Franny Beecher | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Francis Eugene Beecher |
Also known as | Frank Beecher |
Born | September 29, 1921 Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Died | February 24, 2014 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (aged 92)
Genres | Jazz, Rock |
Instrument | guitar |
Years active | 1940s–2014 (his death) |
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 that incorporated elements of 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.