[SHAKE, RATTLE & ROLL]{1a}{1b} Written by: Charles E. Calhoun {See note 1} Performed by: Big Joe Turner & His Blues Kings{2}{3} First released{4}: Single: April 1954 Album: 1957

{1}Turner's version of "Shake, Rattle & Roll," was recorded in New York on February 15, 1954, and reached #1 on the Billboard R&B chart in June. Its success did not, however, cross over to the pop chart. Legend has it that the song started life as a string of unconnected blues verses written by Atlantic records staff producer Jesse Stone, writing under the name of Charles Calhoun, for Big Joe Turner. The leftover verses were then recycled into Turner's follow-up hit, "Flip, Flop and Fly." The original was recycled into a pop hit for Bill Haley and the Comets, with its original lyrics being severely "whitened" up for Haley's audience. Although Turner's version seems a little stiff by modern standards, and Haley's version lasted the longest, a quick listen to Joe Turner's swinging original puts the song's true breakthrough in perspective. Turner's version of the song is highly sexual. Perhaps its most salacious lyric, which was absent from the later Bill Haley rendition, is "I've been holdin' it in, way down underneath / You make me roll my eyes, baby, make me grit my teeth." On the recording, Turner slurred the lyric "holdin' it in," since this line may have been considered too risqué for publication. The chorus uses "shake, rattle and roll" to refer to boisterous intercourse, in the same way that the words "rock and roll" were first used by numerous rhythm and blues singers of the 1940s and 50s. Both Turner's and Haley's versions contain the double entendre, "I'm like a one-eyed cat peepin' in a seafood store," which offers vivid imagery to those who choose to indulge in it.

{1b}There are many different versions of this song, and the lyrics shown here are just one of them. You can see Joe Turner performing live, singing other lyrics than appear here on the Video attached to this page.

{2}Known variously as Joe Turner, The Boss of the Blues, and Big Joe Turner (due to his 6'2," 300+ pounds stature), Turner's career as a performer stretched from the 1920s into the 1980s. The "shouting" chorus on Turner's version of "Shake, Rattle & Roll," consisted of Jesse Stone (See note 1), and record-company executives Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegün. The saxophone solo is by Sam "The Man" Taylor. {See note 5}

{3}Covered by: 1. Art Adams, 2. Dicky Barrett, 3. Count Basie, 4. The Bay City All Stars, 5. The Beatles, 6. Rod Bernard, 7. Chuck Berry, 8. Elvin Bishop, 9. Nappy Brown, 10. Eric Burdon & the Animals, 11. Carl Butler, 12. C. C. Productions, 13. Cagey Strings, 14. Charles E. Calhoun, 15. Canned Heat, 16. Les Caussettes Noires, 17. Chubby Checker, 18. Clifton Chenier, 19. The Buck Clayton All Stars, 20. Patsy Cline, 21. The Collins Kids, 22. Arthur Conley, 23. Sam Cooke, 24. Pee Wee Crayton, 25. Bobby Crown, 26. Lisa Dames, 27. Carol Davies, 28. The Deep River Boys, 29. Terry Dene & the Dene Aces, 30. Dion, 31. Fats Domino, 32. The Dukes of Dixieland, 33. Snooks Eaglin, 34. JaRon Eames, 35. The John Entwistle Band, 36. The Fabulous Hubcaps, 37. Fats & His Cats, 38. Flash Cadillac, 39. Flying Circus, 40. Steve Earle, 41. Foghat, 42. Pott Folse, 43. Lowell Fulson, 44. Amos Garrett, 45. Glen Glenn, 46. The Go Getters, 47. Vern Gosdin, 48. Charlie Gracie, 49. Bill Haley & His Comets, 50. The Ray Hamilton Orchestra, 51. John Harbison, 52. Larry Harding & the Hornets, 53. Hapton Hawes, 54. Jeff Healy, 55. The Hit Crew, 56. Jools Holland, 57. Buddy Holly & the Crickets, 58. The Hollywood Blue Flames, 59. Johnny Horton, 60. Willie Hutch, 61. J. B. Hutto & the Hawks, 62. The Ink-Spots, 63. King Ivory, 64. Doug James, 65. Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers, 66. Johnny & the Roccos, 67. Ernie K-Doe, 68. Kane Glaze, 69. League of Decency, 70. Huey Lewis & the News, 71. Jerry Lee Lewis, 72. Little Boy Arnold, 73. Little Milton, 74. Little Tony, 75. The London Theatre Orchestra, 76. Louisiana Red, 77. Bob Luman, 78. Keith Magel, 79. Artie Malvin, 80. Henry Mancini, 81. Ace Moreland, 82. Morrissey, 83. NRBQ, 84. Sandy Nelson, 85. The Johnny Otis Orchestra, 86. Jack Parnell, 87. Carl Perkins, 88. Tom Petty, 89. Piano Red, 90. Elvis Presley, 91. The Billy Price Keystone Rhythm Band, 92. Rubén Ramos, 93. Cliff Richard, 94. Tom Rigney, 95. Rob Rio, 96. The Ritz, 97. Rockin' Dopsie, 98. The Rockin' Vickers, 99. Roomful of Blues, 100. Santo & Johnny, 101. Savoy Brown, 102. Briana Seltzer, 103. Sha Na Na, 104. Tony Sheridan, 105. Jumpin' Gene Simmons, 106. Soul Patrol, 107. Bruce Springsteen, 108. Georgiana Stewart, 109. Warren Storm, 110. Stormin' Norman & Steel Breeze, 111. Billy Swan, 112. The Swinging Blue Jeans, 113. Teengenerate, 114. Ike & Tina Turner, 115. Conway Twitty, 116. Vince Vance, 117. Doc Watson, 118. Joey Welz, 119. Joe Williams, 120. Wolfman Jack, et al.

{4}Appears on:{*} SINGLE(s): (1)Big Joe Turner: A-side: "Shake, Rattle & Roll" B-side: "You Know I Love You" (a) Atlantic, 7-Inch, Vinvy, 45rpm, #1026, US-1954.

(2)Big Joe Turner: A-side: "Shake, Rattle & Roll" B-side: "Two Loves Have" (a) Philips, 7-Inch, Vinyl, 45rpm, #6832-018, France-1970.

ALBUM(s): (a)Joe Turner: Rock & Roll (1) Atlantic, 14-Track, Mono LP, #8005, US-1957.

(b)Joe Turner: The Very Best of Big Joe Turner: (1) Rhino, 16-Track, Stereo CD, #ATL-397628, US-1998{5}.

{*}The album(s) and record(s) listed here may have different versions of the song than the one that was transcribed. Also, this list is not intended to be the complete discography on which this song appears.

{5}Transcribed from the track on this album.