Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie is the most successful track in the repertoire of the rhythm & blues artist Louis Jordan , which in 1946 became the best-selling track of this music style.
History of origin
The alto saxophonist Louis Jordan had a record deal with Decca Records with his own band, the Tympany Five, since December 1938 . His first recordings were made here on December 20, 1938. Jordan had a number of successes with his band before Choo Choo Ch'Boogie was born, as eight of his 20 hits on the Rhythm & Blues charts included eight number one hits.
On January 23, 1946, a total of four titles were created under the production direction of Milt Gabler in the Decca Studios, including Choo Choo Ch'Boogie / That Chick's Too Young To Fry . The A-side was composed by hillbilly guitarist and cowboy singer Denver Darling (1909–1981), Vaughn Horton (1911–1988) and producer Milt Gabler. Darling and Horton were professional songwriters, as ASCAP registered 42 and 239 tracks respectively. Gabler's merit on the A side is the successful fusion of country elements with blues intonation. The Tympany Five for this session consisted of Wild Bill Davis (piano), Aaron Izenhall (trumpet), Josh Jackson (tenor saxophone), Carl Hogan (electric guitar), Jesse "Po" Simpkins (bass) and Eddie Byrd (drums). The very agile shuffle is typical of Gabler and Jordan's popular sound formula, while the humorous text defuses the actually described, low-level lifestyle of Afro-American stereotypes.
success
After its release in June 1946 (Decca # 23610), the title became Jordan's top-selling hit of his career, with over two million copies sold. It was Jordan's fourth million seller . This enormous sales success was also evident in the Rhythm & Blues charts, because just one week after entering the charts, the title soared to number one on August 24, 1946, where it stayed for 18 weeks until the end of November 1946. This record was only achieved by Joe Liggins' The Honeydripper . In November 1946, Jordan occupied the first three ranks of the R&B charts with his records, the B-side That Chick's Too Young To Fry shared fourth place with another artist. With a seventh place in the pop charts, the song was already the tenth crossover hit by Louis Jordan.
Cover versions
The track was covered 20 times in total. Notable versions come from label colleagues Bill Haley & His Comets (1956), Asleep At The Wheel (1979) or Manhattan Transfer (1992). In 1999 BB King released a tribute album for Louis Jordan, which also includes the song, along with 12 other Louis Jordan covers. There are other versions by Clifton Chenier , Clarence Gatemouth Brown and Helen Shapiro . As Bimmelbahn Boogie also a German version exists René Franke from the year 1951st
Individual evidence
- ^ Richard Carlin, Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary , 2003, p. 96.
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, pp. 44 f.
- ↑ Nick Toshes, Unsung Heroes of Rock & Roll , 1991, p. 40
- ↑ ASCAP entry for Choo Choo Ch'Boogie