The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/info-10-2013/favorite-rock-stars.html?cmp=NLC-LISR-NMTEST2-102313-F1#slide1

Recently AARP Bulletin, the weekly publication of the American Association of Retired Persons, asked its readers to send in essays listing and discussing their favorite rock acts.  "More than 100 fans responded," says the Bulletin in the above link. Keep in mind that this publication goes out to forty-seven MILLION people. I don't know if the others listen to classical or what but anyway, our guys came in at #8.  The Fabs were #1, Elvis #2, Stones #3.

What's interesting is that Bill Haley & The Comets came in at #4. I mean, Old Spit-Curl did get the ball a-rollin', but I figured an act with more hits would have been likelier to make the list.

The list was rounded out with Little Richard, Chuck, Jerry Lee, Buddy, and the Everlys.  

Wait 10 years the BB will be on top of the list.  ;)

What? The band with only 1 smash is No.4, no less? I mean, it's a good song but really, don't those pensioners remember The Beach Boys from their youngdom?

I'm not really surprised Bill Haley & His Comets are ranked so high. It doesn't matter they only had one huge hit and a couple other hits (three singles that sold 1+ million is pretty good though). It's WHEN they had them that made the impact on that generation. Rock Around the Clock was a huge #1 hit two years before Elvis finally broke through with Heartbreak Hotel. Even Shake, Rattle and Roll went to #7 a year and a half before Elvis hit the top 40.

Rock Around the Clock stayed at #1 for 8 weeks on the US 100 and even got to #3 on the R&B chart. It was also the first single in UK to ever sell one million copies, not that they apply to the AARP, but it shows how big the song and in turn the group was at the time.

100 "fans" is a pretty dang small testing sample, though. It'd be interesting what it'd be if there were many more.

Totally forgot about Shake-Rattle, their another signature. Didn't know anything about all these chart positions & chronology of events. After the latter I now kind of get why they're chosen over The BBs. Thanks for clarifying, LetHimRun!

See you later alligator. After 'while crocodile!  :police:

That is the only reason I can see them over the BBs for those certain people. I wouldn't put them ahead of the BBs, but I didn't grow up when Bill Haley literally exploded on a scene that was desperate for it. This was also the time when Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Bo Diddley were having success, but Bill Haley was able to take it up a notch or two and the younger white audience ate it up.

If I remember correctly, Rock Around the Clock was used in a movie in 1955 and that helped catapult it also.

Blackboard Jungle was the movie.

Bill Haley was THE MAN - at least until Elvis came along - for those first generation rock 'n' roll fans, but he seems pretty tame in hindsight, compared to Chuck, Bo, Richard and Fats.

If they didn't specify "rock music," Perry Como, the Andrews Sisters, Lawrence Welk, Patti Page, Steve Lawrence, Vic Damone, and Guy Lombardo would have topped them all. They would have received a million letters instead of 100. I'm pretty sure AARP is mostly people over 75, even though 50 is the minimum age of eligibility.

I figured Paul Whiteman or even John Phillip Sousa would top the list.  :lol :lol :lol