"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 ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine's list of

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Background

In early 1954, Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records suggested to Jesse Stone that he write an up-tempo blues for Big Joe Turner, a

blues shouter A blues shouter is a blues singer, often male, capable of singing unamplified with a band. Notable blues shouters include: *Piney Brown * Walter Brown, of the Jay McShann orchestra *H-Bomb Ferguson *Wynonie Harris *Screamin' Jay Hawkins *Duke Hende ...

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 Nicholas P. Tosches (; October 23, 1949 – October 20, 2019) was an American journalist, novelist, biographer, and poet. His 1982 biography of Jerry Lee Lewis, '' Hellfire'', was praised by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as "the best rock and roll ...

, ''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 Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

performer "Baby" Franklin Seals published "You Got to Shake, Rattle and Roll", a

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

tune about gambling with dice, in New Orleans; in 1919,

Al Bernard Alfred Aloysous Bernard (November 23, 1888 – March 6, 1949) was an American vaudeville singer, known as "The Boy From Dixie", who was most popular during the 1910s through early 1930s. Life Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he became a blackface ...

recorded a version of the song.

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 MacHouston "Mickey" Baker (October 15, 1925 – November 27, 2012) was an American guitarist, best known for his work as a studio musician and as part of the recording duo Mickey & Sylvia. Early life Baker was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His ...

and drummer Connie Kay. Turner's recording was released in April 1954 and reached number one on the U.S. '' Billboard''

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and number 22 on the ''Billboard'' singles chart.

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. 95–96), . the same week Turner's version first topped the R&B charts. The Comets provided the instrumental accompaniment:

Johnny Grande John Andrew Grande (January 14, 1930 – June 3, 2006) was a member of Bill Haley (musician), Bill Haley's backing band, Bill Haley & His Comets, The Comets. Life and career Born in South Philadelphia, Grande played piano and accordion with Bil ...

on piano, Billy Williamson on rhythm guitar,

Marshall Lytle Marshall Edward Lytle (September 1, 1933 – May 25, 2013) was an American rock and roll bassist, best known for his work with the groups Bill Haley & His Comets and The Jodimars in the 1950s. He played upright slap bass on the iconic 1950s rock ...

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 Clue may refer to: People with the name * DJ Clue (born 1975), mixtape DJ * Arthur Clues (1924–1998), Australian rugby league footballer * Ivan Clues * Tim Cluess Arts, entertainment, and media ''Clue'' entertainment franchise * ''Cluedo ...

''.

Elvis Presley versions

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

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 Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny ...

(this recording was not released until the 1990s) and as a 1956 single for RCA Victor. Introduced by Cleveland disc jockey

Bill Randle Bill Randle (March 14, 1923 – July 9, 2004) was an American disc jockey, lawyer and university professor. Randle was born William McKinley Randle Jr. in Detroit, Michigan. In Detroit, he hosted a popular show on WJLB-AM radio (now WDTK) calle ...

, Presley, guitarist

Scotty Moore Winfield Scott Moore III (December 27, 1931 – June 28, 2016) was an American guitarist who formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954, Elvis Presley's backing band. He was studio and touring guitarist for Presley between 1954 and 1968. Rock critic ...

, bassist

Bill Black William Patton Black Jr. (September 17, 1926 – October 21, 1965) was an American musician and bandleader who is noted as one of the pioneers of rock and roll. He played in Elvis Presley's early trio. Black later formed Bill Black's Combo. Ear ...

, and drummer

D. J. Fontana Dominic Joseph Fontana (March 15, 1931 – June 13, 2018) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Elvis Presley for 14 years. In 1955, he was hired to play drums for Presley, which marked the beginning of a 15-year relationshi ...

performed the song in medley with the similar "

Flip, Flop and Fly "Flip, Flop and Fly" is a song recorded by Big Joe Turner in 1955. Called a "prototypical rocker", it was recorded by several early rock and roll performers. In 1973, a version by the Downchild Blues Band reached the record singles chart in Cana ...

" on the January 28, 1956, broadcast of the Dorsey Brothers

Stage Show A theatrical production is any work of theatre, such as a staged play, musical, comedy or drama produced from a written book or script. Theatrical productions also extend to other performance designations such as Dramatic and Nondramatic theatre, a ...

(Haley's "kitchen" opening verse was sung). Presley recorded the song with these same musicians.Elvis Presley DVD 46:26

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shake, Rattle And Roll Songs about dancing Songs about rock music 1954 singles 1954 songs Big Joe Turner songs Bill Haley songs Elvis Presley songs Songs written by Jesse Stone Atlantic Records singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients

Background

Joe Turner original

Bill Haley version

Elvis Presley versions

See also

References