Maybellene

Name	Maybellene
Cover	Maybelline.jpg
Artist	Chuck Berry
Released
Format	7" 45 RPM, 10" 78 RPM
B-side	"Wee Wee Hours"
Recorded	May 21, 1955 at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago, Illinois
Genre	Rock and roll
Length	s
Label	Chess
Producer	Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
This single	"Maybellene"(1955)
Next single	"Thirty Days"(1955)

"Maybellene" is a song recorded by Chuck Berry, adapted from the traditional fiddle tune "Ida Red" that tells the story of a hot rod race and a broken romance. It was released in July 1955 as a single on Chess Records of Chicago, Illinois. It was Berry's first single release and his first hit. "Maybellene" is considered one of the pioneering rock and roll singles: Rolling Stone magazine wrote, "Rock & roll guitar starts here." The record is an early instance of the complete rock and roll package: youthful subject matter, small guitar-driven combo, clear diction, and an atmosphere of unrelenting excitement.

The song was a major hit among both black and white audiences and it was quickly covered by several other artists after its initial release. The song has received numerous honors and awards throughout the years.

The song is often misspelled "Maybelline" on several releases.

Origins and writing of the song

Many have considered the story of the evolution of the country song "Ida Red" important to the history of rock 'n' roll's emergence as a popular music. According to Berry, his favorite song to sing at “salt and pepper clubs” as he called them, (black and white clubs) was the traditional country song "Ida Red", an uptempo dance number made popular by Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys with their 1938 recording. With encouragement from Muddy Waters, Berry in 1955 brought to Chess Records a tape of his cover of Bob Wills' version of the tune which he had renamed “Ida May” and a blues song he wrote “Wee Wee Hours”, which he stated was inspired by Joe Turner’s “Wee Baby Blue”. It has been claimed that taking old recordings and modifying them, by changing the instrumentals and the lyrics was a common practice in the 1950s. With these changes the original songs were often not detectable particularly if the melody was slightly modified. This practice took place because copyright laws on older recordings were rarely enforced.

As Chess had predicted, the lyrics struck a chord with teenagers fascinated by cars, speed, and sexuality. "Maybellene” became one of the first records to score big on rhythm and blues, country and western, and pop charts. Featuring some inimitable Chuck Berry riffs, some blues-style picking on a country guitar, and Johnson’s piano, which added a hummable rhythm to the steady backbeat, "Maybellene" was a pivotal song in the emergence of rock 'n' roll. This exciting fusion of a rhythm and blues beat with a rural country style was the catalyst for the type of rock 'n' roll that emerged in the mid-1950s.

Co-composers

In the 1950s, some record companies assigned co-composer credits to disc jockeys and others who helped "break" a record, a form of "payola" via composer royalties. This accounts for disk jockey Alan Freed receiving co-writer credit for "Maybellene". Russ Fratto, who had been lending money to Chess, also received credit. The Freed and Fratto credits were later withdrawn.

Charts

In 1955, the song, a 12-bar blues, peaked at number five on the Billboard rock/pop charts and was a number one R&B; hit. Billboard's year end charts ranked "Maybellene" as #3 on 1955's Top R&B; Records Retail Sales and the Juke Box Plays charts.

Honors and awards

In 1988 "Maybellene" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its influence as a rock and roll single. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included "Maybellene" in their list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll list, as well as "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B. Goode". In 1999, National Public Radio included it in the "NPR 100," the one hundred most important American musical works of the 20th century as chosen by NPR music editors. "Maybellene" is currently ranked as the 81st greatest song of all time, as well as the second best song of 1955, by Acclaimed Music.

Cover versions

Allmusic lists cover versions by more than 70 performers, including Elvis Presley, Simon and Garfunkel in a medley with "Kodachrome", George Jones, Carl Perkins, Bubba Sparks, Foghat, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Johnny Rivers, and Chubby Checker.

In 1955, the Brownie McGhee Sextet recorded "Anna Mae" which was a double-time rewrite of "Maybellene". It can be found on the four-disc compilation "Stompin' at the Savoy: The Original Indie-Label 1944-1961."

"Maybellene" is Steve Howe's first released single (1964) with his band The Syndicats.

In 1964 Johnny Rivers version of "Maybellene" reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on RPM magazine's Top 40-5s Singles chart.

In 1972, Foghat recorded a cover of the song.

In June 2007, the punk rock group Social Distortion released a cover version of the song as a bonus track on their Greatest Hits album. The track is only available via the Apple iTunes Store.

In 2008, American rapper Mos Def recorded his version for the movie Cadillac Records based on the life and career of the soul singer Etta James. The song was released on the soundtrack the following year.

References

External links

Chuck Berry Collector's Guide - The Chess Era (1955-1966)

Chuck Berry at Encyclopedia FunTrivia

Category:Rock and roll songs Category:Debut singles Category:1955 singles Category:Chess Records singles Category:Chuck Berry songs Category:Billboard Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles Category:1964 singles Category:Johnny Rivers songs Category:Songs about automobiles Category:Songs written by Chuck Berry Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Category:Marty Robbins songs Category:Foghat songs