Louie Louie
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| - | '''The Wailers''' were an [[United States|American]] [[rock band]] from [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]], [[Washington]]. Formed around 1958, they are often considered the first [[garage rock]] group. They performed a hybrid of saxophone-driven [[R&B]] and [[Chuck Berry]] rock and roll. | + | "'''Louie Louie'''" is an [[United States|American]] [[rock and roll|rock 'n' roll]] song written by [[Richard Berry]] (no relation to [[Chuck Berry]]) in 1955. It has become a standard in [[pop music|pop]] and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists. The song is written in the style of a [[Jamaica]]n ballad; and tells, in simple [[verse-chorus form]], the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lady love. The singer brags of his "fine little girl" to the Louie of the title, presumably a bartender. |
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| - | Five 45s (four released in 1959, including "Tall Cool One", and one in 1960) and an [[album|LP]] release, ''The Fabulous Wailers'' (released December 1959 on Golden Crest Records), put the Wailers on the national scene. Their 1961 [[cover version|cover]] of "[[Louie Louie]]", which they recorded as a backing band for singer Rockin' Roberts, was the first to use the trademark ''1-2-3, 1-2, 1-2-3'' riff. Their version inspired other groups from the [[Seattle]] area, most notably the [[The Kingsmen|Kingsmen]] of [[Portland, Oregon]], to [[sound recording and reproduction|record]] the same [[song]]. The Wailers' influence established the [[Northwestern United States|Pacific Northwest]] area as a center for musical innovation and the home of a long string of regional favorites playing a kind of raunchy, amateur, yet passionate, form of [[rock and roll]]. | + | |
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| - | The Wailers' song, "Out of Our Tree", was featured in the ''[[Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era]]'' collection. | + | |
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| - | ==Members== | + | |
| - | * Ron Gardner, [[Singer|Vocals]], [[Keyboard instrument|Keyboards]], [[Tenor Saxophone]] - (Late 1960) | + | |
| - | * Richard Dangel, Original [[Guitarist]] - (Late August 1958) | + | |
| - | * Neil Anderson, Guitar, now a member of the Gypsy Jazz group, Pearl Django | + | |
| - | * John Hanford, [[Guitar]] | + | |
| - | * Mike Burk, Original [[Drummer]] - (Late August 1958) | + | |
| - | * John Greek, Original Founder, Leader, [[Rhythm Guitar]], [[Bassist]], [[Cornet]], [[Trumpet]], [[Flugelhorn]] - (Late August 1958) | + | |
| - | * Mark Marush, Original Tenor Sax - (Late August 1958) | + | |
| - | * Kent Morrill, Original [[Piano]], Vocals - (Late August 1958) | + | |
| - | * Dave Roland, [[Drummer]] | + | |
| - | * Denny Weaver, Guitar | + | |
| - | * Gary Favier, Vocals - (October 1958 - June 1959) | + | |
| - | * Gail (Gayle) Harris, Vocals - (Hired early August 1959) | + | |
| - | * Rockin' Robbin Roberts, Vocals - (Hired August 1959) | + | |
| - | * John "Buck" Ormsby, [[Bass Guitar]] - (April 1960) | + | |
| + | A version by [[The Kingsmen]] recorded in 1963 is the best-known recording. The Kingsmen's version was also the subject of an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] investigation about the supposed but non-existent obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution. The song is ranked #55 on the ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]. | ||
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Revision as of 20:05, 4 April 2009
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"Louie Louie" is an American rock 'n' roll song written by Richard Berry (no relation to Chuck Berry) in 1955. It has become a standard in pop and rock, with hundreds of versions recorded by different artists. The song is written in the style of a Jamaican ballad; and tells, in simple verse-chorus form, the first-person story of a Jamaican sailor returning to the island to see his lady love. The singer brags of his "fine little girl" to the Louie of the title, presumably a bartender.
A version by The Kingsmen recorded in 1963 is the best-known recording. The Kingsmen's version was also the subject of an FBI investigation about the supposed but non-existent obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution. The song is ranked #55 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Louie Louie" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
