"Let's Go Get Stoned" is a song originally recorded by
The Coasters
The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood (The Coasters song), Young Blood", "Charlie Brown (The Coasters song), Charlie Bro ...
in May 1965. It was written by
Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, and
Josephine Armstead.
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, h ...
recorded it in October 1965 as a
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
to the single, "Never Had It So Good.
Ray Charles recording
It was a 1966 number one
R&B hit for American recording artist
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
. The single was released shortly after Charles was released from rehab after a 16-year
heroin
Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
addiction. Charles heard a 1965 recording of the song by
Ronnie Milsap
Ronnie Lee Milsap (born Ronald Lee Millsaps; January 16, 1943) is an American country music singer and pianist. He was one of country music's most popular and influential performers of the 1970s and 1980s. Nearly completely blind from birth, h ...
. According to Milsap, Charles liked his version of the song so much that he decided to record it himself. It is notable for being one of Ashford & Simpson's first successful compositions together; the duo also penned Charles' "
I Don't Need No Doctor
"I Don't Need No Doctor" is an R&B song written by Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, and Jo Armstead. First released by Ashford on Verve in August 1966, it went nowhere. It was then picked up and recorded by Ray Charles and released in Octob ...
".
Chart positions
Other notable covers
*
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. They were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The group had two l ...
recorded the song on their
number one British EP, ''
No Living Without Loving'', which topped the UK
EP chart in December 1965.
*
The Amboy Dukes The Amboy Dukes may refer to:
* ''The Amboy Dukes'' (novel), 1947 American novel about juvenile delinquents
* The Amboy Dukes (band), American rock band founded 1964
** ''The Amboy Dukes'' (album), 1967 album by that band
{{disambig ...
recorded a cover for their 1967
eponymous album.
*
James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
released a recording of the song as a single.
*
Big Mama Thornton
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter of blues and R&B.
The ''Encyclopedia of Pop, Rock and Soul'' described Thornton by saying: "Her booming voice, sometimes 200-pound fra ...
recorded the song for her 1969 album ''Stronger Than Dirt''.
*
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as
"Feelin' Alright ...
performed the song at
Woodstock
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...
in August 1969, and it was one of the tracks on his 1970 live double album, ''
Mad Dogs & Englishmen''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Let's Go Get Stoned (RandB song)
1966 singles
Songs written by Valerie Simpson
Songs written by Nickolas Ashford
The Coasters songs
Ray Charles songs
Manfred Mann songs
James Brown songs
Big Mama Thornton songs
Joe Cocker songs
Songs written by Jo Armstead
1966 songs
ABC Records singles