Al Rex
His driving bass lines were the heartbeat of rock and roll's first anthem, 'Rock Around the Clock,' launching a musical revolution.
1928–2020 (age 92)·American guitarist·Birthday: July 13·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born Albert Floyd Piccirilli, Al Rex stepped onto the stage of history as the bassist for Bill Haley & His Comets. In the early 1950s, he was part of the band's transformation from western swing to a new, electrifying sound. While his tenure preceded the group's global explosion, his work on early recordings helped forge the rhythmic template for rock and roll. Rex's steady, propulsive playing on the Comets' initial sessions for Decca Records provided the foundation over which Haley's voice and the saxophone solos could soar. Though he left the band before 'Rock Around the Clock' topped the charts, his contribution lives on in those formative grooves. He spent decades away from the spotlight, a quiet architect of a cultural quake whose echoes he helped create.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Al was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Al Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Al's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 80
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2020Died at 92
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- Played bass on early Bill Haley & His Comets recordings that helped define the rock and roll sound.
- Was a member of the band during its crucial transition from the Saddlemen to the Comets.
- His bass work contributed to the foundational recordings for Decca Records that preceded the band's massive commercial breakthrough.
Did You Know?
His real name was Albert Floyd Piccirilli.
He was part of the band's lineup when they recorded their first sides for Decca in 1954.
He left the Comets in 1955, the same year 'Rock Around the Clock' became a global phenomenon.
“We were just four guys playing country music, but we made it jump.”
