:''Ting-A-Ling is also the culinary term for crushed candy cane'' "Ting-A-Ling" is a 1952 song by

The Clovers The Clovers are an American rhythm and blues/doo-wop vocal group who became one of the biggest selling acts of the 1950s.The Guinness Who's Who of Fifties Music. General Editor: Colin Larkin. First published 1993 (UK). . The Clovers p77. They had ...

. "Ting-A-Ling" was The Clovers' final number one on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart; however, the group continued its chart success throughout the 1950s.

Song background

The last surviving original member of the Clovers, Harold Winley, told NPR that "Ting-a-Ling" was one of many Clovers hits credited to a songwriter known as "Nugetre". When spelled backwards, it was a pen-name belonging to the co-founder of

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun (, Turkish spelling: Ahmet Ertegün; ; – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and ch ...

. Winley says the pen name was a joke. "He'd laugh at it," Winley says. "Nugetre! Yeah! That's me."

Cover versions

*It was covered by

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

and released on the 1958 posthumous album, '' That'll Be the Day'' *Holly's former band, The Crickets also covered the song (featuring

Earl Sinks Henry Earl Sinks (January 1, 1940 – May 13, 2017), known professionally as Earl Sinks, was an American singer-songwriter and actor, known by many pseudonyms. He led a prolific musical and acting career from the 1950s to the 1990s before reti ...

on vocals) for their 1960 effort, ''

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 ...

''. *Aaron Neville covered it on his 2013 album, ''My True Story''

References

{{The Clovers 1952 songs The Clovers songs Song articles with missing songwriters Songs written by Ahmet Ertegun The Crickets songs