Winning Hand Volume 4: The Deck is Stacked ...with (Count 'em) 4 Pairs Up Shady's Sleeve!

Welcome to Winning Hand:

FOUR PAIRS
UP SHADY'S SLEEVE!

In this edition of the series I have posted four pairs of songs.
Each pair contains the original and a cover. I am curious
to know which version or versions you prefer.

I might be a wild card and

a joker... but I'm no poker.

Therefore, without further delay, I will introduce
the kings and queens of song in today's post.

Remember, ladies and gentlemen...

This is only an exhibition...
This is not a competition...
Please... no wagering.

 EDDIE COCHRAN 

Rock & roll and rockabilly star Eddie Cochran died young at the age of
21 on Easter Sunday, 1960, as a result of a car crash that occurred while
he was touring in the UK. "Sweetie Pie," a song Eddie co-wrote and
recorded in 1957, remained in the vault until the late summer of
1960 when it was released posthumously on a single as the
B side of "Lonely." Neither song charted in the U.S. but
in Britain "Lonely" grazed the top 40 and
"Sweetie Pie" peaked at #38.

"Sweetie Pie" - Eddie Cochran

(Sept./Oct. 1960, B side of "Lonely,"
highest chart pos. #38 UK)

 THE BLUEBELL SISTERS 

Now here's a delightful cover of Eddie Cochran's "Sweetie Pie" performed
by The Bluebell Sisters, a retro style girl group from Montreal, Canada,
that specializes in 1940s jump blues and 50s doo-wop and rockabilly.

"SweetiePie" 

Eddie Cochran cover by The Bluebell Sisters

(Mar. 2018)

 SARAH JANE 

This is my own video that I uploaded to YouTube after buying a various artists

CD of Brit girl pop and being blown away by mystery artist Sarah Jane. It is

the English sparrow's 1966 cover of "Listen People," a dramatic version of

the song that was a top 5 U.S. hit for Herman's Hermits that same year.

Sarah Jane has been compared to Marianne Faithfull because of her

hauntingly beautiful voice and style. Listen, people, to-- Sarah Jane!

"Listen People"
Herman's Hermits cover by Sarah Jane
(May 1966)

 HERMAN'S HERMITS 

Now listen to the original. Based on the church hymn "Jesus Let Us Come

To Know You" and featured in the 1965 Connie Francis movie musical

When the Boys Meet the Girls, Herman's Hermits do "Listen People."

"Listen People" - Herman's Hermits

(Feb./Mar. 1966, highest chart pos. #3 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

scene from Oct. 1965 film When the Boys Meet the Girls)

 AMY SLATTERY 

I am pleased to welcome back the delightful Amy Slattery, the English singer,

guitar player and multi-instrumentalist discovered by talent scout Chris Griffin

and introduced on the old blog Shady Dell Music & Memories. Amy specializes

in Beatles covers and here's one of her best-- The Ballad Of John And Yoko!"

"The Ballad Of John And Yoko" 
Beatles cover by Amy Slattery

(May 2018)

 THE BEATLES 

Now here is the nicely remastered mix of the original single released by

The Beatles in the spring of 1969. Written by John, the song about the

"Yoko effect" on the band, fans and the media, shot to #1 on the UK

chart, becoming the Beatles' 17th and last chart topping hit on that

survey. It is surprisingly to me that this Beatles classic didn't do

as well on the U.S. chart, halting in the lower part of the

top 10 on Billboard and Cash Box.

"The Ballad of John and Yoko" - The Beatles

(June/July 1969, highest chart pos. #1 UK/#8 Hot 100/#10 Cash Box)

 LITTLE PEGGY MARCH 

In 1963, diminutive singer Little Peggy March set a record (that still stands) as the

youngest female artist to achieve a number one hit single. Peggy was 14 when she

waxed "I Will Follow Him" and had just turned 15 when the record began its climb

to the top of the chart. Peggy's hit is actually a cover version of the song. In 1961

French composer, arranger and conductor Franck Pourcel was the first to record

the tune as an instrumental, followed by a French language version of the song

released by Pet Clark in 1962. Another instrumental version was recorded by

Percy Faith. Watch this cool hybrid YouTube video that combines footage

from two Peggy March television appearances, one on American TV and

the other on Japanese TV, as she performs her classic of the innocent

pre-Beatles teen pop era - "I Will Follow Him!"

"I Will Follow Him" - Little Peggy March

(Apr./May 1963, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

 RICK NELSON 

Later that same year, 1963, Rick Nelson released the studio album

For Your Sweet Love. One of the tracks on the album is an answer
to Peggy March's signature song. On an episode of his family TV
sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Rick sang his
version of the song entitled-- "I Will Follow You!"

"I Will Follow You" 
Little Peggy March cover by Rick Nelson

(from 1963 album For Your Sweet Love, perf. on

June 6, 1963 ep. of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet)

I think these musical
kings and queens are aces!

Do you agree? 

Have a Shady day!

Orange You Glad This Lime is Not a Lemon?

PLEASE WATCH THIS TRAILER.

THEN WE'LL TALK.

Hi, I'm Joyce Martin....

I'm the good girl breaking bad in the

Academy Award winning motion picture

High School Hellcats!

It's not easy being the new girl in school.

At first I felt all alone and insecure.

But then I was approached by Connie, leader of

The Hellcats, the mean girl gang that rules

the school and controls the social scene.

What a great bunch of gals, those Hellcats!
Their hobbies include sassing the teacher...

smoking cigarettes in school...

and I mean anywhere and everywhere - 

not just in the little girls' room...

and of course, everybody's favorite pastime - 
knife-throwing.

I wanted to fit in, so I considered joining
The Hellcats, but there were two problems.

First, Hellcats do not allow their members
to get good grades. My folks would kill me
if I let my GPA slip. Secondly, I can't date
any guy that isn't approved by Connie
and her posse. That made me hesitate
because I am used to playing the field.

For example, before I arrived at Hellcat High, I was involved
with rock 'n' roll star Eddie Cochran who appeared with me in
the juvie delinquent movie Untamed Youth. Eddie also played
guitar on a record I made called "Ting-A-Ling Telephone."

"Ting-A-Ling Telephone" - Yvonne Lime
feat. Eddie Cochran (1957, unreleased)

My next fella

was "Little Joe"

Cartwright...

(Michael Landon)
of Bonanza fame.
 Everything was

fine at first...

Unfortunately...

Little Joe
turned out

to be a wolf.

I even met, worked with and dated Elvis Presley.

As you can see,

I've got the pics

to prove it.

Elvis and I had

chemistry, but it

didn't work out.

His heart belonged to another woman...

...his mom!

Then there was Tim Considine who played Spin Evans on
Spin and Marty, Frank Hardy on The Hardy Boys and
Mike on My Three Sons. We were "just friends."

After that I went to a dance
with teenage idol Ricky Nelson
on his family's television series
Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet.

In the following film clip you can

see shots of me smiling in the

audience as I watch Ricky

perform his top 10 hit

"I Got A Feeling."

"I Got A Feeling" - Ricky Nelson

(Oct./Nov. 1958, highest chart pos.

#10 Hot 100/#15 Cash Box, scene from

Oct. 29, 1958 ep. of The Adventures

of Ozzie And Harriet)

It was ditto with Rick. We parted "just friends." So, as you

can see, I haven't exactly been lucky in love - far from it!

Even so I value my freedom
and I was wary of making a
commitment to The Hellcats.

That's when Connie and the
Cats lured me to a dark,
creepy old abandoned
movie theater on the
poor side of town
and started to apply
big time peer pressure.

Listen up, cupcake.
Me and the other girls
talked it over and we
think you might have

the right stuff to be a
Hellcat. Make up your
mind. Are you in or out?

Just remember one thing,
If you don't belong, you
are nothing and nobody, and you'll find life at

school pretty rough.

I'm sorry I kept you and the other
girls waiting, Connie. I want to
be a Hellcat, I really do. In fact
I've already started honing my
mean girl skills. Why, you'll be
very happy to know that...
just this morning at school,
when no one was looking...
I threw caution to the wind
and sniffed copier ink. Then
I snuck behind the gym
and chewed bubblegum -
the proven gateway to
reefer madness.

Determined to have a social life, I gave up dating famous
actors and rock stars and settled for local soda jerk
Mike Landers, but that was a real disaster.

Mike said The Hellcats are bad news and warned me
to stay away from them. I didn't like him telling me
what to do and we argued about it all the time.

When Connie found out I was dating Mike without her
permission, she sent her goon squad to beat him up.

I felt really bad about what happened to Mike...

but there was a silver lining. It brought us closer.

Oh... hi, Connie! No, I'm not having second thoughts.

What's that? I'm invited to an all night gang initiation 

slumber party at the dark, creepy abandoned theater?

Sounds neato, and thanks for the invite, but I'm

afraid I can't make it. My folks caught me

reading the Kinsey Reports and I'm

grounded until my wedding day.

Yeah, I know - bummer! Hey Connie, I don't mean to be rude,

but I gotta hang up now. My great grandmother in Siberia
is real sick...yeah, that's the ticket...and my folks will kill
me if I don't keep the line free in case we get "the call."
I'll catch you Monday morning at school, okay? Bye-bye.

If you eavesdropped on

my convo with Connie

just now, you might have

sensed that I was fibbing.

You see, I didn't want her to

know about a school project

I am secretly working on

to earn extra credit and

bring up my grade.

My music history teacher, Shady Del Knight, has agreed to be
my private tutor. He gave me a special assignment that will
enable me to pass his course. Starting next year, Professor
Shady will be giving me the chance to host a new series

at Shady's Place. I asked him what Shady's Place is and
where it's located. He told me it's the name of his blog
and that I can use a computer to find it on the internet.
Shady wrote down the address: tctgyb.blogspot.com.

That's all I can tell you right now because Shady
wants to keep details under wraps until next year.

Imagine me, Joyce Martin, having my very own series!

I was so excited, I wanted to run home, tell my

parents and make them proud.

But then it dawned on me that this is 1958, and I have

no clue what a blog is, or a computer or the internet

for that matter, and our little town has a Main Street

and a other avenues and boulevards, but no

address like tctgyb.blogspot.com.

I went back to the classroom and asked Professor Shady
to explain. He told me to get on my lap top and search the
web. First of all, the web sounds icky, buggy and spidery.
Secondly, for me to "get on my lap top" I'd need to be a
contortionist. I suppose I'll catch on as time goes by.

So please join me next year for the
premiere of my series at Shady's Place

(whatever and wherever that may be).

Happy birthday to one of my favorite actresses...

Y V O N N E   L I M E

85 years young today!

Ernest P. Worrell's Rock-A-Billygoat - Volume 1: Friday Night on a Dollar Bill with a Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped Up Model Ford!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:

...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.

And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by for

 Ernest P. Worrell's 

 Rock-A-Billygoat 

on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY SECOND VIDEO

AT 4 SEC. MARK OF FIRST VIDEO!

"C'mon Everybody" - Eddie Cochran

 (Dec. 1958/Jan. 1959, highest chart pos. #35 Hot 100/#6 UK,
perf. on Dick Clark's Saturday Night Beechnut Show)

That was Eddie Cochran corruptin' the minds of our young'uns with
the devil's music A-K-A rock'n' roll. Eddie's "C'mon Everybody" made
Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Hey there, Vern!

This here's your old buddy Ernest

P. Worrell. I'm back behind the mic

to host my first official radio show
here on S-P-M-M... the greatest
little station in the nation.

Ain't none of my beeswax, Vern, but

you look a little peaked this morning.

Up all night doin' the Texas Two Step?

While you're busy varnishin' the deck I'll be supervisin' the job to make sure you do it right, sippin' an ice cold Meller Yeller and playin' stacks 'o' wax to get your toes tappin' and your heart flutterin'.

Here's a young rockabilly rock 'n' roller from Texas by the name of Huelyn Duvall. Huelyn has shared a stage with Eddie Cochran, Johnny Horton, Bobby Darin,
Dale Hawkins and other name stars.

In 1958 Huelyn released a single
with "Juliet" as the plug song.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

The B is killer and today it's the better known of the two. Let's paint the town red,
Vern, hangin' out with Huelyn Duvall as he does-- "Friday Night On A Dollar Bill!"

"Friday Night On A Dollar Bill" - Huelyn Duvall

(Sept. 1958, B side of "Juliet")

More exciting than a Texas twister, that's Huelyn Duvall with one of the great

sounds of 1958 - "Friday Night On A Dollar Bill." Today a dollar bill will get

you a cup of coffee if you shop around long enough. By that time your

sweetie's hooked up with a rich city slicker and you ain't never

gonna see her again. That's the name of that tune, Vern!

START VIDEO NOW!

Ernest on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio, Vern.
The platters I play are aged to perfection in
oak barrels in mama's cellar. Nuthin' fancy,
just meat & taters old school rock & roll,

country, be bop and rock-a-billygoat. Now

here's Bobby Fuller rockin' the jailhouse

with his biggun "I Fought The Law!"

"I Fought the Law" - Bobby Fuller Four

(Feb./Mar. 1966, highest chart pos. #9)

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

My boy Bobby Fuller there with his
top 10 hit "I Fought The Law" and,
I'll be ding - the law done won.
While Bobby's cryin' in his cell,
let's hear from Phil and Don.

They're cryin' in the rain!

"Crying In The Rain" - The Everly Brothers

(Jan./Feb. 1962, highest chart pos. #6)

Phil and Don there, Vern, The Everly
Brothers. Those boys are "Crying In
The Rain," sobbin' in the storm and
weepin' in the wind - a crossover hit
that brushed the top 5 on the pop chart
in the early part of 1962. If you're just
tunin' in, this is your old buddy Ernest
with my brand spankin' new radio show
Rock-A-Billygoat here on S-P-M-M,
the station with personality.

This cool kitty was leader the Stray Cats, the Long Island rockabilly trio that
had crossover hits in the early 80s with "Rock This Town," "Stray Cat Strut" and
"(She's) Sexy + 17," and here's another piece of trivia for you, Vern. At the top
of the show you saw and heard rock 'n' roll legend Eddie Cochran. Well, this fella
played Eddie in the film La Bamba. He's Brian Setzer and, hang on to your hat,
'cause we're goin' cruisin' with a "Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped Up Model Ford!"

"Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped Up Model Ford" 
- Brian Setzer And The Nashvillains

(from 2007 album Red Hot & Live!)

From the 2007 album Red Hot & Live! that was Brian Setzer, the hepkitty from
The Stray Cats, along with his band The Nashvillains, doin' "Peroxide Blonde in
a Hopped Up Model Ford," covering a song originally waxed by Gene Simmons.
Now I don't mean the Gene Simmons with the two foot long tongue. I'm talkin'
about Jumpin' Gene Simmons, the boy from Tupelo who had a country-style
novelty hit with "Haunted House" in the weeks leading up to Halloween '64.

Speakin' of Tupelo, it's no secret that my good buddy Shady Blue is

Stuck Like Glue on that Mississippi boy Elvis the Pelvis. I'm here to
tell ya that the King of Rock & Roll has me All Shook Up, too, Vern.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

In the summer of '58 Elvis starred in King Creole with Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams) as his lady co-star. King Creole was the longest film Elvis ever made and his last black and white movie. Here's The King with one of the songs from the flick - "Dixieland Rock!"

"Dixieland Rock" - Elvis Presley

(from July 1958 film King Creole)

Ole swivel hips, Elvis Presley there with "Dixieland Rock,"

from the soundtrack of one of his best movies, King Creole.

CLICK TO

START VIDEO!

Holy smoke, Vern, look at the time!

I gotta run. (My bladder's about to

burst from all that Meller Yeller.)

If you liked what you heard today

on Rock-A-Billygoat, then stick
around, 'cause I'll be back with
another batch of heartland hits

in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

In the meantime, in between time, stay tuned for my good buddy Robert W. Morgan,
coming up after the news to get you Morganized with the super sounds of the 60s.
To play us off, here's Johnny Rivers live at the Whisky a Go Go doing a medley
of two nifty numbers - "La Bamba" and "Twist And Shout." Now this is your
old pal Ernest P. Worrell droppin' the mic and sayin' so long. I'll catch you
on the flip-flop, but till then remember to keep the bugs off your glass
and the bears off your tail... don't take any wooden nickels, and
don't do anything I wouldn't do... know what I mean, Vern?

Medley - "La Bamba"/"Twist And Shout" - Johnny Rivers

(from 1964 album Johnny Rivers At The Whisky À Go-Go)

Can We Be Frank With Each Other, Vern? ...or Would You Rather Be Ernest?

Hey there, Vern. Guess who?

I'll give ya three stabs at it

and the first two don't count.

That's right, it's me, your old buddy

Ernest P. Worrell!

Hey Vern, you look a little green around the gills today,
know what I mean? Git hold of a bad batch of moonshine?

Guess what, Vern. I'm back to spin more hep cat tunes
and sip Meller Yeller while I watch you paint your barn.

Taint none of my beeswax, Vern, but it
looks like you missed a spot over yonder.

Alrighty then, it's time for me to stop fiddlin' around and
start playing some grade A rockabilly and early rock 'n' roll!

 TED DAIGLE 

Ted Daigle is one of the founding fathers of Canadian country.
Ever since the mid 50s Ted has been promoting country music as a

performer, as a radio personality and as a music and program director
at stations across Canada. My first spinner is "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby,"
first recorded in 1956 by rockabilly singer Warren Smith. The song-
writing credit on this one went to Johnny Cash, but Smith claimed
the song was actually written by George Jones and sold to Cash.
Taint here nor there. Let's listen to Canadian Country Music
Hall Of Famer Ted Daigle with his 1961
cover of "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby."

"Rock 'N' Roll Ruby" - Ted Daigle

{1961, B side of 'When She Said

You All (Aka "Yo-All")'}

 JOHNNY CARROLL 

 AND HIS HOT ROCKS 

Now here's a good old Texas boy, Johnny Carroll. Johnny and his Hot Rocks
band also did a cover of "Rock 'N' Roll Ruby" on their second single
released in May 1956. A year later Johnny and his posse exploded
in the teenage crime musical movie Rock Baby - Rock It
singing "Rockin' Maybelle" (aka "Rockin' Maybel")
followed  by another ripsnorter, "Sugar Baby!"

"Rockin' Maybelle"/"Sugar Baby" - Johnny Carroll

And His Hot Rocks (from May 1957 film Rock Baby - Rock It)

 JOHNNY RIVERS 

"It Won't Happen With Me" was originally recorded in 1961 by
The Killer - Jerry Lee Lewis. The song begins with the lines:

You say you could fall in love with Elvis

And you love to hear Jacky (Jackie) Wilson sing

In 1964 Johnny Rivers sang the song on an album recorded
live At The Whisky À Go-Go. Johnny updated the song by
dropping the reference to Jackie Wilson and inserting
the hottest band in the world - The Beatles:

You say you could fall in love with Elvis

And you say you like to hear The Beatles sing

Johnny also changed the title to "It Wouldn't Happen With Me."
Wait for it, Vern-- Heeeeeere's Johnny!

"It Wouldn't Happen With Me" - Johnny Rivers

(from 1964 album Johnny Rivers At The Whisky À Go-Go)

 EDDIE COCHRAN 

Up next is rock 'n' roll and rockabilly great Eddie Cochran. Eddie first
performed a song he co-wrote, "20 Flight Rock," in the comedy film
The Girl Can't Help It released to theaters just before Christmas in
1956. The following spring, "20 Flight Rock" hit the street as a
single but failed to chart. Let's have a look and a listen as
Eddie takes the stage and wows the crowd in the movie.

"20 Flight Rock" - Eddie Cochran

(scene from Dec. 1956 movie

The Girl Can't Help It)

SONG STARTS AT 35 SEC. MARK!

 KITTY WELLS & RED FOLEY 

Now let's go way back and listen to an old school country record requested
by Shady Del Knight. In the mid 50s, when Shady was just a tadpole,
his pappy played this one around the house. It's a duet featuring a
couple of country music pioneers, Kitty Wells and Red Foley,
singing a song about cheatin' hearts. It's called "One By One."

"One By One" - Kitty Wells And Red Foley

(May/June 1954, highest chart pos. #1 Country)

 TOMMY ROE 

In the fall of '58 rockabilly singer Robin Luke went top 5 with "Susie Darlin'."
Tommy Roe is another boy who can really croon a tune. Early in Tommy's
career, before he switched to bubblegum pop, Tommy rocked and rolled

with the best of 'em. In the fall of '62 Tommy cracked the top 40 with
 a cover of "Susie Darlin'" that made a run at the top 10 in Australia. 

"Susie Darlin'" - Tommy Roe

(Sept./Oct. 1962, highest chart pos.

#35 Hot 100/#21 Canada/#13 Australia)

 BUDDY HOLLY 

Hard to believe it's been more than 60 years since that plane went down
and we lost music legend Buddy Holly. In late 1957 Buddy and his band

The Crickets, hit the top 3 on the pop chart with "Peggy Sue," a rockin'
little record listed as one of The Greatest Songs of All Time and one of
the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Hey, Vern, I'll bet you never

heard the "enhanced" version of "Peggy Sue" that I'm fixin' to play.
It's the original with extra instrumental backing tracks added to
the mix, including acoustic & electric guitar, piano, snare drum,
cymbals and tambourine. Here's the new "Peggy Sue!"

"Peggy Sue" (new enhanced ver.) - Buddy Holly

(Nov./Dec. 1957, highest chart pos. #3)

Hey, guess what, Vern...

I'll be back real soon with another batch of tunes
for your high school hop or heartland hoedown.

Till then don't take any wooden nickels,

and don't do anything I wouldn't do.

Know what I mean, Vern?