"Real Rock Drive" was the title of an early

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

song written by, and first recorded by

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band formed in 1947 and continuing until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

under the name Bill Haley with Haley's Comets in 1952. The song was released as an

Essex Records Essex Records was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1951 by Dave Miller (producer), David Miller primarily to record contemporary country and western, rhythm and blues as well as jazz and Gospel music, gospel. Jack Howard was the promot ...

78 single.

History

The music and the lyrics were written by

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

. The song was recorded in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area (also known as the Delaware Valley) on the western bank of the Delaware River between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. ...

, and was released by Essex Records as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of a single in November, 1952. Personnel on the recording included Haley's core Comets members

Marshall Lytle Marshall Edward Lytle (September 1, 1933 – May 25, 2013) was an American rock and roll Double bass, bassist, best known for his work with the groups Bill Haley & His Comets and The Jodimars in the 1950s. He played upright slap bass on the icon ...

(bass), Billy Williamson (

steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...

), and

Johnny Grande John Andrew Grande (January 14, 1930 – June 3, 2006) was a member of Bill Haley's backing band, The Comets. Life and career Born in South Philadelphia, Grande played piano and accordion with Bill Haley and the Saddlemen, later known as Bill H ...

(piano), plus session musicians

Danny Cedrone Donato Joseph "Danny" Cedrone (June 20, 1920 – June 17, 1954) was an American guitarist and bandleader, best known for his work with Bill Haley & His Comets on their epochal "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954. Career Cedrone was born in Jamesv ...

(lead guitar) and

Billy Gussak William Gussak (1920–1994) was an American jazz and recording session drummer, best known for being the drummer on the classic 12 April 1954 recording of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets. Some sources incorrectly spell h ...

(drums). The recording was released on Essex Records as Essex 310 backed with "Stop Beatin' Round the Mulberry Bush". The recording was also released on Trans-Word Records as 718 backed with "Yes, Indeed". The single did not chart. The recording was also released on

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

as a 78 single in Germany as L20069 in 1957. The song was based on "Tennessee Jive" by Tani Allen and His Tennessee Pals with vocals by Buck Turner, released in 1950 on Bullet Records in Nashville, Tennessee. A plagiarism suit was brought by the publisher of the song, Volunteer Music. The song was written by Buck Turner. This resulted in no songwriter or publisher being credited on the Essex record label.Bear Family Records. Bill Haley. Accessed 11 August 2021.

Cover versions

The California-based band

The Blasters The Blasters are an American rock music, rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman (drummer), Bill Bateman. Their s ...

have recorded the song on the 1980 '' American Music'' album. Phil Haley and his Comments, The Starliters, The Rhythm Hogs, Little Caesar, and Rusti Steel and The Star Tones have also recorded or performed the song.

Sources

* Jim Dawson, ''Rock Around the Clock: The Record That Started the Rock Revolution!'' (Backbeat Books, 2005), pp. 50–55. * John W. Haley and John von Hoelle, ''Sound and Glory'' (Dyne-American, 1990). * John Swenson, ''Bill Haley: The Daddy of Rock and Roll'' (Stein & Day, 1985).

References

{{Bill Haley & His Comets 1952 singles Bill Haley songs Rockabilly songs Songs written by Bill Haley 1952 songs Essex Records singles