Today’s Music: Franny Beecher

Most people have never heard of Franny Beecher, but he was lead guitarist for Bill Haley and His Comets, the first hit rock band that promoted itself as a rock band in 1955. Beecher has always been underrated and rarely mentioned among great rock players, but his combination of jazz, blues and country-swing in his solos helped establish the rock guitar sound, and I think he was the first rocker to use a Gibson Les Paul. He’s 89 now and retired from playing, but he had a unique approach in his day and he’s indisputably one of founding fathers of rock music. The first video is what Franny was playing with Benny Goodman when he started his career in 1948; the second is the well-known “Rock Around the Clock” with his unforgettable and original guitar solo.