Our current list of nominees for the Hall of Songs is at 28 songs. In this bonus episode, we add another.
The “veterans committee” meets, and we discuss “Dust My Broom” by Elmore James (1951) as we add it to the pool. Then we go deep into the list itself, picking out trends we’ve seen between 1951 and ’54, highlighting some of the bigger stories we’ve talked about, and handicapping listener picks for the Hall of Songs.
Here’s the current list of nominees:
Our next episode, unveiling the nominees from 1955, drops on April 4, 2021.
We continue to fill up the pool of nominees as we reach 1954. Here is our next set of nominees for the Hall of Songs.
Smack in the middle of 1954, a young man from Memphis records his first single late at night during a session at Sun Records. That single, a cover of Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right,” causes a fervor in Memphis and makes a name of its singer, Elvis Presley.
While Elvis’ origin story casts a large shadow over 1954, it’s not just him making noise. In fact, 1954 is the year doo-wop really steps up and becomes a force in pop music. Two hits specifically – “Sh’Boom” and “Mr. Sandman” – prove mightiest as massive hits on the pop charts.
With all this shifting on the charts, that means the era of the big-selling, old-school pop vocalist is beginning to end. The most popular names in pop heading into 1954 are Tony Bennett, Perry Como, and Eddie Fisher, and their fortunes are soon to change. Meanwhile another major vocalist of the last 15 years, Frank Sinatra, is about to see his career take a major shift in a good way.
We talk about all of that and more in our 1954 episode of Hall of Songs.
Our 1954 nominees:
“I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” as performed by Muddy Waters
Written by Willie Dixon, recorded January 1954, released January 1954
“Work With Me Annie” as performed by Hank Ballard & His Midnighters
Written by Hank Ballard, recorded January 1954, released February 1954
“Sh’Boom” as performed by The Chords
Written by James Keyes, Claude Feaster, Carl Feaster, Floyd F. McRae, recorded March 1954, released spring 1954
“Shake, Rattle and Roll” as performed by Big Joe Turner
Written by Jesse Stone (as Charles F. Calhoun), recorded February 1954, released April 1954
“That’s All Right” as performed by Elvis Presley
Written by Arthur Crudup, recorded July 1954, released July 1954
“Earth Angel” as performed by The Penguins
Written by Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin, Gaynel Hodge, recorded August 1954, released October 1954
“Hearts of Stone” as performed by The Charms
Written by Eddie Ray and Rudy Jackson, recorded fall 1954, released fall 1954
“Mr. Sandman” as performed by The Chordettes
Written by Pat Ballard, recorded fall 1954, released November 1954
Check out the full episode to learn more about these songs and why they’re so great, and come back on April 4, 2021, when we discuss our nominees from 1955.
The journey to determine the greatest rock ‘n’ roll songs in history continues as we name our 1953 nominees for Hall of Songs.
1953 is when the rock ‘n’ roll narratives that we’ve come to know begin to take shape. It’s when street-corner doo-wop makes its impact in record stores, when Hank Williams sets a template for the future of country music, and when Bill Haley first gets the kids dancing to his unique version of rockabilly swing. To many, these are the things that make rock ‘n’ roll.
But 1953 is also the year rhythm and blues, or rock ‘n’ roll-style music targeted to Black listeners, takes a giant leap forward with the help of young artists like Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, and Clyde McPhatter. These talents, all part of the fast-growing stable at Ahmet Ertegun’s Atlantic Records, will help create what we know of as soul music, though we feel that all of it is rock ‘n’ roll, a reframing of narratives.
Another icon of rock ‘n’ roll mythology, the Corvette, is first produced in 1953. This all-American sports car will become a symbol of freedom and discovery, perfectly paralleling rock ‘n’ roll’s impact on society. Yup, 1953 is a year when narratives are born; the following nine nominees help tell the story of this critical moment in popular Western music.
Our 1953 nominees:
“Your Cheatin’ Heart” as performed by Hank Williams
Written by Hank Williams, recorded September 1952, released January 1953
“Hound Dog” as performed by Big Mama Thornton
Written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, recorded August 1952, released February 1953
“(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” as performed by Ruth Brown
Written by Johnny Wallace and Herbert J. Lance, recorded December 1952, released early 1953
“Crazy Man, Crazy” as performed by Bill Haley & His Comets
Written by Bill Haley and Marshall Lytle, recorded April 1953, released April 1953
“Gee” as performed by The Crows
Written by William Davis and Viola Watkins, recorded February 1953, released June 1953
“Mess Around” as performed by Ray Charles
Written by Ahmet Ertegun, recorded May 1953, released June 1953
“Shake a Hand” as performed by Faye Adams
Written by Joe Morris, recorded early 1953, released mid 1953
“Money Honey” as performed by Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters
Written by Jesse Stone, recorded August 1953, released September 1953
“The Things That I Used to Do” as performed by Guitar Slim
Written by Eddie Jones (Guitar Slim), recorded October 1953, released late 1953
Check out the full episode to learn more about these songs and why they’re so great, and come back on March 21, 2021, when we discuss our nominees from 1954.
1952! The second stop on our voyage to discover and enshrine the truly elite rock ‘n’ roll songs: The Hall of Songs.
Both politically and culturally, 1952 was a year of change and unrest. Harry Truman decided not to seek a second term and Dwight Eisenhower was elected President. In the United Kingdom, King George VI died and Queen Elizabeth succeeded to the Throne. We’re starting to see a tug-of-war develop as the Greatest Generation makes way (or not) to the Baby Boomer Generation.
Musically, the U.S. charts are still a mess and trying to keep up with the times while the UK charts are born. Greater access to radio means more music and more varied music.
There’s still a transition underway between the “old” sounds of jazz and pop standards and the more raucous rock ‘n’ roll sound that is evident in our six Hall of Songs nominees for 1952. There’s some blues, some jazz, some country and a lot of the “new” rock sound.
1952 Nominee Playlist
Our 1952 nominees:
“Night Train” as performed by Jimmy Forrest
Written by Oscar Washington, Lewis P. Simpkins and Jimmy Forrest, recorded November 1951, released March 1952
“Rock and Roll Blues” as performed by Anita O’Day
Written by Anita O’Day, recorded 1950(?), released March 1952
“Have Mercy Baby” as performed by Billy Ward and His Dominoes
Written by Billy Ward and Rose Marks, recorded January 1952, released April 1952
“Lawdy Miss Clawdy” as performed by Lloyd Price
Written by Lloyd Price, recorded March 1952, released April 1952
“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” as performed by Kitty Wells
Written by J. D. “Jay” Miller, recorded May 1952, released June 1952
“Mean Old World” as performed by Little Walter
Adapted by Little Walter, Originally written by T-Bone Walker and Marl Young, recorded October 1952, released December 1952
Check out the full episode to learn more about these songs and why they’re so great, and come back on March 7, 2021, when we discuss our nominees from 1953.
Feb. 7, 2021: It’s 1951! Welcome to our first main timeline episode of Hall of Songs, digging into the songs we’ve nominated for Hall consideration in 1951.
There is no single song that marks the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not as if all music was this, and then one day *that* happened and people said, “Oh! That’s different! That’s rock ‘n’ roll!” But we can take a whole bunch of information, scan it through our brains, and decide that 1951 is about the time that rock ‘n’ roll starts to truly take shape.
The six songs from 1951 that we’ve nominated for inclusion in the Hall of Songs seem to reflect this premise. They all sound like both something else and maybe rock ‘n’ roll, all at the same time. The rock may be in the vocal or the lyric sheet of the song, it may be in some innovation put down in the record, or it may just be the feeling the track gives. Either way, to us, these six say “rock ‘n’ roll” in some way.
Our 1951 nominees:
“Cold Cold Heart” as performed by Hank Williams
Written by Hank Williams (disputed), recorded December 1950, released February 1951
“How High the Moon” as performed by Les Paul and Mary Ford
Written by Morgan Lewis and Nancy Hamilton, recorded January 1951, released March 1951
“Rocket 88” as performed by Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats
Written by Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner (disputed), recorded March 1951, released April 1951
“Sixty Minute Man” as performed by Billy Ward and his Dominoes
Written by Billy Ward and Rose Marks, recorded December 1950, released May 1951
“Hey, Good Lookin'” as performed by Hank Williams
Written by Hank Williams, recorded March 1951, released June 1951
“I’m in the Mood” as performed by John Lee Hooker
Written by John Lee Hooker, recorded August 1951, released October 1951
Listen to our 1951 episode to learn more about these songs, and come back on Feb. 21, 2021, when we discuss our nominees from 1952.
Jan. 24, 2021: Welcome to Hall of Songs! Here’s our introduction episode, in which we unveil the concept, discuss just what kinds of songs we’ll be nominating, and establish some parameters … you know, so you don’t have to keep asking us later.
Next episode: On Feb. 7, 2021, we’ll begin with our Hall of Songs nominees in 1951.
