Place – London<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Time – 1970-80’S<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Entrepreneur\/Record Producer – Dave Miller<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dave Miller was the founder of Holiday & Essex Records in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1951. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The labels had local popular success, being known mostly for its release of the early records by Bill Haley and The Comets.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave originally changed the name of the group from the Four Aces of Western Swing<\/em> to Bill Haley and the Saddlemen <\/em>then repeated a suggestion that the group change their name to the Comets<\/em> after Halley’s Comet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have been many things written about Dave Miller over the years, calling him a small time operator and also being compared to Colonel Tom Parker, the infamous manager of Elvis Presley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n David\u2019s Birth name was David Leonart Kleiber, born in 1925 somewhere in Germany. Both he and the Colonel emigrated from Europe in the 1930\u2019s, leaving their birth names behind when arriving in the USA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Both had a tendency to be tough in business and make the most of each and every dollar that came their way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After serving in the US military during the second World War, the story goes that Miller saved all his money whilst in the services, to make a start in the recording industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave once told me that his initial funding was by courtesy of the US government providing him with a GI loan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I found out some years later this wasn’t exactly true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miller signed Bill Haley to his Holiday Record label in 1951. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Recording the first record in the nascent genre, which was a cover of Jackie Brenston\u2019s Rocket 88.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n This was some three years before Sam Phillips was crowned the first man that recorded a rock ‘n’ roll crossover record, with a white artist covering a black artist’s recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave Miller was also renowned as the man that turned down Rock Around The Clock<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave always denied this accusation and I believe him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An interview with Marshall Lytle the bass player with the Comets during that time also helps to confirm my belief. <\/p>\n\n\n\n KB: \u201cWho chose the songs at Essex? Did the band have any input there?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n ML: \u201cAt Essex, Bill Haley chose most of the material<\/strong>, and if Dave Miller had a suggestion, it was just a suggestion, he never said do this or do that, but he would come up with some songs, Rocket 88<\/em> was one that Dave Miller came up with, but Bill chose Rock The Joint<\/em> and all the others.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It would appear that if Bill had wanted to record Rock Around The Clock <\/em>with Miller he would have done <\/em>so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1947 in Philadelphia, Miller created the Palda Record Company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Amongst the acts on the label were The Navy Shipmates<\/em>, The Four Aces<\/em> and The Blind Boys of Alabama,<\/em> all enjoying low volume sales in the local area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave never missed an opportunity to shift plastic; he would record anything that would sell, from children\u2019s audio stories to local weddings ceremonies, even spoken pornographic records, all low but regular sellers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These endeavours were curtailed when on one occasion the labels were mixed up and the pornographic recordings were sent to some very distressed wedding ceremony clientele. Presumably when the bride said “I do” no one knew exactly what she was referring to.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDave Miller and the Colonel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The first crossover record <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Dave Miller – Bill Haley & Rock Around The Clock<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Beginning <\/h2>\n\n\n\n