Bill Haley came to prominence in the early 1950's. Starting out with a backing band called the Saddleman, the early recordings of the band were country and western style. The band changed its name to Bill Haley & The Comets in 1952, however, and moved to playing a more rock and roll style. This led to many hit songs during the decade including "Shake, Rattle and Roll", "See You Later Alligator", and "Rock Around The Clock".
The musical career of Buddy Holly began in the 1940's, when he played in a junior high school band called Buddy and Bob. His rise to national fame came during the 1950's, with the formation of Buddy Holly & The Crickets. The band had a number of famous hits in the latter half of the 1950's, with some of these including "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue". The band split up in late 1958, and the career of Holly ended prematurely when he tragically lost his life in a 1959 plane crash.
While The Drifters had a number of hit records during the 1950's, the lineup of the band constantly changed. Originally formed in 1953, band members came and went regularly under the management of George Treadwell. This did not affect the success of the group, however, with some of their 1950's hits including "Lucille" and "Honey Love". The lineup continued to change following the 1950's, although and the group remains playing to this day. This makes The Drifters one of the longest running musical acts in history.
The Cadillacs had their roots in Harlem in the early 1950's. Originally a four piece R&B band, they had a fifth member added when they joined the Shaw Agency. This brought them some success with early recordings including "Wishing Well". After a couple of lineup changes in 1955, the band went on to record some of their biggest hits including "Speedo" and "Zoom". Musical differences caused the group to break up into two separate acts in 1957, although neither went on to achieve the success of the earlier incarnation of the band.