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Shake, Rattle and Roll
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Shake, Rattle and Roll
| cover = Shake, Rattle and Roll single cover.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Big Joe Turner
| B-side = You Know I Love You
| released =
| recorded = New York City, February 15, 1954
| studio =
| genre =
| length = 2:57
| label = Atlantic
| writer = Charles F. Calhoun Jesse Stone
| producer =
| prev_title = TV Mama
| prev_year = 1954
| next_title = Well All Right
| next_year = 1954
}}
"'Shake, Rattle and Roll'" is a song, written in 1954 by Jesse Stone (usually credited as Charles Calhoun, his songwriting name). The original recording by Big Joe Turner is ranked number 127 on the 'Rolling Stone' magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Background
In early 1954, Ahmet ErtegunRobert Greenfield, 'The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun' (Simon & Schuster November 8, 2011, ) Chapter 7 of Atlantic Records suggested to Jesse Stone that he write an up-tempo blues for Big Joe Turner, a blues shouter whose career had begun in Kansas City before World War II. Stone played around with various phrases before coming up with "shake, rattle and roll".Nick Tosches, 'Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll' (2nd ed. 1991), page 12-21. (Stone used his real name for ASCAP songs, while using the pseudonym "Charles Calhoun" for BMI-registered songs, such as "Shake, Rattle and Roll").
However, the phrase had been used in earlier songs. In 1910, vaudeville performer "Baby" Franklin Seals published "You Got to Shake, Rattle and Roll", a ragtime tune about gambling with dice, in New Orleans;[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_RqSDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA340&lpg=PA340&dq=%22baby+seals%22+blues+1915&source=bl&ots=AaLAj9YJqi&sig=EKCffLi1BlAXLkKTk9DURVpozu4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHgeLol9XZAhWJJsAKHUVrA1MQ6AEIRTAJ#v=onepage&q=%22baby%20seals%22&f=false Lynn Abbott, Doug Seroff, 'The Original Blues: The Emergence of the Blues in African American Vaudeville', University Press of Mississippi, 2017, p.127] in 1919, Al Bernard recorded a version of the song.[https://archive.org/details/stompswerveameri00wond/page/138 David Wondrich, 'Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot, 1843-1924', Chicago Review Press, 2003, p.138]
Joe Turner original
Turner recorded "Shake, Rattle and Roll" in New York City on February 15, 1954. Jesse Stone, and record label executives Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun provided the shouting chorus; other players included guitarist Mickey Baker and drummer Connie Kay. Turner's recording was released in April 1954 and reached number one on the U.S. 'Billboard' R&B chart and number 22 on the 'Billboard' singles chart.Dawson, Jim, and Steve Propes, 'What Was The First Rock 'n' Roll Record ?' (Faber and Faber, 1992, p. 128 and 130)
Bill Haley version
Bill Haley & His Comets recorded a cover version of the song on June 7, 1954,Dawson, Jim. 'Rock Around the Clock : The Record that Started the Rock Revolution' (Backbeat Books, 2005, pp. 9596), . the same week Turner's version first topped the R&B charts. The Comets provided the instrumental accompaniment: Johnny Grande on piano, Billy Williamson on rhythm guitar, Marshall Lytle on bass, and Joey Ambrose on saxophone. Haley's version was released in August and reached number seven on the 'Billboard' singles chart, spending a total of twenty-seven weeks in the Top 40. This version of the song was played during the credits in the 1985 cult film 'Clue'.
Elvis Presley versions
Elvis Presley recorded the song twice in a studio setting: a demo recorded at radio station KDAV in Lubbock, Texas in January 1955 while under contract with Sun Records (this recording was not released until the 1990s) and as a 1956 single for RCA Victor.
Introduced by Cleveland disc jockey Bill Randle, Presley, guitarist Scotty Moore, bassist Bill Black, and drummer D. J. Fontana performed the song in medley with the similar "Flip, Flop and Fly" on the January 28, 1956, broadcast of the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show (Haley's "kitchen" opening verse was sung).Roger Lee Hall, 'Shake, Rattle and Roll: Electric Elvis and Bill Randle' PineTree Press, 2010, pages 7-9 Presley recorded the song with these same musicians.Elvis Presley DVD 46:26
See also
* First rock and roll record
References
Category:Songs about dancing
Category:Songs about rock music
Category:1954 singles
Category:1954 songs
Category:Big Joe Turner songs
Category:Bill Haley songs
Category:Elvis Presley songs
Category:Songs written by Jesse Stone
Category:Atlantic Records singles
Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
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