Good Rocking Tonight

1947

Good Rocking Tonight ( also Good Rockin ' Tonight) is a jump blues song that was written and recorded in 1947 by Roy Brown. From this song, there are numerous cover versions.

General

Roy Brown offered the song originally Wynonie Harris, but rejected the song. That's why Brown took on the song with the Bob Ogden orchestra itself, which appeared in 1947 DeLuxe Records ( DeLuxe 1093 ) and a respectable hit. The song reached # 11 in the R & B charts of Billboard magazine in Brown's version. After this success, Harris recognized the potential of the song and recorded it, the song (King 4210 ) reached the Billboard R & B chart # 1 and remained there for half a year.

Harris version remained largely based on the text of the original, only in the last verse Harris replaced the text with the exclamation " hoy, hoy, hoy " - a phrase that occurred in some jump blues of the time. Musically, he changed the song to a more rock version and music were so future researchers work, whether it is the first rock and roll song on this recording. About Harris ' version writes one critic, probably a bit too enthusiastic: This is probably the most important recording in the history of rock and roll. Without this record, rock and roll probably never would have happened. ("This is probably the most important recording in the history of rock and roll. Without this recording rock and roll would probably never happen. " )

Elvis Presley Cover Version

Good Rockin ' Tonight ( I Do not Care If The Sun Do not Shine as a B- side) was the second single by Elvis Presley for Sun Records in Memphis. Presley and his band followed closely the original version. Although the single did not come in the Billboard charts, she was in Memphis as well as in the southern U.S., another small success for Presley.

Other cover versions

Bruce Springsteen used the song on his Darkness Tour 1978 usually as the opening number. Also on the River Tour 1981, the song was sometimes on the setlist. From Montrose, there is a hard rock version of the song. For the curious cover versions include the Spanish version sung by the Mexican band Los Teen Tops from the early 1960s ( Buen rock esta noche ). The Honeydrippers ( with Jeff Beck and Robert Plant ) recorded the song in the 1980s, under the title Rockin 'at Midnight. Paul McCartney released a version of the song in 1991 on the CD Unplugged ( The Official Bootleg ). The Doors who covered the song in 1972, Full Circle as Good Rockin.

Others

Under the name of Good Rocking Tonight there on the English radio station Radio Caroline, a weekly rock and roll show. From the Canadian station CBC Television under this title a music show between the early 1980s and 1993 was broadcast. Similarly, Good Rockin 'Tonight title of an English rock and roll show by Lee Jackson and Mark Keeley. The song title in the name also carries a television documentary by Bruce Sinofsky about Sun Records ( 2001).