Another B side that Disc Jockeys flipped over and became a huge #1 hit.
In the mid-eighties, I was in a cage…a parts cage in a place that sold printers and copiers. I was the stock boy and had my radio tuned in to the oldies station on 96.3 in Nashville. They played the 50s, 60s, and softer 70s.
When I heard this my first thought was Buddy Holly. I had a Buddy Holly greatest hits album at that time and I wondered why this wasn’t on it. After the second or third time, I heard it… the DJ said “another one by Tommy Roe.” I knew the song Dizzy rather well never heard this one. It didn’t have that drive that Buddy Holly songs had but it has a simple charm.
It peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, and #3 in the UK in 1962.
Roe wrote this song when he was just 14 years old and it was influenced by Peggy Sue. This was initially recorded in 1960 for a small label called Judd Records, which was run by Jud Phillips, the brother of Sam Phillips of Sun Records. When Roe accepted a deal with ABC Paramount, the song was re-recorded with a different arrangement, and released as the B-side to “Save Your Kisses.” When DJs flipped the record and started playing “Sheila” instead, the song took off.
The song had some major players backing Tommy Roe. The hit version of this song was recorded at RCA Studios in Nashville with producer Felton Jarvis. On guitar was Jerry Reed, who later became a Country star as a solo act. The backup singers were The Jordanaires, who sang behind Elvis Presley on many of his hits.
Roe was labeled “bubblegum” and that label was pretty much correct… and he quietly had a string of hits. He had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including the number one hits, Dizzy in 1969 and this song in 1962.
Tommy Roe: When I was around 14, I started writing poems, and I wrote a poem for a girl named Frida that I had a crush on (laughs). And around the same time, my dad taught me three chords on the guitar. So I thought…if I could put some music to these poems, I could become a songwriter. And then in high school, I formed a band called Tommy Roe & The Satins.
When I was 20, I had an opportunity to audition for a record producer. I sang “Frida” for him, and he said, “Man, I love that song ‘Frida,’ but I’m not crazy about that title.” So we ended up changing the title to “Sheila,” and as they say…the rest is history. It became my first number one hit, and it launched my career.
Sheila
Sweet little Sheila, you’ll know her if you see her Blue eyes and a ponytail Her cheeks are rosy, she looks a little nosy Man, this little girl is fine
Never knew a girl like-a little Sheila Her name drives me insane Sweet little girl, that’s my little Sheila Man, this little girl is fine
Me and Sheila go for a ride Oh oh oh oh, I feel all funny inside Then little Sheila whispers in my ear Oh oh oh oh, I love you Sheila dear
Sheila said she loved me, she said she’d never leave me True love will never die We’re so doggone happy just bein’ around together Man, this little girl is fine
Never knew a girl like-a little Sheila Her name drives me insane Sweet little girl, that’s my little Sheila Man, this little girl is fine
Me and Sheila go for a ride Oh oh oh oh, I feel all funny inside Then little Sheila whispers in my ear Oh oh oh oh, I love you Sheila dear
Sheila said she loved me, she said she’d never leave me True love will never die We’re so doggone happy just bein’ around together Man, this little girl is fine Oh, this little girl is fine Yeah, this little girl is fine Oh, this little girl is fine
How I love these early Sun Record artists. There were more there besides Elvis, Jerry Lee, Orbison, Perkins, and Cash. The key to this song to me is that the guitar plays a hell of a rhythm through the song. The saxophone break cuts through the recording with a great solo.
In January 1954, Ike Turner brought the young Billy Emerson to Sam Philips’ attention. He would cut some great songs at Sun but not any hits. He wrote songs covered by Elvis, Junior Wells, Willie Mabon, Wynonie Harris, and Buddy Guy.
Move Baby Move was cut in Memphis, Tennessee in October 1954 by Billy Emerson (piano and vocal), Luther Taylor (trumpet), Charles Smith (alto saxophone), Bennie Moore (tenor saxophone), Elven Parr (guitar), and Robert Prindell (drums); the song was written by Billy Emerson.
This song uses the melody of “Shake, Rattle, and Roll”, using an uptempo rocking arrangement. Emerson’s voice drives it home.
Billy Emerson:“At Sun,Sam Phillips was always wanting to hear something different, and back then I could just go away and think of something different to record overnight.”
Sam Phillips:“Billy Emerson wrote such great songs. He was one of the very best.”
Move Baby Move
Stop banging on the door and come on in this house
Stop banging on the door and come on in this house
Kick off your slippers and tip here quiet as a mouse
You passed by the house and I was laying here wide awake
You passed by the house and I was laying here wide awake
You’d better stop that cattin’ and give this dog a break
You gotta move, baby, move
You gotta move, baby, move
You gotta move, baby, move
You gotta move, baby, move
Well, you won’t do right and you know I ain’t no fool
You gotta go that line and watch the way you do
You gotta go that line and watch the way you do
If you don’t stop rappin’ then you and me are through
You’d better pack your rags and move on down the line
You’d better pack your rags and move on down the line
I’m tired of this jive and I won’t stop by crying
You gotta move, baby, move
move, baby, move
move, baby, move
move, baby, move
Well you won’t do right and you know I aint no fool
My son had never visited Graceland and his girlfriend is visiting so I thought it would be time to go. I’ve been 2 times before…once in the 80s and again in the mid-nineties. We stayed in the Exchange Building in Memphis…a building that is 112 years old. If you are looking for a place in Memphis, it’s listed under Air B&Bs…I would recommend this place…love the architecture.
We got to Graceland on Saturday and it was crowded of course…and the price has more than doubled in the past 10 years from what I read. It’s now $77 (80 with tax) dollars per person for a house visit plus the planes and different exhibits. Compared to the 90s…it’s enough items to keep you busy at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours easy…still that is steep when you have a few people.
You get through the house in 30 minutes or so…at least we did. It’s the huge new complex they built to house most of his items that takes a lot of time.
I’m going to show as many pictures as possible but two exhibits surprised this Beatles fan. They had a section called “Icons” and the artists that were influenced by Elvis. They had many things on loan from The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. I got to see the piano that John Lennon wrote a lot of Double Fantasy on and a vest and Marshall amp from no other than Jimi Hendrix. Also a James Brown outfit, KISS items, Joe Perry, Buddy Holly, and a leather jacket from Bruce Springsteen.
You can google Graceland and get most of the pics inside the house but here are a few…I like the yellow man cave. After this, we took a walk on Beale Street which was really cool. Next time I’m allowing more time. Sun Studios and Buford Pusser’s place in McNairy country are places I wanted to see also.
You should be able to click on the pictures and see all of them one at a time if you want.
Here are some of the exhibits
Last but not least…Elvis’s outfits…it looked like a giant doll’s house.
This is one B side that I have listened to more than the A-side.
I was playing in a band at a Summer Festival in the 90s. This song was on the setlist combined with Bruce’s Cadillac Ranch went over well. The subject matter is dark but truthful.
The song is credited to Chuck Berry and Bruce because Bruce rewrote the Berry song Bye Bye Johnny to fit his story. Chuck’s song follows the same character heard in Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” Johnny is now a grown man who boards a bus to start his life.
Bruce’s version is about Elvis Presley who died a little earlier. Bruce was a big fan of Elvis but saw what fame and isolation did to him. After the glory had left…the lifestyle caught up with Elvis with tragic results. The song was released as a B side to “I’m On Fire” in 1985. I’m On Fire was the 4th single released from Born In The USA. Johnny Bye Bye It was recorded in April 1982 during the “Electric Nebraska” sessions. That was when the band tried to recreate the Nebraska acoustic demos but they could not capture what Bruce wanted.
Springsteen performed this several times live during the River and Born in the USA tours. It is a haunting song to listen to. The keywords are the last lines of the song…”You didn’t have to die, You didn’t have to die.”
Bruce Springsteen: “The type of fame Elvis had . . . the pressure of it, the isolation that it seems to require, has gotta be really painful”
Chuck Berry’s original
“Johnny Bye-Bye”
Well she drew out all her money from the Southern Trust And put her little boy on the Greyhound Bus Leaving Memphis with a guitar in his hand With a one-way ticket to the promised land Hey little girl with the red dress on There’s a party tonight down in Memphis town I’ll be going down there if you need a ride The man on the radio says Elvis Presley’s died We drove to Memphis, the sky was hard and black Up over the ridge came a white Cadillac They’d drawn out all his money and they laid him in the back A woman cried from the roadside “Ah he’s gone, he’s gone” They found him slumped up against the drain With a whole lot of trouble running through his veins Bye-bye Johnny Johnny bye-bye You didn’t have to die You didn’t have to die
Well it’s one for the money, two for the show Three to get ready, now go cat go
This song could be the definition of rock and roll. One of the many great Sun records that were released. Carl Perkins is a guitar hero to me with his rockabilly style that he never lost. I see why George Harrison and a generation was such a fan of the man. This song is up there with Johnny B Good as a Rock and Roll standard.
This song was written by Carl and it soon became a rock and roll anthem. This is another song that by law…you have to know if you are in a rock band. It’s probably better known by a singer from Memphis…named Elvis. I always favored this version…it has Carl playing guitar and that is all I need.
Carl recorded this in Memphis in 1955 for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. As he was driving to make his first national appearance to promote it on the Perry Como Show, he got into an accident that seriously injured him and killed his brother. He later said he was 85 miles away from being the first rockabilly on national television.
Perkins never fully recovered, either emotionally or career-wise. With Perkins unable to touring and promote it, Elvis’ cover version became a massive hit. Presley’s copy was done at RCA studios in Nashville. Perkins did have some hits after this but nothing like Blue Suede Shoes. Interestingly enough…Elvis’s version only made it to #20 in the pop charts.
This single was released in 1956. The B side was Honey Don’t. The single peaked at #2 in the US Charts and #1 in the Country charts.
I always wondered about blue suede shoes and what was so special about them. Blue suede shoes were a luxury item in the South…you would only wear them on a special night out. . You had to be careful with them though, since suede isn’t easy to clean.
Perkins never owned a pair, but Johnny Cash told him a story about someone who did. Cash told Perkins a story from his days serving in the Air Force in Germany. Cash’s sergeant…C.V. White. He would wear his military best when he was allowed off base, and at one point said to Cash, “don’t step on my blue suede shoes.” The shoes were really just Air Force-issued black, but white would say, Tonight they’re blue suede!
The story Perkins told is that later on, he was playing at a high school sorority dance when he came across a guy who wasn’t paying much attention to his date, but kept telling everyone not to stop on his “suedes,” meaning his blues suede shoes. At 3 a.m. that night, Perkins woke up and wrote the lyrics based on what happened that night and the story he heard from Cash. He couldn’t find any paper, so he wrote it on a potato sack.
Perkins based the beginning of this song on a nursery rhyme One For The Money: “One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and four to go.”
Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, came up with the idea of changing the line “Go, man, go” to “Go, cat, go.” He thought the change would make it seem like less of a country song and more of a rocker…it worked!
From Songfacts
Sam Phillips discovered Elvis Presley but sold his contract to RCA for $35,000. The money helped Phillips finance this and other records by artists like Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, but Elvis became The King. Elvis recorded this later in 1956. His version hit US #20 and UK #9.
This was the only Top 40 hit for Perkins on the pop charts, but his influence reaches much further. He was extremely influential to other artists, including Elvis, The Beatles, and Johnny Cash. Perkins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
The lyrics describe some of the things that Perkins would prefer over getting his shoes scuffed, and the list includes some derelict behavior: stepping on his face, stealing his car, burning down his house and drinking his liquor. Some in the Sinatra-loving older generation were horrified, and used the song to back their case that rock ‘n’ roll was the Devil’s music.
This was the first song to hit the US Pop, Country, and R&B charts at the same time. Released on January 1, 1956, the song made a slow climb up the charts, appearing on all three in May, which is when it reached its peak of #2 on the Pop charts.
In Perkins’ original version of this song, there are two deliberate beats after each of the first two lines: “One for the money… bomp, bomp; two for the show… bomp, bomp.” The Elvis version eliminates the pause between the lines and speeds it up considerably.
Dave Edmunds, who later toured with Perkins, tells a story about recording the song with the rock legend for a segment to air on The South Bank Show, a UK program. According to Edmunds, Perkins played the intro without the beats between lines, insisting that when he recorded it, that was a mistake. Edmunds began pleading with him to do it as he did on that record, but then realized the absurdity of explaining to Carl Perkins how to play “Blue Suede Shoes.”
In later appearances, Perkins did play the song in line with his original recording, often with Edmunds by his side. One of his last appearances was with Edmunds performing the song on The Jay Leno Show in 1997 (Perkins died the next year).
The B-side of the single was “Honey Don’t,” which was covered by The Beatles.
This song was a family affair: Perkins’ brother Jay played rhythm guitar on the track, and his other brother Clayton played bass (W.S. “Fluke” Holland was Perkins’ drummer). Jay died from a brain tumor in 1957, and Clayton took his own life in 1974.
The charting versions of this song in America were by:
Carl Perkins – #2, 1956 Elvis Presley – #20, 1956 Boyd Bennett – #63, 1956 Johnny Rivers – #38, 1973
Pat Boone, Conway Twitty, The Dave Clark Five and Merle Haggard are among the many to record it. A version by Buddy Holly surfaced in 1964 on an album of outtakes called Showcase.
The “better not step on my shoes” trope found its way back to the zeitgeist when Spike Lee included a scene in his 1989 movie Do The Right Thing where a character gets very upset when someone steps on his Air Jordan sneakers.
Perkins, backed by Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats, recorded a new version of this song in 1985 for the soundtrack of the movie Porky’s Revenge! The soundtrack was produced by Dave Edmunds, who also got Willie Nelson, Jeff Beck and George Harrison to record songs for it, leading to a gaping disparity in quality between the film and the soundtrack.
Later in the year, Edmunds spearheaded the “Carl Perkins and Friends” concert special, recorded October 21 in London and aired January 1, 1986 on Cinemax. Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Rosanne Cash were among the “friends.”
The Count performed this song on an episode of Sesame Street. It became a counting exercise (one, two, Blue Suede Shoes).
Blue Suede Shoes
Well it’s one for the money, two for the show Three to get ready, now go cat go But don’t you, step on my blue suede shoes You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
But you can knock me down, step in my face Slander my name all over the place And do anything that you want to do But uh uh honey lay off of my shoes And don’t you step on my blue suede shoes You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Oh let’s go cat!
But you can burn my house, steal my car Drink my liquor from an old fruit jar Do anything that you want to do But uh uh honey lay off of them shoes And don’t you, step on my blue suede shoes You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Rock!
Well it’s one for the money, two for the show Three to get ready, now go cat go But don’t you, step on my blue suede shoes You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Well it’s blue, blue, blue suede shoes Blue, blue, blue suede shoes yeah Blue, blue, blue suede shoes baby Blue, blue, blue suede shoes You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
When I was 12, I was in a Dime Store in my small town (long since gone…another WalMart casualty) walking by the Mynah Bird all of us kids talked to in 1979…looked down at the record rack and I saw this record by the Kinks. When I first saw it I thought it was the Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy I’d been hearing on the radio…by Bad Company.
I was pleasantly surprised when I heard the record and liked it more. I had a Kinks greatest hits album and knew some about them but this record got me into them heavily.
This song peaked at #30 in the Billboard 100 in 1978. Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy was on the Misfits album and it peaked at #40 on the Billboard Album charts in 1978.
Inspired by the death of Elvis Presley and the departures of bassist Andy Pyle and pianist John Gosling from The Kinks, Ray writes about whether rock and roll is something mature adults should do.
From Songfacts
Kinks leader Ray Davies wrote this song, calling it a “Method acting songwriting job.”
While he was writing the song in 1977, he learned that Elvis Presley had died, which influenced the lyric. He was staying in New York at the time, and when he looked out his window late at night, he saw a single light on in one of the buildings. Davies imagined that light being the apartment of an ardent Elvis fan, which became the character Dan the Fan in the song.
The Kinks were falling apart around this time; guitarist Dave Davies wanted to stop touring, and keyboard player John Gosling and bass player Andy Pyle had decided that Misfits would be their last album with the group. Ray Davies explained in Rolling Stone: “The song was almost a homage to them; if you listen to the lyrics, it’s about someone leaving the band because they’ve given up the cause, and the two brothers will find a way through this.”
The line, “The King is dead, rock is done,” is a reference to Elvis. The lyrics go on to describe a man named Dan living in Davies’ block who is a huge fan of The Kinks. Whenever he feels unhappy, Dan loses himself in their music, “living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy.”
By 1978 The Kinks may have been selling out Madison Square Garden, but they weren’t altogether happy. “A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” details Ray Davies and his brother Dave considering breaking up the band. “The song is about two guys,” Ray told Q Magazine. “Shall we call it a day?”
Released as the first single from Misfits, the track was The Kinks’ most successful single in the US since their 1970 top ten hit “Lola.”
A Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy
Hello you, hello me Hello people we used to be Isn’t it strange, we never changed We’ve been through it all, yet we’re still the same
And I know, it’s a miracle we still go For all we know, we might still have a way to go
Hello me, hello you You say you want out, want to start anew Throw in your hand, break up the band Start a new life, be a new man
But for all we know, we might still have a way to go Before you go, there’s something you ought to know
There’s a guy in my block, he lives for rock He plays records day and night
And when he feels down he puts some rock ‘n’ roll on And it makes him feel alright
And when he feels the world is closing in He turns his stereo way up high
He just spends his life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy He just spends his life living on the edge of reality He just spends his life in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy
He just spends his life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy He just spends his life living on the edge of reality He just spends his life in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy
He just spends his life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy Look at me, look at you You say we’ve got nothing left to prove The King is dead, rock is done You might be through, but I’ve just begun
I don’t know, I feel free and I won’t let go Before you go, there’s something you ought to know
Dan is a fan and he lives for our music It’s the only thing that gets him by He’s watched us grow and he’s seen all our shows He’s seen us low and he’s seen us high
Oh, but you and me keep thinking That the world’s just passing us by
Don’t want to spend my life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy Don’t want to spend my life living on the edge of reality Don’t want to waste my life hiding away any more
Don’t want to spend my life living in a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy
In 1977 I turned 10 years old. It was the first year I wanted to know what was going on in the world. I started to watch Walter Cronkite reporting the world news. Keywords I remember were Sadat, Middle East, Son of Sam, Concorde, and Inflation. Local news would be Chris Clark on channel 5 an affiliate of CBS…keywords locally… Snow, Ray Blanton (the name would be more popular the next year…in a bad way), and Larry Schmittou…who would bring Nashville minor league baseball the following year with the “Sounds” a Reds farm team.
I missed around 3 weeks of school because of it being either closed or the bus would not run down our rural road because of snow…sledding and exploring time! In Middle Tn… 1 inch of snow will shut down a city.
I remember Star Wars hit the theaters with lines around the corners. I didn’t see it the month it was released but soon afterward. It was everywhere and the talk of the school. We had never seen anything like it before.
I remember Queen releasing News of the World. A friend of mine brought the album to school and we studied every inch of the cover (by Frank Kelly Freas), a giant robot picking up the bodies of the band. We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions played non-stop on the radio. This is when I started to explore other bands that weren’t named The Beatles.
The TV mini-series Roots was huge and historic.
I was watching Gilligans Island and it was interrupted by sad news. Elvis Presley was dead at 42 years old. My mom and other grown-ups around were really upset. I knew his songs and it was sad but I didn’t understand everyone’s reactions for someone they didn’t know. Three years later when I was 13 I understood perfectly clear when John Lennon was murdered. Three days after Elvis died Groucho Marx passed away…In October Bing Crosby passed away.
I paid attention to the inauguration of Jimmy Carter as President in January. I would hear about peanuts, teeth and his brother Billy for the rest of the year…and about one of those keywords again…inflation.
I remember the Son of Sam killings. In August of that year, David Berkowitz was finally apprehended. He killed six people and wounded seven others. I also remember the blackouts in New York in July…
The Concorde was all over the news that year. To a 10-year-old in 1977, it looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
In March of 1977, I started to follow baseball. I’m not from California but my Dad always rooted for the Dodgers and it was passed down to me. I read from a young age about Babe Ruth, Christy Matheson, and the older players… but this was the first year I followed modern baseball from start to finish. Cey, Lopes, Garvey, Russell, Yeager, Dusty Baker, Reggie Smith, Don Sutton, Tommy John…I loved that team. I still can imitate the batting stance of all of the starters. Ron Cey was my hero and I played 3rd base in Little League because of him.
Our insurance salesman would come to our house every now and then and he knew I was a Dodger fan. He said he went to games in LA and would bring back something for me… I believed him totally. My mom told me not to get my hopes up as he was busy and might forget… A few weeks later…there he was with a Dodger 1977 pennant in his hand to give me…I still have it. I couldn’t believe the pennant in my hand came from the mythical Dodger Stadium where my heroes played.
They had four players with 30 or more home runs that year…Cey, Garvey, Smith, and Baker. They made it to the World Series but broke my heart. They played the Yankees and Reggie Jackson (it still hurts to type his name) hit three home runs in the sixth and deciding game to beat my Dodgers. It took a while to get over that…well I’m still writing about it 41 years later…but it’s always next year.
I’ll close it out on Matchbox and Hot Wheels…I had a huge collection that I carried to friends houses to trade and race.
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