Al Rex Explained

Birth Name:Albert Floyd Piccirilli
Birth Date:13 July 1928
Death Place:Norristown, Pennsylvania
Instrument:Bass
Genre:Rock and roll, jazz, country
Occupation:Bassist
Years Active:19491960
Past Member Of:Bill Haley and the Saddlemen
Bill Haley & His Comets

Albert Floyd Piccirilli (July 13, 1928 – May 24, 2020), also known by his stage name Al Rex, was an American bass player for Bill Haley & His Comets and its predecessor Bill Haley and the Saddlemen.[1] [2]

Background

He started playing for them in 1949 and became noted for "wild antics" on stage. He formed his own band, Al Rex and the Regaleers in 1960. He left the music industry soon after, although he continued to perform on occasion. He later had a wife[3] and fathered eight children.[4] On May 24, 2020, he died in his Norristown, Pennsylvania home from pneumonia. He was the last surviving of the Comets.[5]

Film appearances

He appeared as a member of the band in the 1950s films Rock Around the Clock (1956) and Don't Knock the Rock (1957).

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Comets Timeline at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Rockhall.com.
  2. Swenson, John. Bill Haley (London: W.H. Allen, 1982).
  3. Web site: Clipped From The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 27, 1991. 311. Newspapers.com.
  4. Book: Bill Haley. Wagner Verlag sucht Autoren. 9783862795376. Google Books.
  5. Web site: Puleo . Gary . Pioneering bass player for the Comets passes away . The Times Herald . May 28, 2020 . Swathmore, PA . June 4, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200604054424/https://www.timesherald.com/news/local/pioneering-bass-player-for-the-comets-passes-away/article_084635c6-a065-11ea-9bbe-cb3b69289b86.html . dead .