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?