This great new meme was invented by Travis of Trav's Thoughts. It gives you a chance to pick and theme or just favorite songs and then design a juke box around it to share with others. Check his site for instructions and join in the fun.
This week I'm highlighting the originals. For its time, the mid-1950s, the lyrical phrase "You got to roll with me, Henry" was considered risqué just as the very label "rock and roll" was understood to have a sexual connotation. The line comes from an Etta James record originally called "Roll With Me Henry" and later renamed "The Wallflower." Already a smash hit on the Billboard Rhythm and Blues chart, it went on to become a pop hit in the spring of 1955, but not for Etta James. Re-recorded with "toned-down" lyrics by the white pop singer Georgia Gibbs, "Dance With Me Henry (Wallflower)" entered the pop charts on March 26, 1955, setting off a dubious trend known as "whitewashing." On the juke box this week, the black originals of songs later covered by white singers.
The Covers
Shake, Rattle & Roll - Bill Haley & The Comets
That's Alright Mama - Elvis Presley
Dance With Me Henry - Georgia Gibbs
Ain't That A Shame - Pat Boone
Long Tall Sally - Gene Vincent
3 comments:
Great choices! I'm looking forward to checking these out over the weekend.
Have a good one!
Elvis's version of That's Alright Mama is my favorite song of his - and I'm a passionate Elvis fan!
Thanks for such a great set. I personally think that the whole whitewashing trend - while a disturbing thought today - actually contributed to the end of segregation. Rather than have two separate musical worlds, which was the case before rock and roll rose into being, the white covers of black R & B brought the two cultures within blinking distance of one another.
Good job, Jamie! Will listen to them all and reminisce! :)
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