Chances are that sometime, somewhere, out of the corner of one ear, at least, you've heard the iconic (yet all-but-forgotten) "Willie and the Hand Jive". Set to a Bo Diddley beat, it was an infectious little number that made quite a splash back in its day. Here's a fun
live version of the bouncy tune, complete with the three largest dancing girls you're ever likely to see, and here's the
original 1958 recording. The composer of the tune, the son of Greek immigrants who decided that the world of black music was where he wanted to be, was one
Johnny Otis, who has just
died at the grand old age of 90. Shortly after its release, "Willie and the Hand Jive" was covered by early rock icons like
Bo Diddley and, across the pond in England,
Cliff Richard. But apart from his most famous tune, Johnny did a LOT of recording and performing throughout his lengthy career, so there's...
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jan 19, 2012 -
42 comments
It's no secret that throughout their long career, the Rolling Stones have covered
lots of tunes by black singers and bands from the worlds of soul, blues, R&B, reggae and early rock'n'roll, and have, of course, been heavily influenced by these various genres in their own performance and songwriting. Perhaps a bit lesser known is that several of the most iconic and legendary figures in black music have covered Stones songs as well. Here's
Brown Sugar by
Little Richard,
Satisfaction by
Aretha Frankilin and
Otis Redding,
Under My Thumb by
Tina Turner,
Start Me Up by
Toots and the Maytals and, rather unexpectedly,
Let's Spend the Night Together by blues great
Muddy Waters
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jun 14, 2011 -
52 comments
