Al Rex
{{Short description|American guitarist (1928–2020)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image = Albert Floyd Piccirilli Al Rex 1958.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Al Rex in 1958
| alias =
| birth_name = Albert Floyd Piccirilli
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|7|13}}
| birth_place = {{nowrap|Black Horse, Pennsylvania, U.S.}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|5|24|1928|7|13}}
| death_place = Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| origin =
| instrument = Bass
| genre = Rock and roll, jazz, country
| occupation = Bassist
| years_active = 1949{{endash}}1960
| label =
| past_member_of = Bill Haley and the Saddlemen
Bill Haley & His Comets
| website =
| current_members =
| past_members =
}}
File:Bill Haley and the Comets1956.jpg, Billy Williamson, Al Rex, Johnny Grande, Ralph Jones, Franny Beecher. Top: Bill Haley.]]
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.{{Cite web|url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/the-comets/timeline/|title=The Comets Timeline at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|website=Rockhall.com}}Swenson, John. Bill Haley (London: W.H. Allen, 1982).
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{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/26408039/the_philadelphia_inquirer/|title=Clipped From The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=October 27, 1991|pages=311|website=Newspapers.com}} and fathered eight children.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_l_1NkpGBrEC&q=%22al+rex%22|title=Bill Haley|publisher=Wagner Verlag sucht Autoren|isbn=9783862795376|via=Google Books}} On May 24, 2020, he died in his Norristown, Pennsylvania home from pneumonia. He was the last surviving of the Comets.{{cite web |last1=Puleo |first1=Gary |title=Pioneering bass player for the Comets passes away |url=https://www.timesherald.com/news/local/pioneering-bass-player-for-the-comets-passes-away/article_084635c6-a065-11ea-9bbe-cb3b69289b86.html |publisher=The Times Herald |access-date=May 28, 2020 |location=Swathmore, PA |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |archive-url=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 |url-status=dead }}
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).
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs artist|Al Rex}}
{{2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rex, Al}}
Category:20th-century American guitarists
Category:American people of Italian descent
Category:Bill Haley & His Comets members
Category:Musicians from New York City
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