Marshall Lytle
Encyclopedia
Marshall Lytle who also goes by the name Tommy Page, is an American
rock and roll
musician, best known for his work with the groups Bill Haley & His Comets
and The Jodimars
in the 1950s.
player before joining Bill Haley
's country music
group, The Saddlemen, in 1951. But Lytle was hired to play double bass
for the group, replacing departing musician Al Rex, so Haley taught Lytle the basics of slap bass playing. Lytle, who was only a teenager at the time, grew a moustache in order to look a little older, and became a full-time member of The Saddlemen and, in September 1952, he was with the group when they changed their name to Bill Haley & His Comets. Soon after, Lytle co-wrote with Haley the band's first national hit, "Crazy Man, Crazy
" although he did not receive co-authorship credit for it (until 2002).
Lytle played on all of Haley's recordings between mid-1951 and the summer of 1955, including the epochal "Rock Around the Clock
" in 1954 ( Marshall and Ambrose are the last living members to play on the 1954 Rock Around The Clock masterpiece). He played a late 1940s model Epiphone
B5 upright double bass
, purchased in October, 1951, for about $275. He used gut strings for the G and D strings while the A and E strings were wound. Lytle's style of playing, which involved slapping the strings to make a percussive sound, is considered one of the signature sounds of early rock and roll and rockabilly
. The athletic Lytle also developed a stage routine, along with saxophone
player Joey Ambrose, that involved doing acrobatic stunts with the bass fiddle, including throwing it in the air and riding it like a horse.http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Marshall1.html This became a signature performance for The Comets that later musicians working for Haley were instructed to emulate.
In September 1955, Lytle, along with drummer
Dick Richards and Ambrose, quit The Comets in a salary dispute and formed their own musical group, The Jodimars
. Before leaving, Lytle and his colleagues offered to train their replacements in the art of rock and roll playing, Comets style. Lytle was succeeded by Al Rex—ironically, the same musician he had originally been hired to replace.
The Jodimars became one of the first rock and roll groups to take up residence in Las Vegas
showrooms, but only managed to score minor hits for Capitol Records
and, later, smaller labels. By 1958 they had broken up, though Lytle attempted to continue the group on his own. Lytle continued to work in music off-and-on into the 1960s, but also got involved in other interests, changing his name to Tommy Page and getting into real estate
and later opening an interior design business.
In October 1987, six years after the death of Bill Haley, Lytle was invited to take part in a reunion of the original 1954-55 Comets that was held in Philadelphia as part of a tribute concert in honor of Dick Clark
. Despite the musicians not having seen each other in decades, The Comets quickly found their groove again although Lytle sang the lyrics of "Rock Around the Clock" out-of-order. Their performance was the hit of the show, and over the next couple of years The Comets began touring again, primarily in Europe
. The band has recorded several albums for the German label Hydra Records, the UK-based Rockstar Records, and the US label Rollin' Rock Records. Lytle also recorded a solo album in 1993 entitled Air Mail Special back by members of The Stargazers
, a UK rockabilly group; the album was credited to "Marshall and the Shooting Stars".
Lytle continues to write music, and in the late 1990s he and his friend Warren Farren wrote a topical tune called "Viagra Rock" that The Comets recorded; the song proved to be popular on radio station
s in Florida
.
On July 5, 2005, The Comets played a high-profile concert for NASA
employees at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, California
to celebrate the success of the Deep Impact space mission. The next day, the band played to a standing-room-only audience at the Viper Room
in West Hollywood; the show ended with Lytle duetting with Bill Haley's youngest daughter, Gina Haley
on "Rock the Joint" and a reprise of "Rock Around the Clock".
As of December 2009, Lytle retired performing and touring with the Comets, stating 20 years was a long enough reunion for him, and he wished to try some new things including concentraction on a solo project. In 2006 the group took up a long-term residence at the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri
, performing more than 150 shows at the venue, with more in 2007. The group also toured Europe in early 2007. Following the death of Johnny Grande
and the retirement from touring of Franny Beecher
, both in 2006, Lytle was one of three remaining original band members still with the group. In 2009, Lytle released his memoir, entitled Still Rockin' Around The Clock. At that time, he underwent surgery to remove part of his leg. Despite that setback, Lytle is still performing, albeit with other musicians and without the other Comets.
" with Bill Haley although he was uncredited. He also co-wrote the follow-up Top 40 hit song "Fractured". He co-wrote The Jodimars songs "Rattle Shakin' Daddy", "Eat You Heart Out Annie", and "Let's All Rock Together" with Frank Pingatore.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
musician, best known for his work with the groups Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
and The Jodimars
The Jodimars
The Jodimars was an American rock and roll band that was formed in the summer of 1955 and remained active until 1958. The band was created by former members of Bill Haley & His Comets who had quit that group in a salary dispute...
in the 1950s.
Career
Lytle was a guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
player before joining Bill Haley
Bill Haley
Bill Haley was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock".-Early life and career:...
's country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group, The Saddlemen, in 1951. But Lytle was hired to play double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
for the group, replacing departing musician Al Rex, so Haley taught Lytle the basics of slap bass playing. Lytle, who was only a teenager at the time, grew a moustache in order to look a little older, and became a full-time member of The Saddlemen and, in September 1952, he was with the group when they changed their name to Bill Haley & His Comets. Soon after, Lytle co-wrote with Haley the band's first national hit, "Crazy Man, Crazy
Crazy Man, Crazy
"Crazy Man, Crazy" was the title of an early rock and roll song first recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in April 1953. It is notable as the first recognized rock and roll recording to appear on the national American musical charts, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Juke Box chart for the week...
" although he did not receive co-authorship credit for it (until 2002).
Lytle played on all of Haley's recordings between mid-1951 and the summer of 1955, including the epochal "Rock Around the Clock
Rock Around the Clock
"Rock Around the Clock" is a 12-bar-blues-based song written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was recorded by Bill Haley and His Comets in 1954...
" in 1954 ( Marshall and Ambrose are the last living members to play on the 1954 Rock Around The Clock masterpiece). He played a late 1940s model Epiphone
Epiphone
The Epiphone Company is a musical instrument manufacturer founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos. Epiphone was bought by Chicago Musical Instrument Company, which also owned Gibson Guitar Corporation, in 1957. Epiphone was Gibson's main rival in the archtop market...
B5 upright double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, purchased in October, 1951, for about $275. He used gut strings for the G and D strings while the A and E strings were wound. Lytle's style of playing, which involved slapping the strings to make a percussive sound, is considered one of the signature sounds of early rock and roll and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
. The athletic Lytle also developed a stage routine, along with saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player Joey Ambrose, that involved doing acrobatic stunts with the bass fiddle, including throwing it in the air and riding it like a horse.http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Marshall1.html This became a signature performance for The Comets that later musicians working for Haley were instructed to emulate.
In September 1955, Lytle, along with drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Dick Richards and Ambrose, quit The Comets in a salary dispute and formed their own musical group, The Jodimars
The Jodimars
The Jodimars was an American rock and roll band that was formed in the summer of 1955 and remained active until 1958. The band was created by former members of Bill Haley & His Comets who had quit that group in a salary dispute...
. Before leaving, Lytle and his colleagues offered to train their replacements in the art of rock and roll playing, Comets style. Lytle was succeeded by Al Rex—ironically, the same musician he had originally been hired to replace.
The Jodimars became one of the first rock and roll groups to take up residence in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
showrooms, but only managed to score minor hits for Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and, later, smaller labels. By 1958 they had broken up, though Lytle attempted to continue the group on his own. Lytle continued to work in music off-and-on into the 1960s, but also got involved in other interests, changing his name to Tommy Page and getting into real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and later opening an interior design business.
In October 1987, six years after the death of Bill Haley, Lytle was invited to take part in a reunion of the original 1954-55 Comets that was held in Philadelphia as part of a tribute concert in honor of Dick Clark
Dick Clark (entertainer)
Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark is an American businessman; game-show host; and radio and television personality. He served as chairman and chief executive officer of Dick Clark Productions, which he has sold part of in recent years...
. Despite the musicians not having seen each other in decades, The Comets quickly found their groove again although Lytle sang the lyrics of "Rock Around the Clock" out-of-order. Their performance was the hit of the show, and over the next couple of years The Comets began touring again, primarily in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The band has recorded several albums for the German label Hydra Records, the UK-based Rockstar Records, and the US label Rollin' Rock Records. Lytle also recorded a solo album in 1993 entitled Air Mail Special back by members of The Stargazers
The Stargazers (1980s group)
The Stargazers emerged in 1981, some time after the earlier band of the same name had folded. Work on the new band by founder members Ricky Lee Brawn and Peter Davenport began in August 1980 and following a series of auditions Anders Janes, John Wallace and Danny Brittain were added to the line-up...
, a UK rockabilly group; the album was credited to "Marshall and the Shooting Stars".
Lytle continues to write music, and in the late 1990s he and his friend Warren Farren wrote a topical tune called "Viagra Rock" that The Comets recorded; the song proved to be popular on radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
On July 5, 2005, The Comets played a high-profile concert for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
employees at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center located in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The facility is headquartered in the city of Pasadena on the border of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
to celebrate the success of the Deep Impact space mission. The next day, the band played to a standing-room-only audience at the Viper Room
Viper Room
The Viper Room is a nightclub located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It was opened in 1993 and was partly owned by actor Johnny Depp until 2004. The club became known for being a hangout of Hollywood elite, and was the site where actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose on...
in West Hollywood; the show ended with Lytle duetting with Bill Haley's youngest daughter, Gina Haley
Gina Haley
Linda Georgina Haley is an American singer-songwriter.Haley is the youngest child of rock and roll pioneer Bill Haley from his marriage to his last wife Martha; she grew up in Harlingen and she was only five years old when her father died in 1981...
on "Rock the Joint" and a reprise of "Rock Around the Clock".
As of December 2009, Lytle retired performing and touring with the Comets, stating 20 years was a long enough reunion for him, and he wished to try some new things including concentraction on a solo project. In 2006 the group took up a long-term residence at the Dick Clark American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, performing more than 150 shows at the venue, with more in 2007. The group also toured Europe in early 2007. Following the death of Johnny Grande
Johnny Grande
John A. Grande , better known as Johnny Grande, was a member of Bill Haley's backing band, The Comets.-Life and Career:...
and the retirement from touring of Franny Beecher
Franny Beecher
Francis "Franny" Beecher , also known as Frank Beecher, was lead guitarist for Bill Haley & His Comets from 1954 to 1962, and is best remembered for his innovative guitar solos combining elements of country music and jazz...
, both in 2006, Lytle was one of three remaining original band members still with the group. In 2009, Lytle released his memoir, entitled Still Rockin' Around The Clock. At that time, he underwent surgery to remove part of his leg. Despite that setback, Lytle is still performing, albeit with other musicians and without the other Comets.
Compositions
He co-wrote the 1953 rock and roll classic "Crazy Man, CrazyCrazy Man, Crazy
"Crazy Man, Crazy" was the title of an early rock and roll song first recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in April 1953. It is notable as the first recognized rock and roll recording to appear on the national American musical charts, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Juke Box chart for the week...
" with Bill Haley although he was uncredited. He also co-wrote the follow-up Top 40 hit song "Fractured". He co-wrote The Jodimars songs "Rattle Shakin' Daddy", "Eat You Heart Out Annie", and "Let's All Rock Together" with Frank Pingatore.
Sources
- Marshall Lytle, Still Rockin' Around The Clock: My Life in Rock n' Roll's First Super Group, Bill Haley and The Comets (CreateSpace, 2009)
- Jim Dawson, Rock Around the Clock: The Record That Started the Rock Revolution! (San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005)
- John W. Haley and John von Hoelle, Sound and Glory (Wilmington, DE: Dyne-American, 1990)
- John Swenson, Bill Haley (London: W.H. Allen, 1982)