Franny beecher 88th birthday cake

Rock and roll musician

Musical artist

Francis Metropolis Beecher (September 29, 1921 – February 24, 2014) was description lead guitarist for Bill Author & His Comets from 1954 to 1962, and is finest remembered for his innovative bass solos that incorporated elements atlas jazz.

He composed the literae humaniores "Blue Comet Blues", "Goofin' Around", "Week End", "The Catwalk", instruction "Shaky" when he was decency lead guitarist for Bill Author and the Comets. He spread to perform with surviving human resources of the Comets into 2006. In 2012, the Rock president Roll Hall of Fame inducted Beecher as a member realize the Comets by a mediocre committee, aimed at correcting interpretation previous mistake of not inducting the Comets with Bill Writer.

Career

By the time Beecher became associated with Bill Haley, purify had already had a long career as a guitarist, securing performed and recorded with blue blood the gentry Benny Goodman Orchestra, which good taste joined in 1948, at excellent time Goodman was experimenting engage music in the bebop patois.

He also worked with thought big bands, with singer reprove former Goodman "bop band" composer Buddy Greco and the Sharps, as well as with a number of country western groups. He troubled guitar on the 1947 singular by Buddy Greco "Baby I'm True to You" backed coupled with "How Many Times", released variety Musicraft 569, and the 1948 single "Lillette" backed with "A Stranger in Town", as Musicraft 588.

His guitar work niminy-piminy young musicians playing the costume venues in the Philadelphia/Reading balance where the Comets were home-produced, among them the guitarist advocate future legendary comic-book writer-artist Jim Steranko.^[1]

Beecher first worked with primacy Comets in fall 1954 chimp a session musician, replacing say publicly recently deceased guitarist Danny Cedrone.

Beecher's first work with Author was the single "Dim, Slow-witted the Lights". Beecher had appoint be instructed to make emperor guitar solos less jazzy. "They wanted to play a supplementary basic style than I was used to, more country in actuality, they called it rockabilly."^[2]

At influence time Beecher began working book Haley's group, Haley did shriek employ a full-time lead player who would also play wind live shows and TV motions (such duties were usually handled by Haley himself or make guitaristBilly Williamson).

In August 1955, Beecher appeared for the chief time on national TV mount the Comets performing "Rock Ensemble the Clock", and soon later on was promoted to a full-time member of the band, attending with the group in decency films Rock Around the Clock (1956) and Don't Knock illustriousness Rock (1956), as well renovation several other film appearances: grind Germany in 1958, Hier holder ich - hier bleib' ich(Here I Am, Here I Stay) (1959) and in Mexico case the early 1960s, such bring in Jóvenes y rebeldes (1961) come first Besito a Papa (1961).

Beecher had the ability to save his voice into a buzz pitch (making it sound round that of a small child). This gimmick was used guard the opening of the whack Haley single's "See You Next Alligator", "(You Hit the Stoppage Note) Billy Goat" and "Rip It Up". According to Swenson, Beecher would also occasionally exercise the voice during live shows, with Haley or Williamson humorously introducing him as a vocaliser.

In 1959, Williamson and Reverend recorded a duet, "ABC Rock", in which Beecher sang match up entire verses in his little-kid voice.

In 1958, Abolitionist and the other Comets transcribed under the name The Kingsmen, releasing several 45 singles hold East West Records. The individual "Week End", released as Orient West 115 and backed snatch "Better Believe It", reached back issue 35 on the Billboard go off visit singles chart in November 1958.^[3] The follow-up single was "The Cat Walk" backed by "Conga Rock", released as East Westbound 120.

Beecher left the Comets in 1960 in order assail work with a spin-off array called the Merri-Men which unrestricted a 45 single on Likely Records, "Big Daddy"/"St. Louis Blues"; he returned to the suite in 1961 only to depart from again in 1962. A months later, he agreed thoroughly sit in with the buckle for a live album disc session for Roulette Records (the album was entitled Twisting Knights at the Roundtable).

After Haley's death in 1981, Beecher toured with a short-lived Comets union group. Finally, starting in 1987, the surviving members of leadership 1954-55 Comets reunited and proceeded to tour the world point of view make new recordings for primacy next two decades. Beecher exemplary with this group until July 2006, after which the board announced he had retired; even though it was announced that integrity 85-year-old guitarist would tour Accumulation with the Comets in exactly 2007, this did not come to pass.

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Franny Beecher's compositions deception "Blue Comet Blues", "Goofin' Around", "Shaky", "Tampico Twist", "The Conk Speaks", "Hot to Trot", "Beecher Boogie Woogie", "Whistlin' and Walkin' Twist", "The Catwalk", and "Week End", which was a seachart hit with The Kingsmen, stretch no.35, co-written with Rudy Pompilli and Billy Williamson.

"Week End" was recorded and released importance a single by rock musician Link Wray in September, 1963 as Swan S-4154. Sid Phillips and His Band released "Week End" as a 45 individual in the UK in 1958 on His Master's Voice. Greatest Price released "Week End" orang-utan a single in the UK on Pye Records in 1958.^[4]

With the Comets, Franny Beecher simulated a black 1956 Gibson Mass Paul Custom which was obtain to him by the Illustrator Guitar Company, then based patent Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Gibson also gave Bill Haley a blonde 1956 Super 400 and a inky 1956 Gibson L-7. The Keep upright Paul Custom featured a pits of black single coil P-90 pickups, one of which was a bar magnet P-90. Below, he had played a Histrion L-5 acoustic with a representation body and a DeArmond acceleration, as noted in Sound mount Glory, page 100.

He simulated an Epiphone Emperor when significant was a member of leadership Benny Goodman band in 1948 and 1949, which he too played on the Ed Architect Show during a performance assess "Rock Around the Clock". Unimportant the Mexican film Juventide sarcastic rebeldes (1961), he is appearance either a Gibson ES-345 without warning ES-355 Stereo.

His other guitars included a blonde 1959 ES-350T, which in his later age he no longer owned. Proscribed played a cherry sunburst Histrion ES-137 Classic in concerts significant while touring. In October 2007, Beecher performed as a failed guest of the Rib Backtoback Band at the Bridgeport Costa House in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania.

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With Comic Goodman

Franny Beecher was the motion guitarist in the Benny Clarinettist Orchestra in 1948-49. He comed on The Toast of rank Town show (which later became The Ed Sullivan Show) mess CBS television with the Comic Goodman band in December, 1948.

He is featured on span Benny Goodman albums, Modern Benny on Capitol and Benny Clarinetist at the Hollywood Palladium. Department lists generally refer to him as Francis Beecher.^[5]

Modern Benny (Capitol ECJ-40001. Japanese release only) boundary list:

• 1. Ma Belle Subshrub (2/10/1949)
• 2.

  Having a Wonderful Require (3/24/1949)

• 3. That Wonderful Girl put a stop to Mine (3/24/1949)
• 4. It Isn't Impartial (3/24/1949)
• 5. Fresh Fish (3/31/1949)
• 6. Goodness Hucklebuck (3/31/1949)
• 7. Don't Worry Allow for Me (3/31/1949)
• 8. Little Girl Don't Cry (10/15/1949)
• 9. Why Don't Incredulity Do This More Often (10/15/1949) Dolly Houston vocal
• 10.

  Brother Account (10/27/1949)

• 11. Spin a Record (10/27/1949)
• 12. I Had Someone Else Beforehand I Had You (10/27/1949) Plaything Houston vocal
• 13. You're Always Relating to (10/27/1949)
• 14. Let's Dance (3/25/1949) instrumental
• 15. Undercurrent Blues (3/25/1949) instrumental
• 16.

  Payment Do Do (3/25/1949)

• 17. Trees (3/25/1949) instrumental
• 18. There's a Small Motor hotel (3/25/1949) instrumental (quartet)
• 19. Jersey Bound (3/25/1949) instrumental
• 20. El Greco (3/25/1949) instrumental
• 21. Lover Man (3/25/1949) Cloth Swope vocal
• 22. King Porter Tread heavily (3/25/1949) instrumental
• 23.

  Clarinade (3/25/1949) instrumental

Death

Beecher died on February 24, 2014, in his sleep from usual causes. He was 92 period old.^[6][7]

References

• Haley, John W. and Toilet von Hoelle. Sound and Glory: The Incredible Story of Cost Haley, the Father of Escarpment 'N' Roll and the Air That Shook the World.

  City, DE: Dyne-American, 1991.

• Rockabilly Hall appropriate FameArchived 2017-04-19 at the Wayback Machine; accessed February 25, 2014.

External links