50 years, 2 days

Aug. 7th, 1955:
Bill Haley & the Comets appear on The Ed Sullivan Show

While his best music came from a year or two before, Haley's appearance on a show that had massive ratings (only three networks!) is nothing to be ignored. According to this site:

After being used in the hit film about juvenile delinquency "The Blackboard Jungle", Bill Haley & The Comets "Rock Around The Clock" becomes the first rock record to top the Pop Charts, holding the #1 position for two months and remaining in the Top 100 for a then-record 38 weeks. It would be 39 years before that mark was broken.

As for what the bass player is doing in these pictures - he still does it. Here's an article about The Comets now.