Franny Beecher - RIP
Franny could really play. A standout guitarist Beecher's guitar can be heard on many of Bill Haley and the Comets recordings. When he toured Europe with the Original Comets as an octogenarian, Beecher met many European musicians and music buffs who went out of their way to tell them how much they appreciated his original licks and unique style of playing the guitar - his signature riffs.
[Bill Kelly collection. I will attempt to ID the photographer of the above photos]
Frazer-Harrison photo
Franny Beecher, guitarist for Bill Haley & His Comets
from 1955 to 1962, has died. He was 92.
The rock pioneer died in his sleep Monday at a nursing home
outside Philadelphia.
Haley and his band played a pivotal role in rock history,
starting with one of the era's stage-setting hits, 1955's Rock Around the
Clock. Formerly a jazz guitarist for Benny Goodman and Buddy
Greco, Beecher joined Haley's group in late 1954, after that iconic tune was
recorded with Philly session player Danny Cedrone. Beecher
played Clock thereafter, on records, in concerts and in TV and movie
appearances, including the band's August 1955 Ed Sullivan Show debut
and 1956 films Rock Around the Clock and Don't Knock the Rock.
Beecher also played lead guitar on See You Later,
Alligator, Don't Knock the Rock, Rock-a-Beatin' Boogie, Rudy's
Rock and Skinny Minnie.
Haley's popularity faded in the 1960s and he died in 1981.
The surviving Comets reunited in 1987, and Beecher played with the band until
he retired at 85 in 2006. He and The Comets performed in July 2005 on the 50th
anniversary of the day Rock Around the Clock became the first No.
1 Billboard hit of the rock era.
Producer Martin Lewis promoted a 50th anniversary concert at
the Viper Room in Los Angeles, where Beecher, just weeks before his 85th
birthday, performed to a full house. He still holds the title as the oldest
musician to take the Viper Room stage.
Also in July 2005, Lewis staged a private Comets concert
for NASA scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, Calif., to celebrate the firing of an explosive projectile into a
comet in deep space.
"Though Franny Beecher did not become a household name
— his natural humility meant that he was always quiet and modest — his
influence on the music world was immense and his legacy is enormous,"
Lewis says. "He was especially appreciated in Britain and Europe.
Among my friends in the rock community, Paul McCartney, Pete
Townshend and Graham Nash all saw Franny perform live in Britain
in February 1957 when Haley & The Comets made their U.K. debut. Those
musicians and many others I know such as Eric Clapton and Jeff
Beck were all impacted and influenced by Franny's innovative guitar
playing.
"When I organized for The Comets to visit both New York
and Los Angeles to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rock Around The
Clock in 2005, it was of course a pleasure to see all of the band perform
on stage. But the Comet who inspired the greatest awe and respect from the many
musicians I invited to attend those shows was Franny Beecher. Not only was he a
consummate guitarist whose playing inspired generations of rock guitarists, and
not only was he still musically fluent and agile at the age of 85, but he was
also clearly a gentleman in the fullest meaning of the word.
"And among musicians there is no higher accolade. It
was a true honor to spend quality time with him and introduce him at those
memorable shows. Rock In Peace Franny!"
MORE:
Royal Oak Daily Tribune
- 2 hours ago
www.philly.com/.../RIP-Franny-Beec...
Philadelphia Media Netw...by
Dan DeLuca
Franny Beecher, the guitarist for 1950s rock
popularizers Bill Haley & the Comets, died on Monday night
in a nursing home in Norristown.
www.mirror.co.uk/.../franny-beecher-dead-bill...
www.foxnews.com/.../franny-beecher-rock-bill-haley-...
ultimateclassicrock.com/franny-beecher-dies/
U‑T San Diego
www.utsandiego.com/.../bill-haley-guitarist-franny-beech...
Guitarist Francis "Franny" Beecher, who rose
to prominence playing with Bill Haley & The Comets and
jazz great Benny Goodman, died
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franny_Beecher
Francis "Franny" Beecher (September 29,
1921 – February 24, 2014), also known as Frank Beecher, was the lead guitarist
for Bill Haley & His Comets from 1954
www.dailytribune.com/.../guitarist-franny-beecher-of-bill-haleys-comets-...
(AP) — Franny Beecher, lead guitarist for Bill Haley and
the Comets, which helped kick off the rock and roll era with the hit “Rock
Around the ...
Franny Beecher, 92, Rock Guitarist for the Comets, Dies
- NYTimes ...
www.nytimes.com/.../franny-beecher-92-rock-guit...
The New York Times
Franny Beecher, who joined Bill Haley and
His Comets as lead guitarist after the group had helped kick off the
rock 'n' roll era with the hit “Rock ...
www.nytimes.com/.../franny-beecher-92-rock-guit... The New York Times
www.mirror.co.uk/.../franny-beecher-dead-bill...
The Daily Mirror by
Mark Jefferies
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