Franny Beecher
Encyclopedia
Francis "Franny" Beecher (b. September 29, 1921, Norristown, Pennsylvania
), 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
. He composed the classics "Blue Comet Blues", "Goofin' Around", "Week End", and "Shaky" when he was the lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets. He continued to perform with surviving members of the Comets into 2006.
Orchestra, which he joined in 1948, at a time Goodman was experimenting with music in the bebop
idiom. He also worked with other big bands, with singer and former Goodman "bop band" pianist Buddy Greco and the Sharps, as well as with several country western
groups. He played guitar on the 1947 single by Buddy Greco "Baby I'm True to You" backed with "How Many Times", released as Musicraft 569, and the 1948 single "Lillette" backed with "A Stranger in Town", as Musicraft 588. His guitar work influenced young musicians playing the same venues in the Philadelphia/Reading, Pennsylvania
area where the Comets were based, among them the guitarist and future legendary comic-book writer-artist Jim Steranko
.
Beecher first worked with the Comets in fall 1954 as a session musician
, replacing the recently deceased guitarist Danny Cedrone
. Beecher's first work with Haley was the single "Dim, Dim the Lights". Beecher had to be instructed to make his guitar solos less jazzy. "They wanted to play a more basic style than I was used to, more country really, they called it rockabilly."
At the time Beecher began working for Haley's group, Haley did not employ a full-time lead guitarist who would also play on live shows and TV appearances (such duties were usually handled by Haley himself or steel guitar
ist Billy Williamson). In August 1955, Beecher appeared for the first time on national TV with the Comets performing "Rock Around the Clock
", and soon afterward was promoted to a full-time member of the band, appearing with the group in the films Rock Around the Clock
(1956) and Don't Knock the Rock
(1956), as well as several other film appearances: in Germany
in 1958, Hier bin ich - hier bleib' ich (Here I Am, Here I Stay) (1959) and in Mexico
in the early 1960s, such as Jóvenes y rebeldes (1961) and Besito a Papa (1961).
Beecher has the ability to send his voice into a high pitch (making it sound like that of a small child). This gimmick was used for the opening of the hit Haley single's "See You Later Alligator
", "(You Hit the Wrong Note) Billy Goat" and "Rip It Up
". According to Swenson, Beecher would also occasionally perform the voice during live shows, with Haley or Williamson humorously introducing him as a baritone
. In 1959, Williamson and Beecher recorded a duet, "ABC Rock", in which Beecher sang two entire verses in his little-kid voice.
In 1958, he and the other Comets recorded under the name The Kingsmen, releasing several 45 singles for East West Records. The single "Week End", released as East West 115, backed with "Better Believe It", reached no.35 on the Billboard pop singles chart in November, 1958. The follow-up single was "Conga Rock"/"The Catwalk", released as East West 120.
Beecher left the Comets in 1960 in order to work with a spin-off group called the Merri-Men which released a 45 single on Apt records, "Big Daddy"/"St. Louis Blues"; he returned to the group in 1961 only to leave again in 1962. A few months later, he agreed to sit in with the band for a live album recording 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 reunion group. Finally, starting in 1987, the surviving members of the 1954-55 Comets reunited and proceeded to tour the world and make new recordings for the next two decades. Beecher performed with this group until July 2006, after which the group announced he had retired; although it was announced that the 85-year-old guitarist would tour Europe with the Comets in early 2007, this did not occur.
Franny Beecher's compositions included "Blue Comet Blues", "Goofin' Around", "Shaky", "Tampico Twist", "The Beak Speaks", "Hot to Trot", "Beecher Boogie Woogie", "Whistlin' and Walkin' Twist", "The Catwalk", and "Week End", which was a chart hit with The Kingsmen, reaching no.35, co-written with Rudy Pompilli and Billy Williamson. "Week End" was recorded and released as a single by rock guitarist Link Wray
in September, 1963 as Swan S-4154.
With the Comets, Franny Beecher played a black 1956 Gibson Les Paul Custom
which was given to him by the Gibson Guitar Company, then based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Gibson also gave Bill Haley a blonde 1956 Super 400 and a black 1956 Gibson L-7. The Les Paul Custom featured a pair of black single coil P-90 pickups, one of which was a bar magnet P-90. Earlier, he had played a Gibson L-5 acoustic with a cutaway body and a DeArmond pickup, as noted in Sound and Glory, page 100. He played an Epiphone Emperor when he was a member of the Benny Goodman band in 1948 and 1949, which he also played on the Ed Sullivan Show during a performance of "Rock Around the Clock". In the Mexican film Juventide y rebeldes (1961), he is playing either a Gibson ES-345 or ES-355 Stereo. His other guitars included a blonde 1959 ES-350T, which he no longer owns. He plays a cherry sunburst Gibson ES-225
in concerts and when touring.
As of October 2007, Beecher performs as a special guest of the Rib House Band at the Bridgeport Rib House in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
.
Modern Benny (Capitol ECJ-40001. Japanese release only):
1. Ma Belle Marguerite (10-02-1949)
2. Having a Wonderful Wish (24-03-1949)
3. That Wonderful Girl of Mine (24-03-1949)
4. It Isn't Fair (24-03-1949)
5. Fresh Fish (31-03-1949)
6. The Hucklebuck (31-03-1949)
7. Don't Worry About Me (31-03-1949)
8. Little Girl Don't Cry (15-10-1949)
9. Why Don't We Do This More Often (15-10-1949) Dolly Houston vocal
10. Brother Bill (27-10-1949)
11. Spin a Record (27-10-1949)
12. I Had Someone Else Before I Had You (27-10-1949) Dolly Houston vocal
13. You're Always There (27-10-1949)
Benny Goodman at the Hollywood Palladium, March 25, 1949:
14. Let's Dance (25-03-1949) instrumental
15. Undercurrent Blues (25-03-1949) instrumental
16. Do Do Do (25-03-1949)
17. Trees (25-03-1949) instrumental
18. There's a Small Hotel (25-03-1949) instrumental (quartet)
19. Jersey Bounce (25-03-1949) instrumental
20. El Greco (25-03-1949) instrumental
21. Lover Man (25-03-1949) Terry Swope vocal
22. King Porter Stomp (25-03-1949) instrumental
23. Clarinade (25-03-1949) instrumental
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of the city limits of Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill River. The population was 34,324 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...
), also known as Frank Beecher, was lead guitarist for 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...
from 1954 to 1962, and is best remembered for his innovative guitar solos combining elements of 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...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. He composed the classics "Blue Comet Blues", "Goofin' Around", "Week End", and "Shaky" when he was the lead guitarist for Bill Haley and the Comets. He continued to perform with surviving members of the Comets into 2006.
Career
By the time he became associated with Bill Haley, Beecher already had had a lengthy career as a guitarist, having performed and recorded with the Benny GoodmanBenny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
Orchestra, which he joined in 1948, at a time Goodman was experimenting with music in the bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
idiom. He also worked with other big bands, with singer and former Goodman "bop band" pianist Buddy Greco and the Sharps, as well as with several country western
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...
groups. He played guitar on the 1947 single by Buddy Greco "Baby I'm True to You" backed with "How Many Times", released as Musicraft 569, and the 1948 single "Lillette" backed with "A Stranger in Town", as Musicraft 588. His guitar work influenced young musicians playing the same venues in the Philadelphia/Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
area where the Comets were based, among them the guitarist and future legendary comic-book writer-artist Jim Steranko
Jim Steranko
James F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer-artist-historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator....
.
Beecher first worked with the Comets in fall 1954 as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, replacing the recently deceased guitarist Danny Cedrone
Danny Cedrone
Danny Cedrone was an American guitarist and bandleader, best known for his work with Bill Haley & His Comets on their epochal "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954.-Biography:...
. Beecher's first work with Haley was the single "Dim, Dim the Lights". Beecher had to be instructed to make his guitar solos less jazzy. "They wanted to play a more basic style than I was used to, more country really, they called it rockabilly."
At the time Beecher began working for Haley's group, Haley did not employ a full-time lead guitarist who would also play on live shows and TV appearances (such duties were usually handled by Haley himself or steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
ist Billy Williamson). In August 1955, Beecher appeared for the first time on national TV with the Comets performing "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...
", and soon afterward was promoted to a full-time member of the band, appearing with the group in the films Rock Around the Clock
Rock Around the Clock (film)
Rock Around the Clock is the title of a 1956 Musical film that featured Bill Haley and His Comets along with Alan Freed, The Platters, Tony Martinez and His Band, and Freddie Bell and His Bellboys. It was produced by B-movie king Sam Katzman and directed by Fred F...
(1956) and Don't Knock the Rock
Don't Knock the Rock
Don't Knock the Rock is a 1957 rock and roll film starring Alan Dale as a rock star who returns to his hometown to rest up for the summer only to find that rock and roll has been banned there by disapproving adults...
(1956), as well as several other film appearances: in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1958, Hier bin ich - hier bleib' ich (Here I Am, Here I Stay) (1959) and in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the early 1960s, such as Jóvenes y rebeldes (1961) and Besito a Papa (1961).
Beecher has the ability to send his voice into a high pitch (making it sound like that of a small child). This gimmick was used for the opening of the hit Haley single's "See You Later Alligator
See You Later Alligator
"See You Later, Alligator" is the title of an iconic rock and roll song of the 1950s.Originally entitled "Later Alligator", the song, based on a 12-bar blues chord structure , was written by Louisiana songwriter Robert Charles Guidry and first recorded by him under his professional name "Bobby...
", "(You Hit the Wrong Note) Billy Goat" and "Rip It Up
Rip It Up (song)
"Rip It Up" is a song written by Robert Blackwell and John Marascalco. It was first released by Bill Haley and his Comets and Little Richard in 1956. The Little Richard version hit number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart for two weeks and peaked at number seventeen on the pop chart.-Cover...
". According to Swenson, Beecher would also occasionally perform the voice during live shows, with Haley or Williamson humorously introducing him as a baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
. In 1959, Williamson and Beecher recorded a duet, "ABC Rock", in which Beecher sang two entire verses in his little-kid voice.
In 1958, he and the other Comets recorded under the name The Kingsmen, releasing several 45 singles for East West Records. The single "Week End", released as East West 115, backed with "Better Believe It", reached no.35 on the Billboard pop singles chart in November, 1958. The follow-up single was "Conga Rock"/"The Catwalk", released as East West 120.
Beecher left the Comets in 1960 in order to work with a spin-off group called the Merri-Men which released a 45 single on Apt records, "Big Daddy"/"St. Louis Blues"; he returned to the group in 1961 only to leave again in 1962. A few months later, he agreed to sit in with the band for a live album recording session for Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
(the album was entitled Twisting Knights at the Roundtable). After Haley's death in 1981, Beecher toured with a short-lived Comets reunion group. Finally, starting in 1987, the surviving members of the 1954-55 Comets reunited and proceeded to tour the world and make new recordings for the next two decades. Beecher performed with this group until July 2006, after which the group announced he had retired; although it was announced that the 85-year-old guitarist would tour Europe with the Comets in early 2007, this did not occur.
Franny Beecher's compositions included "Blue Comet Blues", "Goofin' Around", "Shaky", "Tampico Twist", "The Beak Speaks", "Hot to Trot", "Beecher Boogie Woogie", "Whistlin' and Walkin' Twist", "The Catwalk", and "Week End", which was a chart hit with The Kingsmen, reaching no.35, co-written with Rudy Pompilli and Billy Williamson. "Week End" was recorded and released as a single by rock guitarist Link Wray
Link Wray
Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr was an American rock and roll guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer....
in September, 1963 as Swan S-4154.
With the Comets, Franny Beecher played a black 1956 Gibson Les Paul Custom
Gibson Les Paul Custom
The Gibson Les Paul Custom is a higher end variation of the Gibson Les Paul guitar. It was developed in 1954 after Gibson had introduced the Les Paul model in 1952.-Notable Les Paul Custom players:...
which was given to him by the Gibson Guitar Company, then based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Gibson also gave Bill Haley a blonde 1956 Super 400 and a black 1956 Gibson L-7. The Les Paul Custom featured a pair of black single coil P-90 pickups, one of which was a bar magnet P-90. Earlier, he had played a Gibson L-5 acoustic with a cutaway body and a DeArmond pickup, as noted in Sound and Glory, page 100. He played an Epiphone Emperor when he was a member of the Benny Goodman band in 1948 and 1949, which he also played on the Ed Sullivan Show during a performance of "Rock Around the Clock". In the Mexican film Juventide y rebeldes (1961), he is playing either a Gibson ES-345 or ES-355 Stereo. His other guitars included a blonde 1959 ES-350T, which he no longer owns. He plays a cherry sunburst Gibson ES-225
Gibson ES-225
The Gibson ES-225 is a thinline hollowbody electric guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation between 1955 and 1959. It is notable as the first thinline hollowbody guitar produced by Gibson.-Model history:...
in concerts and when touring.
As of October 2007, Beecher performs as a special guest of the Rib House Band at the Bridgeport Rib House in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
Bridgeport, Pennsylvania
Bridgeport is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles north of Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River. The old-time industries were paper, flour, cotton, and woolen mills, steel works, brickyards, etc. Bridgeport is six miles east of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania...
.
With Benny Goodman
Franny Beecher was the lead guitarist in the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1948-1949. He appeared on The Toast of the Town show (which later became the Ed Sullivan show) on CBS television with the Benny Goodman band in December, 1948. He is featured on two Benny Goodman albums, Modern Benny on Capitol and Benny Goodman at the Hollywood Palladium. Personnel lists generally refer to him as Francis Beecher.Modern Benny (Capitol ECJ-40001. Japanese release only):
1. Ma Belle Marguerite (10-02-1949)
2. Having a Wonderful Wish (24-03-1949)
3. That Wonderful Girl of Mine (24-03-1949)
4. It Isn't Fair (24-03-1949)
5. Fresh Fish (31-03-1949)
6. The Hucklebuck (31-03-1949)
7. Don't Worry About Me (31-03-1949)
8. Little Girl Don't Cry (15-10-1949)
9. Why Don't We Do This More Often (15-10-1949) Dolly Houston vocal
10. Brother Bill (27-10-1949)
11. Spin a Record (27-10-1949)
12. I Had Someone Else Before I Had You (27-10-1949) Dolly Houston vocal
13. You're Always There (27-10-1949)
Benny Goodman at the Hollywood Palladium, March 25, 1949:
14. Let's Dance (25-03-1949) instrumental
15. Undercurrent Blues (25-03-1949) instrumental
16. Do Do Do (25-03-1949)
17. Trees (25-03-1949) instrumental
18. There's a Small Hotel (25-03-1949) instrumental (quartet)
19. Jersey Bounce (25-03-1949) instrumental
20. El Greco (25-03-1949) instrumental
21. Lover Man (25-03-1949) Terry Swope vocal
22. King Porter Stomp (25-03-1949) instrumental
23. Clarinade (25-03-1949) instrumental
External links
- A photograph of Franny Beecher with Benny Goodman, December, 1948, New York: http://www.multimedia-all-in.nl/bopband.jpg
- Franny Beecher with Haley at the Rock ’n’ Roll-AG