mentions:
Showing posts with label Carl Perkins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carl Perkins. Show all posts
December 21, 2022
December 19, 2022
45 RPMs 72: Carl Perkins ~ Blue Suede Shoes
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The lyrics describe things Perkins would prefer over getting his shoes scuffed, and the list includes 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.
A & B: Hi Lo Music (BMI)
Seventy-two years ago today, on December 19, 1955, Carl Perkins recorded Blue Suede Shoes for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennesee.
I was heavy into rhythm 'n blues and was intrigued by this "new" sound and went crazy over the song. When Elvis Presley later released a cover of it on August 31, 1956, I hated his version and wouldn't buy it. It is the only Presley song from his early period I don't have on 45.
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 Presley, The Beatles and Johnny Cash. Perkins was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. 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.
Blue
suede shoes were a luxury item in the South, a stylish footwear for a
night out. Perkins never owned a pair, but Johnny Cash told him a story
about someone who did.
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
Well you can do anything but
Lay off of my blue suede shoes
Well, you can knock me down, step in my face
Slander my name all over the place
Do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey, lay off of my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Now let's go cats (oh walk the dogs)
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 baby, lay off of my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Rock it
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
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Go cat uh
Blue, blue suede shoes oh baby
Blue, blue suede shoes uh ha
Blue, blue suede shoes oh baby
Blue, blue suede shoes
You do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Songwriter: Carl Perkins
Three to get ready now go, cat, go
But don't you step on my blue suede shoes
Well you can do anything but
Lay off of my blue suede shoes
Well, you can knock me down, step in my face
Slander my name all over the place
Do anything that you want to do
But uh-uh honey, lay off of my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Now let's go cats (oh walk the dogs)
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 baby, lay off of my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Rock it
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
Well you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Go cat uh
Blue, blue suede shoes oh baby
Blue, blue suede shoes uh ha
Blue, blue suede shoes oh baby
Blue, blue suede shoes
You do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes
Songwriter: Carl Perkins
Perkins wrote Blue Suede Shoes on a 1953 Gibson Les Paul, a solid body electric guitar; he also used it on all of this Sun recordings. The guitar was originally a Gold Top when Perkins bought it new in 1953 and after his hit Blue Suede Shoes he had it painted Blue.
1953 Gibson Les Paul
One of Perkins last appearances was with Dave Edmunds performing Blue Suede Shoes on The Jay Leno Show in 1997 (Perkins died the next year).
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A Blue Suede Shoes - 2:14
Side 2:
B Honey, Don't! - 2:48
Companies, etc.
Side 1:
A Blue Suede Shoes - 2:14
Side 2:
B Honey, Don't! - 2:48
Companies, etc.
Published By Hi-Lo Music
Written by Perkins*
Written by Perkins*
Credits:
A & B: Hi Lo Music (BMI)
Notes:
Runouts are etched.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Runouts are etched.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Rights Society: BMI
Matrix / Runout (A side label): U 176
Matrix / Runout (B side label): U 177
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): U-176-45
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): U-177-45
Matrix / Runout (A side label): U 176
Matrix / Runout (B side label): U 177
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): U-176-45
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): U-177-45
Label: Sun – 234
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: Jan 1, 1956
Genre: Rock
Style: Rockabilly
Songfacts ~ Blue Suede Shoes
YouTube links:
Carl Perkins ~ Blue Suede Shoes
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: Jan 1, 1956
Genre: Rock
Style: Rockabilly
Viewfinder links:
YouTube links:
Carl Perkins ~ Blue Suede Shoes
Elvis Presley ~ Blue Suede Shoes
Blue Suede Shoes sheet music
April 26, 2021
Carl Perkins articles/mentions
~ mentions:
Cash & Carter ~ A Man & His Woman
Michael Damian ~ Rock On with 12"
Elvis Presley ~ Don't Be Cruel
July 13, 2018
45 RPMs 24: Elvis Presley ~ Don't Be Cruel
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Two versions of the picture sleeve were
manufactured, one listing Hound Dog first. This sleeve, listing Don't Be Cruel first is rarer.
Elvis Presley, Hound Dog
45 RPM record sleeve
sleeve photographer unknown
photo of sleeve by Styrous®
On July 13, 1956, the Elvis Presley single, Hound Dog, written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was released. Presley recorded the song on July 2, 1956 during a session
at RCA studios in New York City; Any Way You Want Me and Don't Be Cruel were cut at the same time. I was familiar with Bill Haley but had not heard of Presley before.
Hound Dog was the "A" side of the 45 but as I was into Rhythm & Blues before I ever heard of Rock and Roll, I was familiar wth the original recording of the song by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton with Johnny Otis and wasn't crazy about the Presley version which was faster and not as sensual. Although it wasn't R&B but rockabilly, it was the same with Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins. This happened to me several times with R&R covers of songs in the 50's that I later came to like.
Thornton recorded Hound Dog on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles and it was released by Peacock Records in late February 1953; it was Thornton's only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. Thornton's recording of Hound Dog is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2013.
Hound Dog was the "A" side of the 45 but as I was into Rhythm & Blues before I ever heard of Rock and Roll, I was familiar wth the original recording of the song by Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton with Johnny Otis and wasn't crazy about the Presley version which was faster and not as sensual. Although it wasn't R&B but rockabilly, it was the same with Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins. This happened to me several times with R&R covers of songs in the 50's that I later came to like.
45 RPM record label, side 1
photo by Styrous®
And then I heard the "B" side, Don't Be Cruel, written by Otis Blackwell; the expression had not been coined then but I was totally blown away!
WOW!
45 RPM record label, side 2
photo by Styrous®
Other artists covered Don't Be Cruel including Connie Francis (1959, Rock 'n' Roll Million Sellers), Annette Peacock, Barbara Lynn (1963, Jamie #1244 45 RPM, #93 on the Hot 100), the Bill Black Combo, Billy Swan, Devo, Cheap Trick, Daffy Duck, Merle Haggard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Neil Diamond, and Jackie Wilson
have recorded the song. Debbie Harry recorded the song for the Otis Blackwell tribute album Brace Yourself! A Tribute to Otis Blackwell. A cover by American country music duo The Judds peaked at number 10 on the BillboardHot Country Singles chart in 1987. The Cheap Trick version of this song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.
45 RPM record sleeve back
back sleeve photo photographer unknown
photo of cover by Styrous®
back sleeve photo photographer unknown
photo of cover by Styrous®
Don't Be Cruel was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in Rolling Stone's list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is currently ranked as the 173rd greatest song of all time, as well as the sixth best song of 1956, by Acclaimed Music.
Until 1992, its 11-week domination of the Number One spot was the longest in history. It is the only single in history to have both sides reach #1 in the US.
Until 1992, its 11-week domination of the Number One spot was the longest in history. It is the only single in history to have both sides reach #1 in the US.
Side 1:
A Hound Dog, written by Jerry Leiber-Mike Stoller* - 2:15
Side 2:
B Don't Be Cruel, written by Otis Blackwell - 2:03
Notes:
Version with horizontal line on label.
Elvis Presley – Hound Dog / Don't Be Cruel
Label: RCA Victor – 47-6604
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Rock
Style: Rock & Roll
Label: RCA Victor – 47-6604
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Rock
Style: Rock & Roll
Viewfinder links:
Elvis Presley articles/mentions
Don't Be Cruel lyrics
Connie Francis
Net links:
Songfacts ~ Don't Be Cruel
RollingStone ~ 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
SecondHandSongs ~ Don't Be Cruel covers
YouTube links:
Elvis Presley - Don't Be Cruel
- Hound Dog
"Big Mama" Thornton ~ Hound Dog
Styrous® ~ Friday, July 13, 2018
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March 1, 2018
20,000 vinyl LPs 129: Johnny Cash & June Carter ~ A Man & His Woman
~
On March 1, 1968,
fifty years ago today,
were married.
vinyl LP front cover
cover photo by Ralph Gravemann
photo of album cover by Styrous®
Johnny Cash met singer June Carter, of the Carter Family, backstage at the Grand Ole Opry
while on tour and the two became lovers. In 1968, 13 years after they
first met, Johnny proposed to June during a live performance in London, Ontario. How romantic is THAT?! There is a scene depicting the proposal in the film, Walk the Line, which featured Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as the couple (link below). They married on March 1, 1968, in Franklin, Kentucky.
vinyl LP back cover
back cover photo by Ralph Gravemann
photo of album back cover byStyrous®
Carl Perkins, of Blue Suede Shoes fame, plays guitar on this lively album. According to Charlie Daniels:
"Carl Perkins' songs personified the rockabilly era, and Carl Perkins' sound personifies the rockabilly sound more so than anybody involved in it, because he never changed."
Perkins's songs were recorded by artists (and friends) as influential as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Johnny Cash, which further established his place in the history of popular music. Paul McCartney claimed that "if there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles."
June died in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 15, 2003, at 73 years old, of
complications following heart-valve replacement surgery, in the company
of her family and her husband of 35 years, Johnny Cash. Johnny died four months after June's death.
vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®
vinyl LP, side 1
detail photo by Styrous®
vinyl LP, side 2
detail photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A1 - The Color Of Love, written by B. E. Wheeler* - 2:43
A2 - Saturday Night In Hickman County, written by J. R. Cash* - 2:35
A3 - Allegheny, written by C. Gantry* - 3:13
A4 - Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs, written by M. A. Rich* - 2:32
A5 - Matthew 24 (Is Knocking At The Door), written by J. R. Cash* - 2:37
Side 2:
B1 - The City Of New Orleans, written by S. Goodman* - 3:45
B2 - Tony, written by D. C. Powers - 3:26
B3 - The Pine Tree, written by B. E. Wheeler* - 2:54
B4 - We're For Love, written by M. S. Tubb*, R. Hancock* - 1:54
B5 - Godshine, written by D. C. Powers - 2:09
Companies, etc.
Copyright (c) – CBS Inc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Inc.
Manufactured By – Columbia Records
Manufactured By – CBS Inc.
Mastered At – Customatrix
Mastered At – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Santa Maria
Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute
Personnel:
- Johnny Cash - vocals, guitar
- June Carter Cash - vocals
- Bob Wootton, Carl Perkins, David Jones - guitar
- Marshall Grant - bass
- WS Holland - drums
- Bill Walker, Jerry Whitehurst - piano, keyboards
- Additional personnel
- Produced by Don Law Productions
- Arranged and conducted by Bill Walker
- Engineering: Charlie Bragg, Roger Tucker, Joey Watson,
Credits:
Arranged By, Conductor – Bill Walker
Design [Cover] – Bill Barnes (2)
Engineer – Charlie Bragg, Freeman Ramsey, Jerry Watson, Roger Tucker, Selby Coffeen
Photography By – Ralph Gravemann
Producer – Don Law Productions
Notes:
The selections are ASCAP except where noted
A2, A3, A4, A5 (BMI)
© 1973 CBS, Inc./℗ 1973 CBS, Inc./Manufactured by Columbia Records/CBS, Inc.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side A label): AL 32443
Matrix / Runout (Side B label): BL 34223
Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, etched ["o" & "A" are stamped]): o S 1XT PAL 32443-1A A 3
Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, etched ["o" is stamped]): S o 1T PBL 32443-1A
Rights Society (A1, B1 to B5): ASCAP
Rights Society (A2 to A5): BMI
Label: Columbia – KC 32443
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Gospel
Viewfinder link:
YouTube links:
Walk the Line Movie CLIP - June Says Yes (2005)
The Color Of Love
Saturday Night In Hickman County Allegheny
Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs
Matthew 24 (Is Knocking At The Door)
City Of New Orleans
Tony
The Pine Tree
We're For Love
Godshine
Styrous® ~ Thursday, March 1, 2018
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