Timeline

 

 

 
The original recording of a great song that totally defies genre categories. Prior to 1949 the term R&B had yet to be coined. Along with Louis Jordan and T-Bone Walker, The King Cole Trio spanned jazz, blues, and pop, playing "Route 66" with an emphatic, swinging beat under Cole`s restrained vocal. The song was later covered by everyone from Bing Crosby and Perry Como to Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones. The Stones` 1964 version, from their first LP, is a better rendition of the "Chuck Berry" rock & roll sound than the version Chuck Berry himself did in 1961! --- These two samples also offer a dramatic example of equalization (EQ) differences. Compared with each other, the King Cole Trio track sounds warm and full while the Stones track sounds bright and crisp. Each one reflects a combination of circumstances: the era, the studio, and the intent of the engineer to emphasize different aspects of the recording (intimacy of vocal jazz combo vs. energy of rock & roll band).
 

 

 

 
The original version of the song, in 3/4 time, that Elvis later recorded, sped up and in 4/4 time, as the B-side of his first single on Sun Records, "That`s All Right."
 

 
The shorter, standard version of this classic was first recorded in 1946 and released in 1947 on a rarely-heard album, "Work Songs to Grow On." I can`t find a specific date in 1947, so slotted it in March for best flow. The song gradually became widely known in the folk community through songbooks used in schools and summer camps, and through radio performances.
 

 
Most Elvis fans are amazed by how similar this original rendition sounds to Elvis`s 1954 cover version. Elvis also faithfully covered Crudup`s "My Baby Left Me" in 1956.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This all-time great song was buried on the flip side of "My Bucket`s Got A Hole in It" on first release.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Curtis Mayfield`s dad wrote this unique, riveting prayer for peace and love that was a smash #1 R&B hit, as well as "Hit the Road, Jack" and others for Ray Charles.
 

 

 

 
Along with "Tennessee Waltz" by Patti Page, when "Cold, Cold Heart" was covered for the pop market by Tony Bennett it kicked off a brief era of pop covers of country songs and, eventually, of rhythm & blues songs.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
One of the greatest R&B instrumentals, this song owes its basic riff to a Duke Ellington composition, "Happy-Go-Lucky Local," one of four parts of his Deep South Suite, first recorded in 1946. Jimmy Forrest was a member of Ellington`s band when it performed the song. Forrest`s 1952 adaptation to a slow, earthy arrangement was a huge R&B hit and has stood the test of time. So has James Brown`s 1962 re-conceptualization of Night Train into an upbeat dance number with vocal recitation of a train ride of cities, which hit the pop as well as the R&B charts again.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This cover of Jimmy Preston`s hot R&B hit from 1949 showed that Haley and his combo could really get down. It featured a superb guitar solo that lead guitarist Danny Cedrone replicated almost note for note two years later on "Rock Around the Clock."
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
BIg Joe Turner`s original version of this basic uptempo blues number featured such overtly sexual lyrics and musical style that it could never cross over to pop radio stations. Bill Haley`s cover version sanitized the lyrics and rearranged the song, transforming it into a very danceable pop record. In the samples you can hear the original version`s heavy backbeat with hand claps, sensual piano ride, and Joe`s "blues shouter" vocal punctuated with an insistent honking sax. The cover`s arrangement is lighter and bouncier, propelled by a thumping acoustic bass, with lilting horns answering Bill`s jauntier vocal style.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
BIg Joe Turner`s original version of this basic uptempo blues number featured such overtly sexual lyrics and musical style that it could never cross over to pop radio stations. Bill Haley`s cover version sanitized the lyrics and rearranged the song, transforming it into a very danceable pop record. In the samples you can hear the original version`s heavy backbeat with hand claps, sensual piano ride, and Joe`s "blues shouter" vocal punctuated with an insistent honking sax. The cover`s arrangement is lighter and bouncier, propelled by a thumping acoustic bass, with lilting horns answering Bill`s jauntier vocal style.
 

 

 

 
Some songs are known only to doo-wop fans; "The Wind" is among the best of the slow ones. It features a dramatic tenor lead with back-up chanting ("wind, wind, blow") and a memorable mid-song recitation. The Jesters` fine cover version appears in many doo-wop compilations, but the Diablos` superb, over-the-top original version was impossible to find on CD until 2003, when Varese Saraband included it in this hits collection. Smokey Robinson has said that, along with Clyde McPhatter, Nolan Strong was an early inspiration of his. Once pointed out, the influence is evident in Strong`s falsetto vocal timbre and phrasing, which we can easily imagine the young Robinson emulating.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Many CD reissues of this song use a source tape where a splice can be heard about half way through. Besides "Blowing The Fuse," you can find a completely intact version on "The Golden Age of American R&R vol.6" Ace (UK) 650 (1997)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
This song was written by Atlantic Records` president, Ahmet Ertegun (as Nugetre, Ertegun spelled backwards). Its melody and arrangement were "borrowed" by Hank Ballard, who added new lyrics and recorded it as "The Twist." According to Ertegun, Ballard once owned up to him directly, but Ertegun never pressed for credit to be acknowledged officially.
 

 

 

 

 

 
The Muddy Waters` song, "Mannish Boy," is his cover version of Bo Diddley`s "I`m A Man." The different name hardly disguised Muddy`s intent to stake his claim on it.
 

 
This song was first recorded by Haley in April 1954 and released the next month (as the B-side to "Thirteen Women"). It sold about 75,000 copies. When it was interpolated into the movie "Blackboard Jungle" in the spring of 1955, the record was re-released and immediately shot to #1 on the pop charts. Its guitar solo was taken directly from "Rock the Joint," a hit for Haley from 1952.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The Muddy Waters` song, "Mannish Boy," is his cover version of Bo Diddley`s "I`m A Man." The different name hardly disguised Muddy`s intent to stake his claim on it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Carl Perkins wrote and recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" before Elvis Presley did, but many people were confused about "whose song it was" because both artists had competing versions in record stores (and being played on the radio) at the same time. Carl`s version spent nine weeks in the national top 10 between mid-March and mid-May. Meanwhile, Elvis released his first LP and an extended-play 45, both of which featured his version of "Blue Suede Shoes" as the lead track, in mid-March. For the last four weeks that the Perkins version enjoyed national top 10 status, the Presley version - as an EP, not a single - was perched in the top 40. The EP peaked at #20 on the best-sellers chart the sixth week that Carl Perkins` single was in the top 10, still at #4.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Carl Perkins wrote and recorded "Blue Suede Shoes" before Elvis Presley did, but many people were confused about "whose song it was" because both artists had competing versions in record stores (and being played on the radio) at the same time. Carl`s version spent nine weeks in the national top 10 between mid-March and mid-May. Meanwhile, Elvis released his first LP and an extended-play 45, both of which featured his version of "Blue Suede Shoes" as the lead track, in mid-March. For the last four weeks that the Perkins version enjoyed national top 10 status, the Presley version - as an EP, not a single - was perched in the top 40. The EP peaked at #20 on the best-sellers chart the sixth week that Carl Perkins` single was in the top 10, still at #4.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Little Willie John`s great soul ballad was a huge hit on the R&B charts in late spring and summer 1956 but projected too much heat for pop radio at that time. Two years later Peggy Lee wrote more playful lyrics for the second half of "Fever" and transformed it into a pop masterpiece. For the samples I chose a verse common to both versions of the song to emphasize the musical differences between them. The original features a strong, insistent, horn-driven riff undergirding John`s impassioned gospel tenor vocal. The cover rearranges the riff into virtually a bass solo with finger snaps and drum accents, creating more of a supper-club feel for Lee`s seductive contralto voice. When Elvis Presley covered the song in 1960 he adopted the Peggy Lee arrangement, which became her signature song.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Hound Dog and Don`t Be Cruel were both huge #1 hits on the same 45, the undisputed king of all double-sided singles in the 20th century.
 

 
Hound Dog and Don`t Be Cruel were both huge #1 hits on the same 45, the undisputed king of all double-sided singles in the 20th century.
 

 
Parts I and II were the A and B side of King 4950. Both sides were played on the radio and in jukeboxes, and both sides were listed on charts in 1956. Part II (the saxophone solo) was re-released by itself on King 5444 in 1961. In the CD reissue era, just about every other two-part hit record has been reissued in a single, uninterrupted digital file, but the unedited master tape of "Honky Tonk" was apparently destroyed long ago.
 

 
Parts I and II were the A and B side of King 4950. Both sides were played on the radio and in jukeboxes, and both sides were listed on charts in 1956. Part II (the saxophone solo) was re-released by itself on King 5444 in 1961. In the CD reissue era, just about every other two-part hit record has been reissued in a single, uninterrupted digital file, but the unedited master tape of "Honky Tonk" was apparently destroyed long ago.
 

 

 

 
Although it never reached the top 10 for even one week in New York City during its original release, "In the Still of the Night" kept winning polls as the most popular oldie for decades afterwards (at least in the eastern half of the country - "Earth Angel" might claim that distinction for those who grew up with a stronger tie to Los Angeles). Both songs were featured on the first "Oldies But Goodies" album, which charted continuously from September 1959 into 1963.
 

 
This song only charted in New York City but is well known to doo-wop lovers everywhere.
 

 
This follow-up to Be-Bop-A-Lula never caught on with radio programmers.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Guy Mitchell covered this song and had a huge, huge pop hit with it, but the original is a better record, and was a giant country hit in its own right. The samples illustrate the difference between records that are pitched to the country and pop markets. Mainly, even as today, they differ primarily in instrumentation and vocal style. The original features a slide guitar and Marty Robbins using his yodel to great effect. The cover replaces the slide guitar with various background vocalizing - including whistling! - and exploits Guy Mitchell`s versatile voice to sound every bit the contemporary pop stylist.
 

 
"Too Much Monkey Business" and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" were A and B sides of Chess 1635. One side lagged a few weeks behind the other.
 

 

 

 
"Too Much Monkey Business" and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" were A and B sides of Chess 1635. One side lagged a few weeks behind the other.
 

 
"Love Me" was the lead song of a four-track "extended play" (EP) record. It was unusual for EPs to make the singles chart at all; it was unprecedented for one to reach the top 10, where "Love Me" remained for two months, peaking at #6. The song was written ("as a send-up of country music") by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller and originally recorded on their Spark label in 1954 by gospel singers Willy & Ruth. Comparing the samples, ignoring the stark differences in production values, you can hear clearly how Elvis` sincerity, commitment, and great vocal skills transformed an ordinary, simple tune into an unforgettable, bravura performance.
 

 
The Dells recorded an updated and rearranged version of this song in 1969. They covered their own song! This original version was also spelled "Oh What A Nite" at the time.
 

 
For years, the song which Alan Freed played last on his radio show - his "sign-off" song.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
If you want the original hit single of this song, you must listen carefully. A second master tape has frequently been reissued on CD that has a female vocalist dubbed over the background vocal on the original (first heard 18 seconds into the song). Even my "reference" series, the vaunted Bear Family "Blowing The Fuse" 1957 CD, has the wrong version! One other source for the undubbed master is "The Golden Era of R&R 1954-1963" Hip-O 2251 (2004).
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Do you remember a different spelling of the group`s name, like "Del Vikings," "Dell Vikings," or "Del-Vikings"? All four variations were used at one time or another. During summer 1957 at one point there were four records on sale by three different configurations of group members using slight variations of the same name! For more details, see the excellent group bio by Bruce Eder on the AllMusic site.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Louie Louie is the rare rock & roll song whose story has merited an entire book (by Dave Marsh). Writer and original performer Richard Berry had been the uncredited bass singer on both "Riot in Cell Block #9" and "The Wallflower." His Jamaican-flavored ballad was a regional west coast hit that never charted. The Kingsmen turned it into a very popular garage-rock staple with nearly unintelligible lyrics and a crazy guitar break. The original Flip recording is hard to find. The Kingsmen`s cover completely transforms its sound and feel. Wikipedia provides more details.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Bobby Bland was better known as Bobby "Blue" Bland throughout his career. That`s how he was credited on Farther Up the Road. After 1960, however, "Blue" was usually omitted from his name on singles releases but not from his albums. I decided to omit "Blue" in the Timeline to make searching more consistent. See this discography for details.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
"Silhouettes" was a big national hit, peaking at #3 for two weeks and remaining in the top ten for over two months against really heavy competition. But in the New York City area it was a monster, the #1 song of the entire year 1957 according to my compilation of the weekly charts of WMGM, the dominant top 40 radio station at the time. During its run of seven weeks at #1 it fended off the challenges of both "You Send Me" and "Jailhouse Rock."
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The earliest stereo version of a single originally released in mono that is included in the Timeline.
 

 

 

 
Chuck Berry`s original recording clocked in at 3:10. A couple of early CD reissues used this original *studio* master, which is how I first learned about it. It was speeded up about 6% for release, as had previously been done with a few Fats Domino releases. Five years after this release, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys put new "surfer" lyrics to the melody and arrangement of "Sweet Little Sixteen." Chuck Berry was officially identified as the co-writer of "Surfin` USA" before long.