1950s – Page 4 – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Buddy Holly – I’m Gonna Love You Too

The guy was only with us for a few short years but boy he made a huge mark. I had a Buddy Holly marathon while painting and this song stood out. Without Buddy, rock music would have been drastically different. Buddy was a self-contained artist who wrote, arranged, and recorded his own songs. His chord changes and melodies were different from fellow rockers Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. I have always thought that Buddy was the father of power pop.

The song was credited to Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, and Norman Petty but some think Holly wrote the majority of it. It was also covered by Blondie on their Parallel Lines Album. Holly released the song in 1957. It’s on the self-titled Buddy Holly album released on Coral Records. This album contained the classics Peggie Sue, Everyday, Rave On, and Worlds of Love.

William Ruhlmann, who is an American rock critic, said this about the ownership of the song. The song is credited to Joe B. Mauldin, Holly’s bass player; Norman Petty, his producer; and Nikki Sullivan, his sometime rhythm guitarist (who was not heard on the recording). There have long been questions about the songwriting credits assigned to the original songs Holly recorded, and Jerry Allison, his drummer, has gone on record stating that “I’m Gonna Love You Too” actually was written primarily by Holly, with Allison composing the bridge. Certainly the song sounds characteristic of the man who wrote “That’ll Be the Day.” It is another up-tempo number with an infectious tune and boastful lyrics that only thinly veil heartbreak.

Buddy Holly was among the first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Holly #13 among “The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

What really hurts about Holly’s career is that he was just getting started. He had matured and was experimenting more than his rocking peers. Fortunately for all of us, he left behind a significant musical catalog that still influences new and old artists today.

I’m Gonna Love You Too

Ah-ha, ha-ah-ha-ha-haAh-ha, ha-ah-ha-ahAh-ah, ha-ah-ha-ah-ah-ha

A-you’re gonna say you’ve a-missed meA-you’re gonna say you’ll a-kiss meYes, you’re gonna say you’ll a-love me‘Cause I’m a-gonna love you too

I don’t care what you a-told meA-you’re gonna say you’ll a-hold meYes, you’re gonna say you’ll a-love me‘Cause I’m a-gonna love you too

After all, another fella took youBut I still can’t overlook youI’m a-gonna do my best to hook yaAfter all is said and a-done

You’re gonna say you’ve a-missed meA-you’re gonna say you’ll a-kiss meYes, a-you’re gonna say you’ll a-love me‘Cause I’m a-gonna love you too

Ah-ha, ha-ah-ha-ha-ahAh-ha, ha-ah-ha-ahAh-ha, ha-ah-ha-ah-ah-haAh-ha, ha-ah-ha-ha-ahAh-ha, ha-ah-ha-haAh-ha, ha-ah-ha-ha-ha-ha

It’s a-gonna happen, a-some dayYou’re gonna see things a-my wayYes, you’re gonna say you’ll a-love me‘Cause I’m a-gonna love you too

A-you’re gonna tell me a-sweet thingsYou’re gonna make a-my heart singYes, a-you’re gonna hear those a-bells ring‘Cause I’m a-gonna love you too

After all, another fella took youBut I still can’t overlook youI’m a-gonna do my best to hook yaAfter all is said and done

A-you’re gonna say you’ve a-missed meA-you’re gonna say you’ll a-kiss meYes, you’re gonna say you’ll a-love me‘Cause I’m a-gonna love you tooI’m a-gonna love you tooI’m a-gonna love you too

Eddie Fontaine – Nothin’ Shakin’ (But the Leaves on the Trees)

I’ve been reading about the Beatle’s early days when they were leather-bound hoodlums on the streets of Hamburg and Liverpool. Liverpool had a lot of bands and they tended to do the same songs. The Beatles broke out of that by picking B sides rather than playing a top 40 hit every time. They had excellent taste. They played this one in Hamburg at the Star Club. If you haven’t heard the low-quality album Beatles Live At the Star Club…it’s worth listening to. It’s The Beatles in rock/punk mode.

Eddie Fontaine, singer and actor, released this song in 1958. It has it all…twangy 1950s guitar and a cool lyric to boot. Eddie Fontaine never became a major name in rock and roll but his song left an impression on a generation of young rockers.

Eddie was from Massachusetts and RCA signed him in 1954 as a vocalist. He first gained attention as a singer with his single Cool It, Baby in 1956, which had moderate success. It was featured in the film The Girl Can’t Help It. However, Nothin’ Shakin in 1958 brought him more recognition, especially within the rockabilly crowd.

Eddie was an actor as well. He has 27 actor credits in IMDB. He appeared in TV shows like 77 Sunset Strip, The Wild Wild West, Ironside, Kojak, Planet of the Apes, Baretta, and many more.

This song peaked at #64 on the Billboard 100 in 1958. Below is a more refined Beatles version they did on the BBC radio and the original by Eddie himself.

Nothin’ Shakin’

I’m finding out what love is all aboutAnd every day at three when school lets outI see my baby I get weak in the kneesThere’s nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesWhy must she be such a doggone tease?There’s nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the trees

We meet the gang and go to Rockin’ Joe’sThe cats are stompin’ on their heels and toesI grab my baby, tried to give her a squeezeNothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesMy daddy told me there’d be times like theseThere’s nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the trees

She’s got a way that makes me act like a foolOh, she spends my money then she plays me cruelI’m beggin’ her for kisses on bended kneesGimme some lovin’ baby, please, please, please

But I keep trying hard to make her mineSomeday the wind will blow, the sun will shineUntil that time she puts my heart at easeThere’s nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesShe locked my heart and threw away the keysThere’s nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesHa ha ha!

Nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesShe’s got a way that makes me act like a foolOh, spends my money then she plays me cruelI’m beggin’ for her kisses on bended kneesWhy don’t ya gimme some lovin’ baby, please, please, please

But I keep trying hard to make her mineSomeday the wind will blow, the sun will shineUntil that time she puts my heart at easeThere’s nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesWhy must she be such a doggone tease?There’s nothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesNothin’ shakin’ but the leaves on the treesNothin’ shakin’, oh shakin’

Brothers At Arms – Johnny and Dorsey Burnette

We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In this series from myself and Randy, have discussed “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings. This week Randy talks about the Burnette brothers. They were at it while most of the other brother’s acts were still in diapers. The original post is here.

“Tear It Up” by Johnny Burnette and The Rock ‘n Roll Trio (1956) written by Paul Burlison, Dorsey Burnette, and Johnny Burnette. Covered 40 times including Rod Stewart in 1981.

Dorsey William Burnett Jr. (December 28, 1932 – August 19, 1979) and his younger brother John Joseph Burnette (March 25, 1934 – August 14, 1964) along with Paul Burlison (February 4, 1929 – September 27, 2003) were the original Rockabilly band. One thing The Rock ‘n Roll Trio loved almost as much as music, was fighting.

Dorsey and Johnny grew up in the housing projects of Memphis where being tough was a distinct advantage. They both took to boxing and became Golden Glove Champions. In 1949 while working on oil barges on the Mississippi they met another Golden Glove champ, Paul Burlison, also from Tennessee. After work the three began playing in bars at night and in 1952 they formed a band.

After several wins at Amateur contests they landed a record deal with Coral Records. Unfortunately their national TV debut on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour aired on ABC the same night as Elvis’s September 9, 1956 Live appearance on CBS that had 82% of the viewing audience. Misadvised I would say, they performed “Hound Dog” that Elvis had released in July. They appeared on a few other shows but they struggled to gain wide spread fame, but they never gave up.

“Rock Billy Boogie” (1956) by Johnny Burnette and The Rock ‘n Roll Trio, written by Dorsey Burnette, Johnny Burnette, George Hawkins and Henry Jerome.

First cover of “Rock Billy Boogie” was by Robert Gordon in 1979.

The two brothers never entirely gave up ‘boxing’ either. Life on the road was tough and the tensions would lead to some nasty fistfights between Dorsey and Johnny. Sometimes the fights started on stage and would spread into the audience. Apparently one night the three of them took on everyone in the place, and won. This led to several bans from bars and tours. One night in August of 1956 in Niagara Falls, NY the brothers had a brutal fight. The next day Dorsey left the band and it was just days before their big break to appear in the Alan Freed movie Rock! Rock! Rock!

Johnny quickly recruited Bill Black’s (Elvis’s bass player) younger brother Johnny Black and the appearance went ahead. The record company credited their next release with Johnny Burnette at the front and even when Dorsey returned a year later that’s how they were billed. They would then pursue solo careers and continue to write some great rock and roll songs. Johnny would die in a boating accident in 1964. His original recording of “You’re Sixteen” appears on the American Graffiti Movie Soundtrack. Covered over 90 times and of course by Ringo Starr that hit #1 on the Hot 100 in 1973.

“You’re Sixteen” (1960) by Johnny Burnette reached #8 on the Hot 100, written by Richard Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The Sherman brothers would go on to write all those amazing songs for Disney Movies such as “Chim Chim Cheree”, “I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)”, “Super-Cali-Fragil-Istic-Expi-Ali-Docious”, “It’s a Small World” and dozens more.

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Elvis Presley – Hound Dog

The Big E was at his best in the fifties before the Army and films changed him. This is the song that I first heard by him and it made me a fan when I was around 5 or so. The song brought up images to kids and was easy to understand in a kid’s sort of way…and it rocked.

I think it’s one of the best rock singles ever released. Do you want a double A-side? Try Hound Dog backed with Don’t Be Cruel. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Those early Elvis songs were magical. Hound Dog, That’s Alright, I Forgot To Remember To Forget, Mystery Train, Heartbreak Hotel, Don’t Be Cruel, and the list goes on. Many artists have played rock and roll but it’s hard as hell to beat these primal songs. I think one of the reasons is they were mostly recorded live in a studio. They don’t have 100 overdubs…just simplicity at its best and it hits its target.

Hound Dog was first recorded by Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton and was a number 1 rhythm & blues hit in 1953. Her voice is incredible in this song. She nailed it and so did Elvis. Elvis’s version is a little faster than Thornton’s version…but that made room for her dynamic voice.

Elvis Presley’s version didn’t do too bad. It peaked at #1 on the Hot 100, #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts, and #2 in the UK in 1956 (I could not find Canada). The song was written by teenagers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They would go on to write many more chart hits for everyone…including Elvis with Jailhouse Rock.

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller: “We’d actually written ‘Hound Dog’ 90 percent on the way over in the car. I was beating out a rhythm we called the ‘buck dance’ on the roof of the car. We got to Johnny Otis’s house and Mike went right to the piano… didn’t even bother to sit down. He had a cigarette in his mouth that was burning his left eye, and he started to play the song. We took the song back to Big Mama and she snatched the paper out of my hand and said, ‘Is this my big hit?’ And I said, ‘I hope so.’

Next thing I know, she starts crooning ‘Hound Dog’ like Frank Sinatra would sing ‘In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning.’ And I’m looking at her, and I’m a little intimidated by the razor scars on her face, and she’s about 280-320 pounds, and I said, ‘It don’t go that way.’ And she looked at me like looks could kill and said – and this was when I found out I was white – ‘White boy, don’t you be tellin’ me how to sing the blues.’ We finally got through it.

Johnny brought Mike back in the room and asked him to sit down at the piano, which was not easy because Johnny had this female piano player who was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger. They finally exchanged seats and did the song the way it was supposed to sound. And that was one of those where we said, ‘That’s a hit.’ And I thought immediately: We both said it, it’s gonna put a hex on it!”

Hound Dog

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeYou ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

Well, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYeah, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYeah, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeYou ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

Well, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYeah, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

Well, they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieYa know they said you was high-classedWell, that was just a lieWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitAnd you ain’t no friend of mine

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeYou ain’t nothin’ but a hound dogCryin’ all the timeWell, you ain’t never caught a rabbitYou ain’t no friend of mine

You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog

Max’s Drive-In Movie – High Noon

When I see Gary Cooper I think of one person…and that is Lou Gehrig because he did a great job portraying him in Pride of the Yankees. Gary Cooper plays Sheriff Will Kane in this western on his wedding day. Grace Kelly plays his Quaker’s new wife and she is stunning. Katy Jurado is also great in the role of Helen Ramírez, a beautiful and successful woman.

There are other excellent Westerns like The Unforgiven, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, The Eastwood Trilogy, The Searchers, and Tombstone…this is right up there with them. It’s very uncluttered and doesn’t have 20 plotlines going on at once…it’s simple but exciting. I’ve watched this movie around 5 times and I always find something I didn’t before.

The Killer Frank Miller is due on the noon train and his first order of business is to kill Kaine, a man who Kane helped send to prison five years ago and swore blood vengeance at the time. The three members of his gang are waiting at the depot. Miller escaped hanging, got a long sentence, and some idiots on the parole board turned him loose.

Cooper is a man’s man in this one…a badass but a laid-back one. He refuses to run away from a fight despite having no help from the town members who say he once saved the town. He visits the bar and The church and gets nothing. He takes them on himself.

The 40s and 50s had some great character actors. One in this movie I always have liked…Thomas Mitchell, was in some Capra films, including It’s A Wonderful Life. You have other actors that you have heard of. Harry Morgan of Dragnet and M*A*S*H. Future movie stars Lloyd Bridges and Lon Chaney Jr.

Give this one a watch…it’s only 85 minutes long and Cooper just oozes goodness in many roles including this one. He is not an anti-hero but a man who stands for what is right no matter the cost. This film explores the best and worst of mankind.

The fictional Tony Soprano : Let me tell ya something. Nowadays, everybody’s gotta go to shrinks, and counselors, and go on “Sally Jessy Raphael” and talk about their problems. What happened to Gary Cooper? The strong, silent type. That was an American. He wasn’t in touch with his feelings. He just did what he had to do.

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Brothers At Arms – The Bee Gees

We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In this part of the mini-series Randy, from mostlymusiccovers.com, talks about the “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings of the Bee Gees.

“To Love Somebody” was written by Robin and Barry Gibb. It was released as a single in 1967 and reached #41 in their native UK. The song did better elsewhere making several top 10s and #17 on the Hot 100. It would be a cover by Michael Bolton released in 1992 that put it at #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts in Canada and the US. It has endured to become a classic with over 210 versions of the song.

Formed in 1958 with brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice. After the family’s move to Australia they found their first success, just the three boys returned to their native UK in 1967. They would go on to sell an estimated 200 million records, post nine #1s on the Hot 100 and entered the top five of the most successful bands in history.

Life was not so easy, with an unreliable father they became the bread winners for the family at a very young age. Despite the pressures the boys got on quite well, until the dreaded “S” word enter in. Success. Their first #1 in the UK was “Massachusetts” in 1967. Robin sang lead on it and it was a position he was not willing to give up. The in-fighting began.

This is not perhaps the level of fighting on the same scale as some of our other brother groups, but they were not producing any hits and Robin was really at the heart of a split up in 1969. The reconciliation produced their first US #1 Hot 100 hit, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” in 1971. It was very much an autobiographical song. Success is fleeting in the music business and another downturn followed as their next album was a flop. By 1975 they had all moved to the US. Both Robin and Maurice struggled mightily with addiction problems. Robin seemed to tolerate the more democratic Barry becoming the defacto leader, but there were tensions. Not enough though to stop them from reinventing themselves yet again.

The Disco era and Saturday Night Fever saw them rise to incredible worldwide success with eight Hot 100 #1 hits in the mid to late 1970s. Younger brother Andy would join in the success. Everyone knows the rise and fall of Disco, and no one paid a heavier price than the Bee Gees. All of a sudden no one wanted to hear a Bee Gees song. In fact, they were and are still hated by some. I was not a disco fan, but I was a Bee Gees fan, and I took my fair share of ribbing for it.

Despite all this turmoil surrounding them, only minor tensions erupted, and Barry, Maurice and Robin would discover other people respected their songwriting abilities. First came “Woman in Love” by Barbra Streisand, and then “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, both worldwide #1 smash hits. And also, songs for Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and others. So, the brothers Gibb had risen from the ashes for yet a third time but as songwriters. And then remarkably a fourth time, as recording success returned once again and they placed four more songs in the top 10 in the UK in the 90s.

Maurice would die at age 53 in 2003 and despite attempts to regroup, the band that was the Bee Gees were effectively no more. Younger brother Andy had died in 1988 and Robin in 2012. Barry the oldest, has continued to record and perform.

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Gunsmoke, the Early Years

I’m reading a book on James Arness…or Matt Dillion from Gunsmoke. When you watch these beginning shows you see Arness turn into a fine actor. He was in many movies before Gunsmoke but he looked a little uncomfortable in the first season. By the second season, you could see a huge change. Arness said he wasn’t comfortable and he got an acting teacher to help refine his acting for television.

I liked the show because I grew up watching the hour-long color episodes (seasons 12-20) of Gunsmoke in reruns. The first 6 seasons were black and white and 30 minutes long. Seasons 7-11 were one-hour black and white shows. As I said seasons 12-20 were one-hour color shows.

Now I’m watching the first 6 seasons for about the 6th time… There is no Festus or Newly…we have Chester (Dennis Weaver), who is a refreshing character. They never played these episodes on television when I was younger. There still is Doc Adams (Milburn Stone)and the astonishing Kitty Russell (Amanda Blake).

These episodes dealt with murder, rape, human trafficking, and plenty of Matt Dillon (James Arness) decking bad guys with his fist or the butt of his gun. They are 30 minutes long which is great. They got to the point quickly. Some of the stories were grim but matched the look of the series. It was an adult show at this time.

I was surprised at how rough, violent, and authentic they were and that is not knocking the later episodes but there is a huge difference. The violence was toned down as the series continued. The later color episodes centered more around the guest stars and the old black and white ones centered more on the local residents of Dodge City. That was by design because of the hour format…and some shows had some filler in them in that format.

Have Gun Will Travel was also on CBS along with Gunsmoke. You will see some of the same character actors and sets. Some Have Gun Will Travel scenes were filmed in a redecorated Long Branch… Too bad there wasn’t a crossover at least once.

Chester…I’ve always liked Dennis Weaver as an actor…in McCloud, Duel, and anything he was in… He brings his character Chester alive as a real person. Chester had a limp on the show and Dennis Weaver said he would take yoga classes so he could do things like putting on a boot to look believable with a bad leg…he also put a pebble in his boot on his right foot so he would not forget which leg was lame. He said it took him months after Gunsmoke not to use the limp on camera because he was so used to it.

Chester could be lazy but he was invaluable and loyal to a fault to Matt Dillon. Dennis Weaver left the show after the 9th season with no explanation on what happened to Chester as was the way back then with TV shows. He was mentioned one time in the 20th season. Burt Reynolds joined the show for two years in seasons 8 and 9. He said it was his best experience in entertainment. The cast was extremely close.

If you are a fan and have seen only the later episodes…check these out. It puts a new light on the show. Unlike other Westerns, Native Americans were not usually the bad guys in Gunsmoke. Matt Dillion was a good friend to many of them.

Here is a badly recorded clip of Matt Dillion, Chester, and Ken Curtis who would later take Chester’s place in the show and play Festus.

Bill Haley – Crazy Man, Crazy

In my first 6 years of blogging, I posted one Bill Haley song. Now in the past 5-6 months, this makes my 3rd. That’s what happens when Max reads books.

If there was ever a fifties phrase…this is it. This song was released in 1953…two years before the popularity of Rock Around The Clock. It was Haley’s first time in the top twenty. He said he got this phrase from a teenager when he asked her if she liked what she heard in rock and roll.

The song has that western swing/big band sound to it…but also had its toe in the rock and roll water. This song peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 and #66 on the R&B Charts in 1953.

Haley always dreamed of fame but he was extremely private. Those two things don’t go together well. He turned down opportunities to make himself more known time after time. He originally said no to having Rock Around The Clock in a movie. He had to be talked into it. Coke also offered him 250,000 dollars (2,667,967.13 now) to appear in a few advertisements when he and the Comets needed the money….he again said no. All in all, he was unable to capitalize on his popularity like his peers were able to do.

Things started to fall apart in the late ‘50s, mostly due to mismanagement and Bill’s loyalty to friends from the neighborhood who were way over their heads in business affairs.

He has a lot to be remembered for…he joined Country, Big Band, and R&B and called it “Country Jive.” He remained popular in the UK. His last tour there in 1979 included an appearance before the Queen on the Royal Variety Performance.

The B-Side… What’cha Gonna Do?

Crazy Man, Crazy

Crazy man crazyCrazy man crazyCrazy man crazyOh, man, that music’s gone, goneSaid crazy man crazyCrazy man crazyCrazy man crazyOh, man, that music’s gone, gone

When I go out and I want a treatI find me a band with a solid beatTake my chick and we dance aboutWhen they start rockin’, boy, we start to shout, we shout

Crazy man crazyCrazy man crazyCrazy man crazyMan, that music’s gone, goneGo, go, go everybodyGo, go, go everybodyGo, go, go everybodyGo, go, go, go, go, go, go

Crazy man crazyCrazy man crazyCrazy man crazyMan, that music’s gone, goneSaid crazy man crazyCrazy man crazyCrazy man crazyMan, that music’s gone, gone

They play it soft, they play it strongThey play it wild and they play it longThey just keep playin’ ’til the break of dayTo keep them rockin’ all you gotta say is

Crazy man crazyCrazy man crazyCrazy man crazyMan, that music’s gone, goneGo, go, go everybodyGo, go, go everybodyGo, go, go everybodyGo, go, go, go, go, go, go

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Brothers At Arms – Don and Phil Everly

Randy from mostlymusiccovers.com and I teamed up to write about different brothers in rock and roll through the years. This is the first one of the series. I combined the introduction with this first post. I will post these on Sunday mornings.

We all know the great album Brothers in Arms from Dire Straits, but sometimes those brothers are “at arms” rather than in them. In a periodic mini-series Randy, from mostlymusiccovers.com, and I will explore some “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings. As it happens the Knopfler brothers are among many sets and while we can’t talk about all of them, we will feature some of the better-known sibling rivalries. Two, three, and sometimes even more brothers in a band, well, stop being a band of brothers. How many more cheesy puns can we come up with? Just some of the names Randy and I discussed were; The Everly’s, The Fogerty’s, The Gibb’s, to the Gallagher’s, Allmans, and the Davies.

For those of you who have not checked out Randy and his blog, you really need to. He has been writing a blog about Cover Songs, music genres, and artists since early 2018. He gets in-depth with many artists You can read about the origins of Rock and Roll, Blues, R&B, and Country Music. There are Cover Song and Chart statistics as well, all with a focus on the 1950s, 60s, and 70s at MostlyMusicCovers.com. He has also helped me out with blues artists and Canadian Charts in general.

While we can’t get too in-depth as literally books have been written, we can give a good thumbnail sketch of the bash ups and the break ups. A few days ago Randy mentioned that brothers Doug and Rusty Kershaw had split, but I did not read about it being that acrimonious, more of a creative differences situation. Our brother stories have a bit more ‘punch’ to them.

This is the first post in a periodic mini-series where Randy from mostlymusiccovers.com and I will explore some “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em” Siblings. The original post is here. Randy tells us about Don and Phil Everly.

“Bye, Bye, Love” The Everly Brothers first big hit from 1957.

Don was born in 1937 (2021) and Phil in 1939 (2014), raised in Kentucky, the brothers would move to Nashville in 1955 to pursue a recording career. As in the above clip it was “Bye, Bye, Love” in 1957 that sent the brothers skyrocketing. Written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant it was #1 on the Country chart, #2 in the US and Canada, #6 in the UK and 14 in Australia, and #14 on the R&B chart. Their next song “Wake Up Little Susie” was #1 in the US and Canada, #2 in the UK, and #3 in Australia.

They toured with Buddy Holly in 1957 and 1958 and became very close, Buddy’s death, Feb. 3, 1959 would have a devastating impact on the pair. Don wrote their next and last #1 hit “Cathy’s Clown” in 1960. This was after a dispute with the record/publishing company, leaving Acuff/Rose and unfortunately songwriters Felice and Boudleaux Bryant.

Still, they had a busy schedule, the demands of touring and the pressures of performing and recording, the inevitable happened. The use of amphetamines was rampant in the business and they both got hooked.

By the mid 1960’s they fought over just about everything and of the two it was Don that had the most severe drug problem. Chart success was eluding them and the brothers were not getting along, but it was kept a closely guarded secret that they were able to hold for several years. Don attempted to go solo in 1970 but had no success. Things finally came to a head and in 1973 they agreed their July 14/15 show would be the last one.

Don was drunk before the show started, part way into the show Phil smashed his guitar and walked off stage. Don would finish the show and perform solo the next night. They did not speak for nearly ten years. They would reunite in 1983, had a great reunion concert, and released an album EB84, produced and named in his style ¹ by Dave Edmunds that charted #38 on Billboard and #24 on the Country Album chart. They continued to perform periodically, and in 2003 they toured with Paul Simon. They remained close until Phil’s death at age 74 in 2014. Don passed in 2021 at age 84.

“On the Wings of a Nightingale” written for The Everly Brothers by Paul McCartney

Despite the battles and the hardship, they gave us some of the most remarkable harmonies ever-ly recorded.

Dave Edmunds released his 7th Studio album called D.E. 7th in 1982.

T-Bone Walker – T Bone Shuffle

I’ve heard his name most of my life but never heard him. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve been hearing going over his catalog. T-Bone Walker singing T-Bone Shuffle is so smooth. He has a blues and jazz thing going on and it’s hard to beat. It was released in 1949. He wrote the song and it’s been covered 42 times by The Robert Cray Band to Jools Holland.

T-Bone Walker (Aaron Thibeaux Walker) in Linden, Texas, Walker grew up in a musical family and began performing in his teens. He was influenced by Blind Lemon Jefferson, whom he often played with. Walker’s parents were musical and encouraged him to play. He could play several instruments including guitar, piano, and banjo.

In 1929, Walker made his recording debut under the name “Oak Cliff T-Bone,” recording Wichita Falls Blues and Trinity River Blues. He is credited with being one of the first musicians to use the electric guitar as a lead instrument. His 1942 recording of Mean Old World featured his pioneering electric guitar work.

1971, he won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording for his album Good Feelin’. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He passed away in 1975 following a stroke.

I added a bonus pick today…Two Bones and a Pick was recorded in 1955 and released as part of the T-Bone Blues album in 1959.

T-Bone Shuffle

Let your hair down babyLet’s have a natural ballLet your hair down babyLet’s have a natural ballCause when you’re not happyIt ain’t no fun at all

You can’t take it with youThat’s one thing for sureYou can’t take it with you babyThat’s one thing for sureThere’s nothing wrong with ya babyThat a good T-Bone shuffle can’t cure

Have fun while ya canFate’s an awful thingHave fun while ya canFate’s an awful thingYou can’t tell what might happenThat’s why I love to sing

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Bo Diddley – Road Runner

The bands I was in always did this song. I didn’t know this version at the time though…it was The Who’s version that we went by. That riff was a powerful guitar riff that kicked in after edging down the strings.

This song was written by Bo Diddley who came up with the ultimate riff with the song Bo Diddley. This song was released in 1959 and it peaked at #20 in the Billboard R&B Charts and #75 on the Billboard 100. It has been covered by many artists over the years and featured in various movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Bo Diddley was born Ellas Bates. He had his name changed to Ellas McDaniels when he was adopted. He took his stage name from a one-stringed Deep South instrument, the Diddley Bow.

You can be cool… but not Bo Diddley playing his square guitar cool… he was a great guitarist and showman.

I always loved his square guitar. He built a guitar that looked like no other. He designed and constructed a custom-built square-shaped guitar for himself, he then commissioned Gretsch Guitars and Kinman Guitar Electrix to build further custom-built square-shaped models for him.

Road Runner

I’m a road runner honey,Beep! Beep!

I’m a road runner honey,And you can’t keep up with me,I’m a road runner honey,And you can’t keep up with me,Come on, let’s race,Baby baby, you will see,Here I come,Beep! Beep!

Move over honey,Let me by,Move over baby,Let this man by,I’m gonna show you baby, look out your head,Gonna put some dirt in your eye,Here I go!

Oh yea, how am I doin?Beep! Beep!

Take my hand baby,I’m gonna prove to you that I’m a road running man,I wanna show you something,That I’m the fastest in the land,Now let me by,Beep! Beep!Oh yea, you said you’s fast,But it don’t look like you gonna last,Goodbye! I’ve got to put you down,I’ll see you some day,Baby, somewhere hangin’ around.

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Little Walter – You’re So Fine

I’ve read so many artists influenced by Little Walter including The Band. I never really listened to him until recently. The man was magical on harmonica. He sounded so different at the time. He played using an amplified harmonica. He played it through a microphone and amp, giving it a loud, distorted sound that was new and exciting at the time and still is. As I read more about him…some call him The Jimi Hendrix of the Harmonica.

Little Walter’s (Marion Walter Jacobs) career took off when he joined Muddy Water’s band in the early 1950s. His first release was in 1947 with Ora Nelle Blues. He did really well in the R&B charts in the 1950s. He continued to perform and record throughout the 1960s, but his health and personal life crumbled. Little Walter died on February 15, 1968, at the age of 37 from injuries sustained in a fight.

You’re So Fine peaked at #2 on the R&B Charts 1954. It was written by Little Walter.

Here is a super-live version with Otis Rush.

You’re So Fine

You’re so fine pretty baby, let me love you all the time

Well and I got a girl she’s fine and brown
What I like about her, she’s mine all mine
She’s so fine, yes she’s so fine
You’re so fine pretty baby, let me love you all the time

Well I wanna give you all my money buy you diamond, everything
Till you be mine, baby then we will make romance
You’re so fine, yes you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, I wanna love you all the time

Now you fill my conversation baby, you made me talk myself to death
I’m in love with you baby and I don’t want nobody else
You’re so fine, yeah you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, I wanna love you all the time

Yeah you’re so fine baby, let me love you all the time

Now you know I love you baby and I just can’t help myself
Goin’ crazy ’cause you’re lovin’ someone else
You’re so fine, yeah you’re so fine
You are a fine healthy thing, let me love you all the time

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers – I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent

I like quite a few doo-wop songs of the 1950s. The song was written by George Goldner and it was featured on their 1956 album, The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon. It peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1957. The song was featured in the movie Rock, Rock, Rock.

Their big hit was Why Do Fools Fall In Love released in 1956. The group only lasted until 1957 when the manager kept pushing Lymon over the group and he started a solo career. He never reached the heights he did with the Teenagers.

I like concentrating on the music but this story has a sad ending.

They did reunite for a brief time in 1965 but the times had changed. They didn’t have much success so Lymon went back to a solo career. At age 15, he tried heroin for the first time in the mid-fifties. In 1966, he was arrested for heroin possession and was drafted into the Army instead of going to jail. He got off of heroin while in the army but kept going awol…he was dishonorably discharged from the army in 1967 and signed with Roulette Records in 1968.

He celebrated signing by using heroin for the first time in two years. Lymon had a sad ending to his life as he only lived to be 25 and died of a heroin overdose in February 1968. Another music business casualty. He was Michael Jackson before Michael Jackson.

Why Do Fools Fall In Love

I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent

I’m not a juvenile delinquentNo-no-no-no-no-no-no-noNo-no-no-no-no-no-no-noNo-no-no, I’m not a juvenile delinquentDo the things that’s rightAnd you’ll do nothing wrongLife will be so nice, you’ll be in paradiseI know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent

But listen boys and girlsYou need not be blueAnd life is what you make of itIt all depends on youI know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent

It’s easy to be good, it’s hard to be badStay out of trouble, and you be gladTake this tip from me, and you will seeHow happy you will beOh-oh, boys and girls, this is my storyAnd I add all of my gloryI know, because I’m not a juvenile delinquent

No-no-no, I’m not a juvenile

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Car Songs…Part 2

I have so many songs I want to have on here. I read the original post I did and re-read the comments and took some songs from your suggestions and used them. I haven’t got to all of them…so the others probably will be on the next one. I picked one song and you all picked the rest. Some will be in the next edition that I couldn’t fit in this one.

I hope you are all having a great Sunday.

Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats – Rocket 88

CB mentioned this one and it should have been on the first one…since this is often said to be the first rock and roll song. It’s only fitting that it was about a car. The recording session happened on March 3, 1951, at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service in Memphis, Tennessee, which would later become the legendary Sun Studio.

The song was written by Ike Turner and Jackie Brenston. The Delta Cats were actually Ike Turner’s band Turner’s King of Rhythm.

A review from Time Magazine in 1951

Rocket 88 was brash and it was sexy; it took elements of the blues, hammered them with rhythm and attitude and electric guitar, and reimagined black music into something new. If the blues seemed to give voice to old wisdom, this new music seemed full of youthful notions. If the blues was about squeezing cathartic joy out of the bad times, this new music was about letting the good times roll. If the blues was about earthly troubles, the rock that Turner’s crew created seemed to shout that the sky was now the limit.

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen – Hot Rod Lincoln

The main thing I like about the song is the guitar. It has a slight Chuck Berry feel to it and I like the fills the guitar player throws in. Of course, I like Commander Cody’s (George Frayne) vocal sound as well.

The band signed with Warner Brothers and the label wanted a soft country sound but the band refused to change its raw style.

Hot Rod Lincoln was originally written by Charlie Ryan. It was first recorded and released by Charlie Ryan and The Livingston Brothers in 1955. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were a County-Rock group formed at the University of Michigan. Commander Cody is the lead singer and piano player George Frayne. This would be their only top-ten hit. Another song that is well-known by them is Smoke Smoke Smoke.

The Renegades – Cadillac

Fellow blogger HotFox63 mentioned this song when I did a Clash post on Brand New Cadillac so I thought it would be perfect for this. Very cool song that I knew nothing about.

The Renegades were a British rock band formed in Birmingham in 1960. The original lineup consisted of Kim Brown (vocals, guitar), Denys Gibson (guitar), Ian Mallet (bass), and Graham Johnson (drums). Cadillac was released as a single in 1964. The song quickly became a hit in Finland, reaching #1 on the charts. Its success in Finland helped the band gain a substantial following in Scandinavia, and the song’s popularity also spread to other parts of Europe, including Italy.

Rosanne Cash – Black Cadillac

Obbverse mentioned this one. It’s a song from 2005 from an album with the same name. The black Cadillac in the song symbolizes both a funeral car and a connection to her father, who owned a black Cadillac…and about loss, memory, and mourning.

She wrote the album about dealing with the death of her father.

“It certainly crossed my mind that I was opening myself to questions about how much [of the album] was documentary and how much was poetry, I certainly did think about it. But, at the same time, I think that the themes are so universal that it almost doesn’t matter what’s particular to my life. … People can bring their own lives to this subject very easily.”

Beach Boys – 409

Christiansmusicmusings and Halffastcyclingclub both mentioned this one by the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys would be an endless supply of cars and endless summers. This song was written by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, and Gary Usher and was released in 1962.

This song was the B side to Surfin’ Safari.

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Sam Cooke – You Send Me

You don’t hear voices like this every day. The soulful voice the man had was breathtaking.

The songwriting credit for the song has Charles “LC” Cooke, who was Cooke’s brother. Some say he was mistakenly credited and that Sam Cooke wrote it. It’s also said that Sam Cooke wrote the song but gave the credit to his brother because he didn’t want his publisher to get profits off the song. That is the story I believe. This song is credited to Sam Cooke with The Bumps Blackwell Orchestra.

*The song peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 on the R&B Charts, and #29 in the UK in 1957. Sam Cooke is one of the artists that you have to think…what could have been if he hadn’t had such a tragic death at such a young age… Not that he didn’t have a very successful career to that point. He had 20 Top Ten Hits, 29 Top 40 Hits, and 4 Number 1 hits in the R&B Charts.

In the Billboard 100, he had 34 songs in the top 100 and 4 top ten hits. He died when he was only 33 years old. I would suggest reading All Things Thriller’s post about Sam Cooke’s death.

*I looked up the chart position for this song. In Wiki and a Billboard database, it has number 1. I go to Billboard’s site and it doesn’t list the song as even charting… which is crazy. From what I’ve read…the charts changed that year in Billboard…maybe that was part of this. The B side was Summertime.

Art Garfunkel: “I must have sung ‘You Send Me’ to myself walking up and down stairwells at least a thousand times. It was on the charts right when I was having my first little success with Paul Simon as Tom and Jerry. I was just a kid, calling on radio stations for promotional purposes, and all I heard was ‘You Send Me.’ Sam was great to sing along with. He was my hero.”

You Send Me

Darling, you send me
I know you send me
Darling, you send me
Honest, you do, honest, you do
Honest, you do, whoa

You thrill me
I know you, you, you thrill me
Darling, you, you, you, you thrill me
Honest, you do

At first I thought it was infatuation
But, woo, it’s lasted so long
Now I find myself wanting
To marry you and take you home, whoa

You, you, you, you send me
I know you send me
I know you send me
Honest you do

Whoa-oh-oh, whenever I’m with you
I know, I know, I know when I’m near you
Mm hmm, mmm hmm, honest, you do, honest, you do
Whoa-oh-oh, I know-oh-oh-oh

I know, I know, I know, when you hold me
Whoa, whenever you kiss me
Mm hmm, mm hmm, honest you do

At first I thought it was infatuation
But, woo, it’s lasted so long
Now I find myself wanting
To marry you and take you home

I know, I know, I know you send me
I know you send me
Whoa, you, you, you, you send me
Honest you do

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