Pioneering bass player for the Comets passes away|author=Gary Puleo|newspaper=[[The Times Herald]]|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=June 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604054424/https://www.timesherald.com/news/local/pioneering-bass-player-for-the-comets-passes-away/article_084635c6-a065-11ea-9bbe-cb3b69289b86.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Al Rappa died on July 25, 2021, aged 94.<ref>[https://www.newcomerorlando.com/Obituary/202164/Albert-Rappa--Sr/Orlando-FL  "In Loving Memory of Albert Rappa Sr. 1927 - 2021"], ''Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions''. Retrieved August 3, 2021</ref>

Original saxophone player Joseph Frank D'Ambrosio (stage name Joey Ambrose; March 23, 1934 – August 9, 2021), played on the hit recording of "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954 but from September 1955 was replaced long-term by Rudy Pompilli until Rudy's death 20 years later.  Joey Ambrose remained a musician and was the last Comet to pass away, at 87, on August 9, 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boppinaround.nl/BIGNEWS-2021-2/bignews-2021-2.htm |title=Big News : 29 December 2021 : ROCK 'N' ROLL NIEUWS|website=Boppinaround.nl|access-date=May 12, 2023}}</ref>