Joey Welz

Joey Welz in 2014

Joey Welz (born 1940) is an American musician born in Baltimore, Maryland who is best known for his tenure as pianist with Bill Haley and His Comets. He was born Joseph Welzant on March 17, 1940 to Melba, a teacher and concert pianist and Joseph, a Baltimore city police officer.^[1] Joey started his music career with his group The Jay Rockers in the 1950s. Joey was amongst the first group of rock and roll pianists to start using the boogie-woogie style with his left hand. He attributes this to the lack of a bassist in his band, forcing him to play basslines using his left hand. In interviews he has stated that it also came in handy when he joined the Comets because the notes coming from the upright bass were often inaudible due to the limits of amplification at that time.^[2]

He attracted the attention of Bill Haley when The Jay Rockers opened for The Comets. While serving as a recording engineer for the Armed Forces Network in Berlin, Joey recorded and co-produced a live session for Bill Haley and His Comets for AFN Frankfurt. This was the first occasion that Joey played on a Bill Haley and His Comets record, providing backing vocals on "Shake, Rattle and Roll" and playing on "Honky Tonk". This session was released years later on Hydra Records. Upon exiting the military in 1963, Joey joined the Comets as pianist following the departure of Johnny Grande. It was also during this time that Joey signed a record deal with Canadian-American Records and released the single "Hey Little Moonbeam" which he co-wrote with Steve Lawrence. He would continue to play with The Comets until 1966.^[3]

In 1969 Joey recorded an album entitled "Listen To The Voices" with Link Wray which was released on Music City Records. Welz also recorded an album called "Revival Fires" with Roy Buchanan in the late 1960s.^[4] After Haley's death in 1981 Welz organized a Comets reunion which performed on The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder on NBC. This was followed by a tour of America and a single penned by Welz, Al Rappa and Franny Beecher entitled "Bring Back the Music" in 1982.

Joey spent a majority of the 1980s in the studio with The Great Train Robbery recording heavier rock and roll including "In My Car", "Rockin' In America", and a heavy metal version of "Rock Around The Clock" which Joey co-wrote with the original writer James E. Myers.^[1][5][6] He is the owner and CEO of Canadian-American Records and Caprice International Records.^[7] In the 1990s Welz began writing and recording country music in Nashville with the Nashville Now Band and placed several singles on the Cashbox chart including a country version of "Rock Around the Clock", "One Way Ticket", "Rockabilly", "Back to a Better Time" and the "Nashville Now Boogie".^[8]

In 1992 Joey Welz signed with Caprice International/BMG and was also inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in the Netherlands. In 2005 Joey was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in Jackson, Tennessee. Since the early 2000s Joey has annually toured in France with the Captain Joe Combo.^[9] Welz continues to write and produce new albums up to the present day.^[10] Welz is a gold charter member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and joined the rest of the Comets for the PBS special "The Rock and Roll Extravaganza". As CEO of Canadian-American Records Joey remains active in signing new acts. He also continues to perform as a rock and roll singer and pianist. He currently resides in Lititz, Pennsylvania, where he has converted his home into a museum known as The Rock Around The Clock Hall of Fame.^[11]

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