performing and moved full-time to South Texas (Harlingen). Haley would return to touring and recording in 1979 and would dedicate a part of every show to Pompilli's memory with a performance of "Rudy's Rock". Birth date During research for an article on the 30th anniversary of Pompilli's death, researcher Chris Gardner uncovered documents that showed Pompilli was actually born in 1924, not 1926 as had commonly been believed (like Haley, Pompilli also shaved two years off his age). Awards and honors He was named Sax Player of the Year by Down Beat magazine in 1957. In 2012, Pompilli was inducted as a member of the Comets into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by a special committee, aimed at correcting the previous mistake of not inducting the band with Bill Haley in 1987. Compositions He co-wrote "Week End" with Franny Beecher and Billy Williamson and the B side, "Better Believe It", with Johnny Grande and Ralph Jones. He co-wrote "Rudy's Rock" with Bill Haley and "Calling All Comets" with Bill Haley and Milt Gabler. He co-wrote "Hey Then, There Now" with Ralph Jones. He wrote "Florida Twist" with Anthony Caruso. He also co-wrote "Lean Jean". His other compositions were "China Twist", "Happy Twist", "Tacos de Twist", and "Twist del Dia" in 1962. References Other sources Chris Gardner, "The Sax That Rocked the World", Now Dig This magazine, Issue 275, February 2006. External links 1924 births 1976 deaths American rock saxophonists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American people of Italian descent Deaths from lung cancer in Pennsylvania People from Chester, Pennsylvania Bill Haley & His Comets members 20th-century American musicians 20th-century saxophonists Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania American male jazz musicians 20th-century American male musicians Sonet Records artists