(1957) Sun ''Whole Lot Shakin' Going On'' (Take 4) Jerry Lee Lewis

STUDIO SESSION FOR JERRY LEE LEWIS
AT THE MEMPHIS RECORDING SERVICE FOR SUN RECORDS 1957

SUN RECORDING STUDIO
706 UNION AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE
SUN SESSION: PROBABLY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1957
SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN
PRODUCER AND RECORDING ENGINEER - SAM C. PHILLIPS
AND/OR JACK CLEMENT

"WHOLE LOT SHAKIN' GOING ON"
Composer: - Dave Curley Williams-Sunny David (aka Ray Hall)
Publisher: - B.M.I. - Robert Mellin Music
Matrix number: - None - Take 4 (2:47)
Recorded: - January/February 1957 - Not Originally Issued
Released: - November 1986
First appearance: - Charly Records (LP) 33rpm Sunbox 106-8-1 mono
SUN RECORDS - THE ROCKING YEARS - WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN'
Reissued: - October 2015 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 17254-1-28 mono
JERRY LEE LEWIS AT SUN RECORDS THE COLLECTED WORKS

"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" (sometimes rendered "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On") is a song written by Dave "Curlee" Williams and sometimes also credited to James Faye "Roy" Hall. The song was first recorded by Big Maybelle, though the best-known version is the 1957 rock and roll/rockabilly version by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Jerry Lee Lewis had been performing the song in his stage act and recorded it at his second recording session for Sun Records in February 1957. Supervised by producer Jack Clement, Lewis radically altered the original, adding a propulsive boogie piano that was complemented by J.M. Van Eaton's energetic drumming and Roland Janes' "muted" guitar and also added suggestive spoken asides. The song was engineered by Jack "Cowboy" Clement, who told Lewis when he entered the studio, "We don't do much country around here. We're in the rock and roll business. You ought to go home and work up some rock and roll numbers''.] Lewis later stated: "I knew it was a hit when I cut it. Sam Phillips thought it was gonna be too risqué, it couldn't make it. If that's risqué, well, I'm sorry''.

Sun released the song on a single, which reached number number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the magazine's Rhythm & Blues record charts. A record review appeared in Billboard on 27 May 1957. The single also hit number 1 on the country charts, and number 8 in the UK Singles Chart. Lewis became an instant sensation and as music writer Robert Gordon noted: "Jerry Lee began to show that in this new emerging genre called rock 'n' roll, not everybody was going to stand there with a guitar''.

American music critic Cub Koda described the song as a "rock and roll classic", while scholar Charles L. Ponce de Leon said it was "perhaps the quintessential rockabilly anthem". Lewis's version of the song was ranked as the 61st greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in 2004. In 2005, it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.

Levi Kreis, portraying Lewis, sang the song in the Broadway musical Million Dollar Quartet, which opened in New York in April 2010. Kreis's version is included on the Million Dollar Quartet original Broadway cast recording.

Chubby Checker released a version on his 1960 album For Twisters Only. His version was released as the B-side to his single "The Hucklebuck" and reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Name (Or. No. Of Instruments)
Jerry Lee Lewis - Vocals and Piano
Roland Janes - Guitar
Jay W. Brown - Bass
James M. Van Eaton - Drums

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