Rudy Pompilli started his career in jazz bands, playing tenor and bass
saxophone, among other instruments. It was as a member of Ralph
Marterie's Orchestra in 1955 that he caught the attention of Bill
Haley. Haley hired Pompilli to play sax after original sax man, Joey
Ambrose, quit. Pompilli played tenor sax, flute and clarinet for the
Comets and was a featured vocalist. He stayed with Haley longer than
any other musician -- from 1955 until his death from cancer in
1976.
Most sources say he was the cousin of bass player Al Pompilli, but Bill Haley
said they were brothers.
Many sources give Pompilli's birth year as 1926, however new research
undertaken in 2006 for an article on the 30th anniversary of his death
revealed that Pompilli was actually born two years earlier.