A Rockapaedia Obituary
Billy Williamson
Bands: The Saddlemen, Bill Haley's Comets
Billy Williamson died aged seventy-one from cancer on 22nd March 1996 in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States of America..
A steel guitar player and founding member of both the Saddlemen and the Comets, Billy Williamson was born on in
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. on 9th February, 1925.
He was with the band when they recorded "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954 and appeared with them when they performed the song on the Milton Berle Show and the Ed Sullivan Show in 1955.
Billy Williamson had the distinction of being the only Comet allowed to record lead vocal tracks during Bill Haley's tenure at Decca Records. He also shared a number of songwriting credits with Bill Haley. Billy's wife, Catherin, was also credited as co-writer of a number of songs recorded by Haley, including the 1958 hit, "Skinny Minnie."
Billy Williamson left the Comets in early 1963 and reportedly never played another note.
In 2012, Billy Williamson was inducted as a member of the Comets into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by a special committee, aimed to correct the previous mistake of not inducting the band with Bill Haley in 1987.
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