JOHNNY KAY For this Comet, the rockin’ clock just does not stop as Johnny Kay, lead guitarist from Bill Haley & The Comets is back with the new JK Rockets band. “Rock ‘n’ Roll is still with us today, grander and more varied than ever,” said Johnny Kay. “I remember 1953 when there was no such thing. Then in 1954, I heard Crazy Man Crazy by Bill Haley & The Comets. What is that sound I asked myself? That’s when I decided to learn guitar and I’m still rockin’ today!” At the age of 14, Kay took up the guitar and by 16 formed a band called The Sensational Youngsters. They played in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware where they would sneak in some of that new rock ‘n’ roll to the delight of teens and dismay of parents. In 1958, the band’s manager changed the name to Johnny Kay’s Rockets and opportunity came knocking. “I got a call from Bill Haley’s Manager,” remembers Kay. “He said Haley wanted to catch our group. I did not think it would happen – but it did on a Saturday evening in West Chester, Pa. However, when Haley left after listening to only two numbers, I thought that was the end. But, it was only the beginning. I auditioned and by the age of 19, I was singing & playing guitar with Bill Haley & The Comets and traveling the world. It must have been fate!” An anthology of Johnny Kay’s work as a Comet called “Tale of a Comet”, on Hydra Records (Germany) has broken the top 20 chart as reported by Now Dig This magazine in England. He is currently working on his 3rd album of original songs.
