Lucille (Little Richard song)

Last updated
"Lucille"
Lucille Little Richard single.jpg
Single by Little Richard
from the album Little Richard
B-side "Send Me Some Lovin’"
ReleasedFebruary 1957 (1957-02)
RecordedJuly 30, 1956
Studio J&M Music (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Genre Rock and roll
Length2:21
Label Specialty
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Robert "Bumps" Blackwell
Little Richard singles chronology
"The Girl Can't Help It"
(1956)
"Lucille"
(1957)
"Jenny, Jenny"
(1957)

"Lucille" is a 1957 rock and roll song originally recorded by American musician Little Richard. Released on Specialty Records in February 1957, the single reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart, 21 on the US pop chart, [1] and number 10 on the UK chart. It was composed by Albert Collins (not to be confused with the blues guitarist of the same name) and Little Richard. First pressings of Specialty 78rpm credit Collins as the sole writer. Little Richard bought half of the song's rights while Collins was in Louisiana State Penitentiary. [2]

Contents

The song foreshadowed the rhythmic feel of 1960s rock music in several ways, including its heavy bassline and slower tempo, inspired by the chugging of a train the band had been riding. [3] The scene-setting sections also feature stop-time breaks and no change in harmony, and it has a darker sound because most of the instruments use a low register. [4]

Recording

Little Richard sang and played piano on his recording, backed by a band consisting of Lee Allen (tenor saxophone), Alvin "Red" Tyler (baritone sax), Roy Montrell (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), and Earl Palmer (drums). [5]

Legacy

In 2002, "Lucille" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [6] Music critic and writer Dave Marsh included the song on his list of The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made at number 670. [7]

Other recordings

Little Richard re-recorded "Lucille", like many of his other hits, multiple times throughout his career. The first substantially different version of the song was recorded in 1964 and appeared on Little Richard's Greatest Hits . His last recording appears on the 1992 album Little Richard Meets Masayoshi Takanaka .

In 1994, Little Richard appeared on the television series Sesame Street performing a rewritten version of "Lucille" entitled "Rosita", about the Muppet character of the same name.

Cover versions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duane Eddy</span> American guitarist

Duane Eddy is an American rock and roll guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebel-'Rouser", "Peter Gunn", and "Because They're Young". He had sold 12 million records by 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Williams</span> American singer-songwriter (1935–1980)

Larry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to 1959 for Specialty Records, including "Bony Moronie", "Short Fat Fannie", "Slow Down", "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy" (1958), "Bad Boy" and "She Said Yeah" (1959). John Lennon was a fan, and the Beatles and several other British Invasion groups recorded several of his songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That'll Be the Day</span> 1957 single by the Crickets

"That'll Be the Day" is a song written by Buddy Holly and Jerry Allison. It was first recorded by Buddy Holly and the Three Tunes in 1956 and was re-recorded in 1957 by Holly and his new band, the Crickets. The 1957 recording achieved widespread success. Holly's producer, Norman Petty, was credited as a co-writer, although he did not contribute to the composition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Bartholomew</span> American musician, producer, and composer (1918–2019)

David Louis Bartholomew was an American musician, bandleader, composer, arranger, and record producer. He was prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century. Originally a trumpeter, he was active in many musical genres, including rhythm and blues, big band, swing music, rock and roll, New Orleans jazz, and Dixieland. In his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was cited as a key figure in the transition from jump blues and swing to R&B and as "one of the Crescent City's greatest musicians and a true pioneer in the rock and roll revolution".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock and Roll Music (song)</span> 1957 song by Chuck Berry

"Rock and Roll Music" is a song by American musician and songwriter Chuck Berry, written and recorded by Berry in May 1957. It has been widely covered and is one of Berry's most popular and enduring compositions.

<i>Heres Little Richard</i> 1957 studio album by Little Richard

Here's Little Richard is the debut album by American musician Little Richard, released on March 4, 1957. Promoted as "six of Little Richard's hits and six brand new songs of hit calibre", the album compiles many of the A-sides and B-sides from Richard's hit singles including the Billboard top 40 entries "Tutti Frutti", "Long Tall Sally", "Slippin' and Slidin'", "Rip It Up" and "Jenny, Jenny" and the top 10 Rhythm and Blues Best-Sellers hits "Ready Teddy", "She's Got It" and "Miss Ann".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mannish Boy</span> Song first recorded by Muddy Waters in 1955

"Mannish Boy" is a blues standard written by Muddy Waters, Mel London, and Bo Diddley. First recorded in 1955 by Waters, it serves as an "answer song" to Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man", which was in turn inspired by Waters' and Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man". "Mannish Boy" features a repeating stop-time figure on one chord throughout the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roll Over Beethoven</span> Original song written and composed by Chuck Berry

"Roll Over Beethoven" is a 1956 song written by Chuck Berry, originally released on Chess Records, with "Drifting Heart" as the B-side. The lyrics of the song mention rock and roll and the desire for rhythm and blues to be as respected as classical music. The song has been covered by many other artists, including the Beatles and the Electric Light Orchestra. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number 97 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Tall Sally</span> 1956 single by Little Richard

"Long Tall Sally", also known as "Long Tall Sally (The Thing)", is a rock and roll song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, and Little Richard. Richard recorded it for Specialty Records, which released it as a single in March 1956, backed with "Slippin' and Slidin'".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ain't That a Shame</span> 1955 single by Fats Domino

"Ain't That a Shame" is a song written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. Domino's recording of the song, originally stated as "Ain't It a Shame", released by Imperial Records in 1955, was a hit, eventually selling a million copies. It reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 10 on the pop chart. The song is ranked number 438 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.

<i>Concerts for the People of Kampuchea</i> (album) 1981 live album by Various Artists

Concerts for the People of Kampuchea is a double album credited to Various Artists and released in March 1981. It contains live performances by Wings, the Who, Queen, Elvis Costello, Pretenders, the Clash, the Specials and other artists from the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea, held at London's Hammersmith Odeon in December 1979 to raise money for the victims of war-torn Cambodia. The event was organised by Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim.

"Young Blood" is a song written by Doc Pomus along with the songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit by The Coasters in 1957.

"Come Go With Me" is a song written by C. E. Quick, an original member of the American doo-wop vocal group the Del-Vikings. The song was originally recorded by The Del-Vikings in 1956 but not released until July 1957 on the Luniverse LP "Come Go With The Del Vikings". The final version of the song was released in the second week of January 1957 and was led by Gus Backus. When Joe Averbach, the owner of Fee Bee Records couldn't handle the demand, he signed with Dot Records in late January 1957; the song became a hit, peaking at No. 5 on the US Billboard Top 100 Pop Charts. It also reached #2 on the R&B chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Little Sixteen</span> 1958 single by Chuck Berry

"Sweet Little Sixteen" is a rock and roll song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry, who released it as a single in January 1958. His performance of it at that year's Newport Jazz Festival was included in the documentary film Jazz on a Summer's Day. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100, one of two of Berry's second-highest positions—along with Johnny Rivers cover of "Memphis, Tennessee"—on that chart. "Sweet Little Sixteen" also reached number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart. In the UK, it reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song number 272 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004. He used the same melody on an earlier song, "The Little Girl From Central" recorded on Checkmate in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City (Leiber and Stoller song)</span> Song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Kansas City" is a rhythm and blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952. First recorded by Little Willie Littlefield the same year, as "K. C. Loving", the song later became a chart-topping hit when it was recorded by Wilbert Harrison in 1959. "Kansas City" is one of Leiber and Stoller's "most recorded tunes, with more than three hundred versions", with several appearing in the R&B and pop record charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Be-Bop-a-Lula</span> 1956 single by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps

"Be-Bop-a-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.

"Keep A-Knockin' " is a popular song that has been recorded by a variety of musicians over the years. The lyrics concern a lover at the door who will not be admitted; some versions because someone else is already there, but in most others because the knocking lover has behaved badly.

"(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" is a 1957 song recorded by Elvis Presley and performed in the MGM film Jailhouse Rock. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller for the film. Presley plays electric bass on the song.

"Baby Face" is a popular Tin Pan Alley jazz song. The music was written by Harry Akst, with lyrics by Benny Davis, and the song was published in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Queenie</span> 1959 single by Chuck Berry

"Little Queenie" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry. Released in March 1959 as a double A-side single with "Almost Grown", it was included on Chuck Berry Is on Top (1959), Berry's first compilation album. He performed the song in the movies Go, Johnny Go! (1959) and Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (1987). One year earlier, Berry had released "Run Rudolph Run", a Christmas song with the same melody.

References

  1. Jay Warner, On this Day in Black Music History (Hal Leonard, 2006), 84.
  2. "Our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". 9 May 2020.
  3. "Little RIchard Recorded LUCILLE this Day in 1957". Mybeachradio.com. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  4. Michael Campbell & James Brody (2007), Rock and Roll: An Introduction, page 117
  5. Vera, Billy. The Specialty Story 1944-1964 (Liner notes). Berkeley, California: Specialty Records. pp. 10, 35. 5SPCD-4412-2.
  6. "Grammy Hall of Fame – "Lucille": Little Richard Specialty (1957) (Single)". The Recording Academy . 2002. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
  7. Marsh, Dave (1999). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Da Capo Press. p. 431. ISBN   9780306809019.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 282.
  9. "40 Years Ago Paul McCartney's Rockestra Rocked the Concerts for Kampuchea". klou.iheart.com. December 26, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 175.