William John Clifton Haley was born on July 6, 1925, in Highland Park, Michigan. Called the “father of the rock revolution,” Haley and his band, the Comets, are credited with recording some of the first rock ‘n’ roll hits. In 1929, Haley underwent an operation on his inner ear. A mistake was made that severed an optic nerve and left him blind in his left eye. Haley’s parents were both musicians – his father played the banjo and mandolin, and his mother played the keyboard. Haley claimed that as a child he made his own guitar out of cardboard, leading his parents to buy him a real one.