Franny Beecher
Francis Eugene Beecher (September 29, 1921 – February 24, 2014) was the 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", "The Catwalk", 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. In 2012, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Beecher as a member of the Comets by a special committee, aimed at correcting the previous mistake of not inducting the Comets with Bill Haley. |
Birth and Death Data: Born September 29, 1921 (Norristown), Died February 24, 2014 (Philadelphia)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1954 - 1959
Roles Represented in DAHR: lead guitar
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 76-94 of 94 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 106322 | 1/7/1959 | The dragon rock | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 106323 | 1/7/1959 | A.B.C. rock-1 | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 106324 | 1/7/1959 | The cat walk (Instrumental) | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 106416 | 1/29/1959 | I got a woman | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 106417 | 1/29/1959 | (Now and then) There's a fool such as I | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 106418 | 1/29/1959 | Be by me | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 106419 | 1/29/1959 | Where did you go last night? | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 107440 | 4/27/1959 | Caldonia-1 | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 107441 | 4/27/1959 | Shaky (instr. ) | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 107643 | 6/19/1959 | Ooh! Look-a-there, ain't she pretty-1 | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 107644 | 6/19/1959 | (Thanks for the) Summer souvenir | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108122 | 9/17/1959 | Puerto Rican peddler | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108123 | 9/17/1959 | (Put another nickel in the jukebox) Music, music, music! | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108124 | 9/23/1959 | Skokiaan | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108125 | 9/23/1959 | Drowsy waters | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108126 | 9/24/1959 | Two shadows | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108127 | 9/24/1959 | In a little Spanish town ('Twas on a night like this) | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108128 | 9/24/1959 | Strictly instrumental | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar | |||
| Decca | 108129 | 9/24/1959 | Mack the knife | Comets ; Bill Haley | instrumentalist, lead guitar |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Beecher, Franny," accessed April 26, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303629.
Beecher, Franny. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 26, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/303629.
"Beecher, Franny." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 26 April 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Francis 'Franny' Beecher
Discogs: Franny Beecher
Allmusic: Franny Beecher
IMDb: Franny Beecher
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Beecher, Franny, 1921-2014 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2012077201
Wikidata: Francis 'Franny' Beecher - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1445381
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/250854944
MusicBrainz: Francis 'Franny' Beecher - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/25c2b261-b518-483f-88c2-129617d707d7
ISNI: 0000 0003 7131 9644 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000371319644
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.