"Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" is a song written and originally recorded by Huey 'Piano' Smith in 1957, who scored a minor ''Billboard'' hit with it, peaking at No.52 on the Top 100 chart, and a more successful No.5 on the Most Played R&B by Jockeys chart.

Background

The title is a reference to "walking" pneumonia and the

Asian flu Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, hitting the United States in 1957-58. According to the lyrics, the singer would like to approach a woman he sees in a club, or "joint," but due to his musical illness, he's unsuccessful.

Musician credits

* Huey "Piano" Smith - piano * Sidney Rayfield - vocals * "Scarface" John Williams - vocals *

Lee Allen Lee Allen may refer to: *Lee Allen (wrestler) (1934–2012), wrestler and coach * Lee Allen (baseball) (1915–1969), baseball historian *Lee Allen (musician) (1927–1994), saxophone player *Lee Allen (artist) Lee Allen (1910 – May 5, 2006), bor ...

- tenor saxophone *

Alvin "Red" Tyler Alvin Owen "Red" Tyler (December 5, 1925 – April 3, 1998) was an American R&B and neo-bop jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger, regarded as "one of the most important figures in New Orleans R&B". Biography Born and raised in New Orleans, Ty ...

- baritone saxophone *

Earl King Earl Silas Johnson IV (February 7, 1934 – April 17, 2003),
known as Earl King, was an American singer, guit ...

- guitar * Frank Fields - bass *

Charles "Hungry" Williams Charles "Hungry" Williams (February 12, 1935 – May 10, 1986) was an American rhythm & blues drummer, best known for the innovative and influential technique he used on numerous recordings that came out of New Orleans in the 1950s and 1960s. E ...

- drums he Blues Discography 1943-1970 The Classic Years, Les Fancourt & Bob McGrath (Eyeball Productions)/ref>Huey "Piano" Smith And The Rocking Pneumonia Blues, Author: John Wirt, LSU Press, 2014, P. 49

Johnny Rivers recording

1972 saw the song become an international hit single for

Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit sing ...

, featuring

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles-based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Simon ...

on piano as well as other Los Angeles session musicians from the Wrecking Crew. "Rockin' Pneumonia" reached No.6 on the U.S. ''

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

'' during the winter of 1973. It was Rivers' fifth highest charting song and spent a longer time on the chart (19 weeks) than any of his two dozen hits to that date. On the U.S. ''Cash Box'' Top 100 the song peaked at No.5, and in Canada it reached No.3. "Rockin' Pneumonia" gave Rivers his third

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

. His final gold record would be with the 1977 hit, " Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)."

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other cover versions

* In 1957, the tune was recorded by

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

Specialty Records Specialty Records was an American record label founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by Art Rupe. It was known for rhythm and blues, gospel, and early rock and roll, and recorded artists such as Little Richard, Guitar Slim, Percy Mayfield, and Lloyd Pr ...

. The back-up band included

René Hall René Joseph Hall (September 26, 1912 ‒ February 11, 1988) was an American guitarist and arranger. He was among the most important behind the scenes figures in early rock and roll, but his career spanned the period from the late 1920s to the ...

, guitar,

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of a ...

, drums, and

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and baritone sa ...

, tenor sax. *

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

,on their 1960 album ''

In Style with the Crickets ''In Style With the Crickets'' is a rock and roll album by the Crickets. Although it was the band's first release following the departure and subsequent death of their front man, Buddy Holly, it still contains many of the band's most memorable son ...

''. *

The Flamin' Groovies ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, in 1969, on their debut album '' Supersnazz'', and again on their second album ''

Flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbea ...

'', in 1970. * Aerosmith, in 1987, for the ''Less than Zero'' soundtrack. *

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

, on their Europe '72 tour at the Strand Lyceum, London, England, 23 and 24 May 1972. *

James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was a New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Booker's unique style combined rhythm and blues with jazz standards. Musician Dr. J ...

, on his albums ''Gonzo: Live 1976'' and ''King of New Orleans Keyboard''. * Professor Longhair, in 1974, released only in 1997 on his album ''Rock 'n Roll Gumbo.'' *

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

, on their 2021 album ''

Turning to Crime ''Turning to Crime'' is the twenty-second studio album by British rock band Deep Purple, released on 26 November 2021. It is composed entirely of covers, and is the last Deep Purple album to feature guitarist Steve Morse before he left the band ...

''.

References

External links

* (Huey "Piano" Smith) * (Johnny Rivers) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Songs about rock music Songs about jazz Songs about blues 1957 songs 1957 singles 1972 singles Huey "Piano" Smith songs Johnny Rivers songs Ace Records (United States) singles United Artists Records singles The Crickets songs