| "Shake, Rattle and Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBig Joe Turner | ||||
| B-side | "You Know I Love You" | |||
| Released | April 1954[1] | |||
| Recorded | New York City, February 15, 1954 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter | Jesse Stone (as "Charles Calhoun") | |||
| Big Joe Turner singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Shake, Rattle and Roll" is a song written in 1954 byJesse Stone (usually credited as "Charles Calhoun", his songwriting name) and first recorded that year byBig Joe Turner, whose version ranked No. 127 on theRolling Stone magazine list ofThe 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
In early 1954,Ahmet Ertegun[5] ofAtlantic Records suggested to Jesse Stone that he write an up-tempo blues forBig Joe Turner, ablues shouter whose career had begun inKansas City before World War II. Stone played around with various phrases before coming up with "shake, rattle and roll".[6] (Stone used his real name forASCAP songs, while using the pseudonym "Charles Calhoun" forBMI-registered songs, such as "Shake, Rattle and Roll".)
However, the phrase had been used in earlier songs. In 1910,vaudeville performerBaby Franklin Seals published "You Got to Shake, Rattle and Roll", aragtime tune about gambling with dice, in New Orleans;[7] in 1919,Al Bernard recorded a version of the song.[8][9]
Turner recorded "Shake, Rattle and Roll" in New York City on February 15, 1954. Atlantic released it as a single in April 1954, that reached number one on the U.S.BillboardR&B chart and number 22 on theBillboard singles chart.[10]
| "Shake, Rattle and Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBill Haley & His Comets | ||||
| B-side | "A.B.C. Boogie" | |||
| Released | August 1954 (1954-08) | |||
| Recorded | New York City, June 7, 1954 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll[11] | |||
| Length | 2:26 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Songwriter | Charles F. Calhoun | |||
| Bill Haley & His Comets singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bill Haley & His Comets recorded a cover version of the song on June 7, 1954,[12] the same week Turner's version first topped the R&B chart. The Comets provided the instrumental accompaniment:Johnny Grande on piano,Billy Williamson on rhythm guitar,Marshall Lytle on bass, and Joey Ambrose on saxophone.[citation needed] Haley's version was released in August and reached number seven on theBillboard singles chart, spending a total of twenty-seven weeks in the Top 40.[12] In the UK, it peaked at number four.[13]
Elvis Presley recorded the song twice in a studio setting: a demo recorded at radio stationKDAV in Lubbock, Texas in January 1955[14] while under contract withSun Records (this recording was not released until the 1990s) and as a 1956 single forRCA Victor.
Introduced by Cleveland disc jockeyBill Randle, rhythm guitar Presley, guitaristScotty Moore, bassistBill Black, and drummerD. J. Fontana performed the song in medley with the similar "Flip, Flop and Fly" on the January 28, 1956, broadcast of the Dorsey BrothersStage Show (Haley's "kitchen" opening verse was sung).[15]
