Bill Haley was born on July 6, 1925 in Highland Park Michigan to William and Maude Haley. His father taught him how to play the basic notes and chords on the guitar by ear and it was when he relieved his first guitar that he began to pursue his dream of becoming a singing cowboy like he had seen every Saturday afternoon at the movie houses growing up. Haley left school after completing eighth grade not to long before his fifteenth birthday and began to work bottling water for Bethe Springs. There were only a select few that were good enough at making music to make a living off of it at the time. When he was only at the age of 18 he made his first record called "Candy Kisses" and played for country and western bands for the next four years as a guitarist and singer. As Haley became less and less popular at home he began to tour Britain as the first american rock and roll star to travel there. Enthusiastic crowds greeted Haley but soon realized that he was to old at the age of thirty, overweight and his movements were not as fluid like as the other popular rock and roll artists such as Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis or Gene Vincent. Bill Haley died in his sleep around 6:30 on February 9, of 1981 from a heart attack in his home in Harlingen Texas.