Biography

Dick Boccelli is better known to rock music fans as Dick Richards, an original member of Bill Haley and the Comets. Boccelli-Richards played drums and sang with this classic rock and roll band from 1953 to 1955, before forming The Jodimars. Today, Boccelli divides his time between movie and TV roles, and playing drums with the original Comets, who have been reunited and touring the world since 1987. Boccelli was a football player and school teacher before he became a member of Bill Haley and the Comets in 1953.

- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

He attended West Chester University and was inducted into the schools Sports Hall of Fame for his excellence in football.

Along with four other original Comets, he helped to launch the new Dick Clark American Bandstand Theater in Branson, MO on April 28th, 2006. He built a second home in Branson, MO and at age 87 is still playing drums with the remainder of the original Comets in theaters in Branson, including the Andy Williams Moon River Theater and the Icon Theater in 2011. They also continue to do annual European tours and Oldies Cruises as well as appearances all over the United States.

- IMDb mini biography by: William Kelly

Dick Boccelli (aka Dick Richards), original drummer for Bill Haley's Comets, and stage, screen and TV actor who played Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons father in the TV series "OZ", is still drumming away today in 2019 in Ocean City, NJ with his new band The Ready Rockers. He just turned 95 years young in February 2019 and has performed in the past several years in Bowzer's Rock & Roll Party shows, from Connecticut to Florida, along with band-mate, sax player, Joey D'Ambrosio (aka Joey Ambrose who is 85 years young). Jon "Bowzer" Bauman is best known for his deep bass voice in the vocal group Sha Na Na and the TV show of the same name. Although he has not pursued his 26 year acting career for the past two decades he hasn't halted his music career at all. He said he plans to play until he's 100 years old. Dick Boccelli and Joey D'Ambrosio are the last two surviving members of the original Bill Haley's Comets. Bill Haley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, six years after his death, but without the Comets. That oversight was corrected on April 14, 2012 when they were both inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the other original Comets, Billy Williamson, Johnny Grande, Marshall Lytle, Franny Beecher and Danny Cedrone who played guitar on Rock Around the Clock, but unfortunately died from an accident shortly after. Also inducted were Rudy Pompilli, Ralph Jones and Al Rex, the new Comets who replaced Dick Boccelli, Joey D'Ambrosio and Marshall Lytle after they quit Bill Haley in 1955.

- IMDb mini biography by: William "Liam" Kelly

Dick Boccelli (aka Dick Richards), original drummer for Bill Haley's Comets, and stage, screen and TV actor who played Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons father in the TV series "OZ", is still drumming away today in 2019 in Ocean City, NJ with his new band The Ready Rockers. He just turned 95 years young in February 2019 and has performed in the past several years in Bowzer's Rock & Roll Party shows, from Connecticut to Florida, along with band-mate, sax player, Joey D'Ambrosio (aka Joey Ambrose who is 85 years young). Jon "Bowzer" Bauman is best known for his deep bass voice in the vocal group Sha Na Na and the TV show of the same name. Although he has not pursued his 26 year acting career for the past two decades he hasn't halted his music career at all. He said he plans to play until he's 100 years old. Dick Boccelli and Joey D'Ambrosio are the last two surviving members of the original Bill Haley's Comets. Bill Haley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, six years after his death, but without the Comets. That oversight was corrected on April 14, 2012 when they were both inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the other original Comets, Billy Williamson, Johnny Grande, Marshall Lytle, Franny Beecher and Danny Cedrone who played guitar on Rock Around the Clock, but unfortunately died from an accident shortly after. Also inducted were Rudy Pompilli, Ralph Jones and Al Rex, the new Comets who replaced Dick Boccelli, Joey D'Ambrosio and Marshall Lytle after they quit Bill Haley. Unfortunately Dick didn't quite make it to 100 like he had planned. He passed away in July of 2019 at the age of 95.

- IMDb mini biography by: William "Liam" Kelly