Sugar Shack

Last updated
"Sugar Shack"
Single by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs
from the album Sugar Shack
B-side "My Heart Is Free"
Released 1963
Recorded1963, Norman Petty Studios, Clovis, N.M.
Genre Pop rock, [1] pop [2]
Length2:00
Label Dot
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Norman Petty
Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs singles chronology
"Blacksmith Blues"
(1963)
"Sugar Shack"
(1963)
"Torquay Two"
(1963)

"Sugar Shack" is a song written in 1962 by Keith McCormack. McCormack gave songwriting credit to his aunt, Beulah Faye Voss, after asking what are "those tight pants that girls wear" to which she replied "leotards". The song was recorded in 1963 by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico. [3] The unusual and distinctive instrument part was played by Norman Petty on a Hammond Solovox keyboard; to be precise it is a Model L, Series A.

Contents

"Sugar Shack" hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 (where it spent five weeks from October 12 to November 9, 1963) [3] [4] and Cashbox singles charts (where it spent three weeks from October 19 to November 2, 1963). [5] Its No. 1 run on the Billboard R&B chart was cut short because Billboard did not publish an R&B chart from November 30, 1963 to January 23, 1965. [6] In Canada the song was No. 1, also for five weeks, from October 14 to November 11. [7] In the UK, "Sugar Shack" also reached No. 45 on the Record Retailer chart. Gilmer and The Fireballs were the last American band to chart before Beatlemania hit.

On November 29, 1963, "Sugar Shack" received an RIAA certification for selling over a million copies, earning gold record status. The song was listed at No. 40 on the Hot 100 year-end chart published by Billboard in December 1963. [8] A later revision by Billboard of its year-end rankings for 1963 placed "Sugar Shack" at No. 1, [9] [10] and the magazine has subsequently recognized "Sugar Shack" as the top Hot 100 song of that year. [11] [12] [13]

The song is featured in the films Mermaids, Dogfight, Forrest Gump, Congo, and Stealing Sinatra , and in the television show Supernatural .

In December 1965, the song was covered by Steve Brett, a singer from the Midlands area of the UK, and was released as the B-side of his single "Chains On My Heart", on the Columbia label (catalogue number DB7794). [14] His backing group, The Mavericks, included Noddy Holder, who eventually came to fame with Slade. [15] [16]

Charts

All-time charts

Chart (1958-2018)Position
US Billboard Hot 100 [17] 194

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Get Next to You</span>

"I Can't Get Next to You" is a 1969 No. 1 single recorded by the Temptations and written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for the Gordy (Motown) label. The song was a No. 1 single on the Billboard Top Pop Singles chart for two weeks in 1969, from October 18 to October 25, replacing "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies and replaced by "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley. The single was also a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Top R&B Singles for five weeks, from October 4 to November 1, replacing "Oh, What a Night" by the Dells, and replaced by another Motown song, "Baby I'm For Real" by the Originals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Petty</span> American musician and record producer (1927–1984)

Norman Petty was an American musician, record producer, publisher, and radio station owner. He is considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. With Vi Ann Petty—his wife and vocalist—he founded the Norman Petty Trio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar, Sugar</span> 1969 single by the Archies

Sugar, Sugar is a song written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim. It was originally recorded by the Archies, a fictional band of studio musicians linked to the 1968–69 US Saturday morning TV cartoon The Archie Show, inspired by the Archie Comics. In the autumn of 1969 the single topped both Billboard's Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, ranking No. 1 for the year in both America and Britain. “Sugar, Sugar” is the most successful bubblegum pop single of all time, and is widely regarded as the apotheosis of the late-1960s/early-1970s bubblegum music genre. In mid-1970 R&B/soul singer Wilson Pickett achieved success on both the US soul and pop charts with a cover version.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can See Clearly Now</span> Song by Johnny Nash

"I Can See Clearly Now" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. It was the lead single from his album, I Can See Clearly Now (1972), and achieved success in the United States and the United Kingdom when it was released in 1972, reaching number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box charts. It also reached number one in Canada and South Africa. The song has been covered by many artists throughout the years, including a hit version by Lee Towers that reached no. 19 in the Dutch Top 40 in 1982, and another recorded by Jimmy Cliff for the motion picture soundtrack of Cool Runnings that peaked at no. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fireballs</span> American rock and roll band

The Fireballs, sometimes billed as Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, were an American rock and roll group, particularly popular at the end of the 1950s and in the early 1960s. The original line-up consisted of George Tomsco, Chuck Tharp (vocals), Stan Lark (bass), Eric Budd (drums), and Dan Trammell.

The String-A-Longs were an American instrumental group from Plainview, Texas, United States. The band consisted of Richard Stephens and Jimmy Torres alternating lead guitars, Keith McCormack on rhythm guitar, Aubrey de Cordova, bass guitar and Don Allen, drums. They are best known for their hit single, "Wheels", which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in and was the number 8 single of 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Gonna Love You Too</span>

"I'm Gonna Love You Too" is a song written by Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan and Norman Petty, originally recorded by Buddy Holly in 1957 and released as a single in 1958. It was covered 20 years later by American new wave band Blondie and released as the lead single in the U.S. from their multi-platinum 1978 album Parallel Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stop Draggin' My Heart Around</span> 1981 single by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty

"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" is a song recorded by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and released as the first single from Nicks' debut solo album Bella Donna (1981). The track is the album's only song that was neither written nor co-written by Nicks. Written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell as a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, Jimmy Iovine, who was also working for Stevie Nicks at the time, arranged for her to sing on it. Petty sang with Nicks in the chorus and bridge, while his entire band played on the song.

Keith McCormack was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter.

<i>Billboard Top RocknRoll Hits: 1963</i> 1988 compilation album by various artists

Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1963 is a compilation album released by Rhino Records in 1988, featuring 10 hit recordings from 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Shack</span> 1989 dance song by the B-52s

"Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band following their decline in popularity in the mid-1980s and the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dixie Fried</span>

"Dixie Fried" is a 1956 song written by Carl Perkins and Howard "Curley" Griffin and released as a single on Sun Records. The song was released as a 45 and 78 single, Sun 249, in August, 1956 backed with "I'm Sorry, I'm Not Sorry". The single reached no. 10 on the Billboard country and western chart in 1956. The single was also released in Canada on the Quality label as #1557. The record was reissued as a 45 single in 1979 on the Shelby Singleton-owned Sun Golden Treasure Series as Sun 10.

"Daisy Petal Pickin'" is a song written by Keith McCormack, Glynn Thames, and Juanita Jordan and performed by Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fireball (Pitbull song)</span> 2014 song by rapper Pitbull

"Fireball" is a song by American rapper Pitbull, featuring vocals from American singer John Ryan. It was released on July 23, 2014 as the second release from Pitbull's eighth studio album, Globalization (2014).

Billboard year-end top 50 R&B singles of 1963 is the year-end chart compiled by Billboard magazine ranking the top rhythm and blues singles of 1963. The list was based on charts from the January 6 through the November 23 issues.

A sugar shack is a cabin used to boil sap from sugar maple trees into maple syrup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Ain't Worried</span> 2022 single by OneRepublic

"I Ain't Worried" is a song by American pop rock band OneRepublic, released on May 13, 2022, through Mosley Music Group and Interscope Records. It is the second and final single to the soundtrack for the film Top Gun: Maverick (2022). The song was written and produced by Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, and Tyler Spry, with production from Simon Oscroft and John Nathaniel. The song also contains elements of Peter Bjorn and John's 2006 hit single "Young Folks" and features background vocals from Tedder's son; Copeland Tedder. Copeland Tedder is the only other background voice apart from his dad, Ryan Tedder. OneRepublic was the only band to present an original song for the film.

"Jimmy Cooks" is a song by Canadian-American rapper Drake featuring Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage. It was released on June 17, 2022, from Drake's seventh studio album Honestly, Nevermind. The song is the only track from the album to have a guest appearance, and was dubbed a standout track by HotNewHipHop.

References

  1. Aquila, Richard (2000). That Old-time Rock & Roll: A Chronicle of an Era, 1954-1963. ISBN   9780252069192.
  2. Breihan, Tom (June 4, 2018). "The Number Ones: Jimmy Gilmer And The Fireballs' "Sugar Shack"". Stereogum . Retrieved June 10, 2023. ["Sugar Shack" is] pretty typical of the pop songs of its era: Short, sentimental, innocent, infernally catchy...
  3. 1 2 Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 138. ISBN   0823076776 . Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  4. "Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs Sugar Shack Chart History", Billboard.com. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
  5. "Cash Box Top Singles – 1963" . Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 803.
  7. "Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits".
  8. "Hot 100 – 1963" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 75, no. 52. December 28, 1963. pp. 30–31. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  9. "1963". Billboard . Vol. 96, no. 50. December 15, 1984. p. 90TH-45. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  10. "Year End Charts – Year-end Singles – The Billboard Hot 100 (1963)". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  11. "The Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Year (1958–1969)". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  12. Trust, Gary (April 17, 2009). "Ask Billboard". Billboard . Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  13. "Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs of the Year: 1958–2015". Billboard . December 10, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  14. "Steve Brett – Chains on My Heart (1965, Vinyl)". Discogs .
  15. "Home". slayed.co.uk.
  16. "Steve Brett and The Mavericks". brumbeat.net. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  17. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.