January 27, 1918: Elmore James, King of the Slide Guitar Hits the Planet!!!

Elmore James (January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and band leader. He was known as King of the Slide Guitar but he was also noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 

AND R.I.P. MR. JAMES...

AND THANK YOU!!!

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January 18th: A good day in The Evolution of Rock 'n Roll for The Robins, Rosie Hamlin and Young Holt Unlimited

JANUARY 18^th:

A Few Monster Hits From This Date In The Evolution of Rock ‘n Roll…

January 18, 1955: The Robins hit #79 with "Smokey Joe's Cafe"…

January 18, 1961: Rosie and the Originals

 hit #1 with "Angel Baby"…

January 18, 1969: Young-Holt Unlimited hits #3 with "Soulful Strut"…

AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMIN’!!!

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED… 

January 17, 2012: Johnny Otis, a Rock 'n' Roll pioneer who reached #9 in America (Number One R ‘n B Charts) with "Willie And The Hand Jive" in 1958, died of natural causes at the age of 90…

Johnny Otis was an influential performer, disc jockey, record producer, TV show host and talent scout. 





He is credited with  discovering such artists as Jackie Wilson,  Little Willie John, Hank Ballard,  Big Mama Thornton 
  and Little Esther….



Otis scored 15 Top 10 R ‘n B hits between 1950 and 1952, including his #1 cover of the jazz standard “Harlem Nocturne.” 



Not only was he ultra talented, he could spot it in others. Johnny opened up his own club in L.A., the Barrelhouse, to showcase his discoveries…

When Etta James only 13 years old, Johnny produced and co-wrote her first hit single “Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry).”

  

  He also discovered Big Mama Thornton singing while cleaning hotel rooms. He co-wrote, produced and played on her seminal recording of “Hound Dog” in 1953, several years before Elvis Presley brought the song to the charts; however Otis’ songwriting credit was removed from Elvis’ recording by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. “Every Beat of My Heart” was a hit tune he wrote for The Royals in 1952…



 And, of course,  Gladys Knight & The Pips had a hit with the same tune in 1961….

Johnny Otis  produced Johnny Ace’s number one hit “Pledging My Love”



 and The Fiestas’ classic hit “So Fine”    

 —He was also playing on those two hit records!

He’s most remembered for a 1958 release that climbed all the way to #9 on the Pop charts and #1 R ‘n B; that song with the infectious Bo Diddley beat and terrific guitar work by Jimmy Nolen, “Willie and the Hand Jive.” 

    The song is about a dance featuring hand movements called “The Hand Jive.”
The “Hand Jive” dance came from England where teenagers were not permitted to stand and dance at concert venues. Instead they created a hand movement dance that could be done from their seats.
 It’s also been said that the “Hand Jive” was also slang for masturbation…

Eric Clapton had a #26 chart hit with the song in 1974, as had Johnny Rivers in 1973. George Thorogood also had a minor chart hit with the song in 1985...

Johnny Otis was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994. He died of natural causes on January 17, 2012.

R.I.P. Johnny Otis, the original

KING OF ROCK ‘n ROLL…

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED… 

January 15, 1944: Billie Holiday signs with Decca Records...

January 15, 1944: Billie Holiday signs with Decca Records, for whom she records "Easy Living,"  "Crazy He Calls Me,"   "Them There Eyes”

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED… 

January 12: THREE MONSTERS ARE ADDED TO THE EVOLUTION OF ROCK ‘n ROLL!!!

January 12, 1957:

 Sun releases "Flyin' Saucer Rock n' Roll" by Billy Riley and His Little Green men… The cut features Roland Janes on guitar and Jerry Lee Lewis on piano and is a rockabilly classic…

January 12, 1961: Shep and the Limelights reach #2 with  the Doo-Wop Classic "Daddy's Home"… 

January 12, 1963: Les Cooper & the Soul Rockers hit #22

with the classic instrumental

 "Wiggle Wobble”…

It's Only Rock 'n Roll!!!

THE USE OF ANY COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL IS USED UNDER THE GUIDELINES OF "FAIR USE" IN TITLE 17 & 107 OF THE UNITED STATES CODE. SUCH MATERIAL REMAINS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE ORIGINAL HOLDER AND IS USED HERE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EDUCATION, COMPARISON, AND CRITICISM ONLY. NO INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT IS INTENDED…