CBID - The Never Ending Story - pt. 6

CBID is never complete as new records and CDs appear and some old rarities are discovered. This section presents interesting additions and corrections to CBID.

Today: We still continue with our list of new cover versions which came to our attention recently. Again a few are digital-only, but worth to be listed here.

BILL MADISON (USA)

Singer, songwriter, guitarist now living in Lehigh Acres, Florida. He was part of the folk music venues in Boston, New York City and Montreal during the ‘60s. His career spans more than 60 years, and his first album came out in 1973 titled “Sunday Mornin’ Hayride”, an album which has been re-issued a couple of times. In the ‘80s and ‘90s he played the ski resorts and honky tonks of Northern New England. His music is available on various streaming sites.

Roll Over Beethoven (3:58) 2016 (live)

CD: Here’s To Ya! [Saloon Records ] ● USA, 2016

Live from Bill’s Happy Hour at Street Jelly Bar & Grill. 15 tracks with a variety of cover songs from the ‘50s and up. Released 15 June 2016.

MALAVENTURA (Spain)

Country-folk duo from Murcia who got together in 1992. Fernando Rubio (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Joaquín Talismán (vocals, guitar, banjo). They can really play a guitar!!!

Memphis, Tennessee (2:45) 2017

CD: Malaventura [Perdicion PER-1801] ● Spain, 2017

Released 26 December 2017. They have approached this cover closer to Berry’s own. Good to hear.

MARTIN CIRCUS (France)

Band (sextet) formed in 1969 playing psychedelic and progressive rock, but changed their style in the early ‘70s to pop and later on to disco and new wave. Have released many singles and albums since 1969/1970.

Rock And Roll Music [as “Rock’n’Roll Circus”] (3:21) 1977

45: Vogue 45. V. 140.323 ● France, 1977

Rock And Roll Music [as “Rock’n’Roll Circus”] (5:47) 1977

LP: Rock’n’Roll Circus [Vogue LDA-20 294] ● France, 1977

Oh dear, this sounds like a disco version with absolutely no feeling or whatever. And almost 6 minutes on the album. Forget it.

MASHUUN (Austria)

A progressive rock band from Styria, active between 1972 and 1974. They won a band competition organized by Fono Forum and BASF but the group got a short life.

Sweet Little Sixteen (5:08) 1973

Various LP: Mashuun/Magic 69 [Rex Records Austria REX RRL-008] ● Austria, 1973
Various 2-LP: Underground Made In Styria [Golden Pavilion Records GP-1026/27LP] ● Portugal, 2016

Very strange version indeed. The Rex album was a promo and never released officially. Finally in 2016 the Golden Pavilion one was a remastered album set pressed in 400 copies. The two groups featured were Mashuun and Magic 69.

DENIS MAZHUKOV & OFF BEAT (Russia)

Singer and pianist Denis Mazhukov, who is by the way regarded as the king of rock’n’roll in Russia (pretty late don’t you think since he was born in 1973). But good for him as he’s really got it when it comes to 50s and 60s music. I am sure that Jerry Lee Lewis is one of his favorites, if not his ‘mentor’.

Roll Over Beethoven (2:41) 1995

CD: Off Beat [SNC Records SNC-5034] ● Russia, 1995

Fast swinging rendition.

Johnny B. Goode (2:41) 2006 featuring Maxim Leonidov

Digital album: Rockin’ At The Top [DM Self-released ] ● Russia, 2007

Released 1 January 2007. The music is good but the vocals are uninspired.

Sweet Little Sixteen (3:16) 2012

CD: Rockin’ All Day And Night [DM 3923U Self-released ] ● Russia, 2012

On Bandcamp the album contains 8 tracks but on discogs there are 11 tracks (?)

MERŪNAS (Lithuania)

Pop singer. Real name: Merūnas Vitulskis, born in 1983.

You Never Can Tell [as "Pažiūresim, Kas Nutiks Vėliau”] (3:03) 2007

CD: Merūnas [Hitas HITCD-007] ● Lithuania, 2007

Ordinary standard version. But nice to finally have someone from Lithuania doing Berry.

MINX (Canada)

Hard rock band (quintet) from Kamloops, British Columbia. They have four albums on bandcamp.

Johnny B. Goode (2:52) 2018

Digital album: Minx [Self-released ] ● Canada, 2018

Released 24 April 2018. Seven tracks, six written by the band. Hard rock version.

LOGAN MIZE (USA)

Country singer who grew up in Kansas. Has been a long-time Music Row staff songwriter in Nashville. He released his 5th album called “Welcome To Prairieville” in 2021.

Run Rudolph Run (2:44) 2022 with Jenna Paulette

CD EP: Merry Christmas From Logan Mize [Big Yellow Dog Music 08 5004 03773 4 7] ● USA, 2022

This was reissued in 2023. Okay version but that’s all.

M&J BLUES (UK)

Father & son duo from Sheffield, Mark Lyall (el.guitar) and.Jeff Lyall (vocals, ac.guitar).

You Never Can Tell (3:44) 2016 (live)

2-CD: In The Presence Of Friends [M&J Self-released] ● UK

Recorded live 7 August 2016 at the Honey Bee blues club session at the Porter Cottage, Sheffield. The Berry track was part of the encore. Released 6 November 2016.

SONNY MOORMAN (USA)

Blues singer, songwriter, guitarist from Hamilton, Ohio.

Maybellene (5:51) 2015
Memphis, Tennessee [as “Memphis”] (2:58) 2015

CD: You Made All My Blues Come True [Atlas Records ATLAS-0014] ● USA, 2015

Acoustic treatment of these two classics. Featuring Moorman on vocals, guitar and porchboard. The album was released digitally in June 2022. Instead of me saying anything, you can listen to them on Bandcamp.

VAN MORRISON (UK)

Van Morrison, OBE (Order of the British Empire), born 1945 in Belfast. He’s a Grammy Award-winning Northern Irish singer, songwriter, author, poet and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead singer in the Northern Irish band Them who had several hits in the mid ‘60s like “Gloria” and “Here Comes The Night”. Later he left for a successful solo career.

Bye Bye Johnny (2:58) 2023

CD: Accentuate The Positive [Exile 3369580] ● Europe, 2023
LP: Accentuate The Positive [Exile 3369603] ● Europe, 2023

A genuine rock’n’roll album from Van Morrison. It was a surprise for me, in 2023. 19 tracks, and I do like the album title, to accentuate the positive about the past music. And he picked some obscure tracks to record also.
It reminded me of the fantastic album Neil Young released in 1983, titled “Everybody’s Rockin’ “ (No Berry though).

MOTHER McCREE’S UPTOWN JUG CHAMPIONS (USA)

Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. Grateful Dead related. With the help of Mike Garbett, Tom Stone and Dave Parker on various acoustic instruments.

Memphis, Tennessee [as “Memphis”] (2:26) 1964 (live)

CD: Live at the Top of the Tangent, 1964 [Grateful Dead Records GDCD-4064] ● USA, 1999

Jerry Garcia is doing the vocals on this one. Don’t know what to think. It’s okay, acoustic but lack feelings. The album was recorded in July 1964 at the Top Of The Tangent, Palo Alto, California.

JOE MULLINS And THE RADIO RAMBLERS (USA)

William Joseph Mullins, born 1965 in Xenia, Ohio. Bluegrass and gospel singer, banjoist, bandleader and radio broadcaster.

Run Rudolph Run (3:57) 2023

CD: Because It’s Christmas Time [Billy Blue Records BBR-0243 CD] ● USA, 2023

Nice to finally have a genuine bluegrass version. Really good, swings. I get this Jim & Jesse vibes here, the song they didn’t record.

MYSTIC EYES (Germany)

Beat band from Regensburg; active in the late ‘60s but reunited in 1997.

Memphis, Tennessee ( : ) 2000

CD: Flashback [GVR Records CD-006] ● Germany, 2001

GÜNTHER NEEFS (Belgium)

Pop singer, born 1965 in Mechelen. Has released several albums since 1992. He’s the son of Louis Neefs.

You Never Can Tell (2:47) 2019

CD: Roots 66 – Music From Chicago To L. A. [KMK Muziek KMK-65018] ● Belgium, 2019

Released as both CD and LP, plus DVD.

NERVOUS EATERS (USA)

Punk rock band (quartet) from Boston, Massachusetts.

Beautiful Delilah (3:21) Mid ‘70s

LP: Eaterville #1 [Penniman Records PENNLP-002] ● Spain, 2004
CD: Eaterville #1 [Penniman Records PENNCD-001] ● Spain, 2009

It sounds like the Rolling Stones! One of the longer versions of this Berry track. They usually clock in at around 2 minutes. Previously unissued.

CHET NICHOLS (USA)

Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, producer from Chicago where he grew up. In the ‘60s he was part of the musical revolution in both Los Angeles and San Francisco. He has a farm in Kansas, and is inducteed into The Kansas Music Hall Of Fame.

Johnny B. Goode (2:27) 1965 as Chet Nichols & The Chosen Few

Digital album: Raw & Roll [Self-released ] ● USA, 2021

Released April 2021. The Chosen Few were a trio from Chicago and they were all around 15 years old at the time of recording. Chet Nichols has also recorded a song titled “Rock & Roll Music” (1972) which turns out to be his own composition.

NIGHTBREAKERS (Netherlands)

8 piece country-rock group.

You Never Can Tell [as “C’est la Vie”] (3:39) 2001

CD: In The Mission [Rarity Records C-192649] ● Netherlands, 2001

Sounds a bit like Emmylou Harris’ version but with a sax solo and a piano solo without the original melody.

DON NORMAN (Canada)

Born in Ottawa 1944. In the ‘60s he recorded for Capitol Records of Canada. Living in Kingston, Ontario since 1970.

Maybellene (2:27) 2017

Digital track: [Don Norman ] ● USA, 2017

Pretty cool country version, a little slower than usual. Don Norman (vocals, guitars, harp, percussion), Jack Pearson (solo guitar), Chris Nole (keyboards), Dave Francis (bass), Shannon Forrest (drums). Here is what Don Norman says on Bandcamp about recording this track: “ ‘Maybellene’ was Chuck Berry’s 1955 breakout hit for Chess Records in Chicago. The record sold over a million copies but more importantly it stands as the original road map for guitar based rock’n’roll music. As a young, pre-teen I was brought to tears by the emotions Chuck’s singing and guitar playing aroused in me. Thanks for changing my world Chuck”.
Released 3 April 2017.

You Never Can Tell (2:48) 2018

Digital track: [Don Norman ] ● USA, 2023

This was recorded in 2018, but remastered and released 14 October 2023. Unfortunately pretty ordinary version.

NOT FADE AWAY (USA)

Rock’n’roll quintet from Phoenix, Arizona. Jared Mancuso (vocals, guitar), Nick Gallardo (vocals, guitar), Ian LeSage (vocals, guitar), Allison Kelly (vocals, bass), Andrew Torres (only drums). Very much a Buddy Holly tribute band, but they also play others like Ritchie Valens, Elvis, Jerry Lee, Shirley Ellis and more. They have this album below and a single on Bandcamp and they make great covers, also sleeves.

Johnny B. Goode (3:24) 2020

Digital album: Rock’n’Roll Reignited [Self-released ] ● USA, 2020

Released 3 February 2020. Recorded at Studio Crash in Philadelphia, PA. Rockin’ version and Allison does a very good job.

STEFAN NYKVIST (Sweden)

Lars Erik Stefan Nykvist, born 1976 in Ãlvdalen, Dalarna. Singer, organist, accordionist and was the founder of the danceband Larz Kristerz in 2001. He left the band in 2014 for solo work.

Oh What A Thrill [as “Nej, Inte Jag”] (2:28) 2020

CD: Stefan Nykvist [Enviken Records ENREC-182] ● Sweden, 2020

This is a cover of the Eddie Meduza version from 1982.

FINN NØRBYGÅRD (Denmark)

Comedian, singer and actor, born 1952 in Esbjerg. Well, he was originally a school teacher but did success on national TV in the ‘80s with Jacob Haugaard in a Saturday Night comedy show, and in the ‘90s a successful comedy/musical show with Jette Torp.

Johnny B. Goode (2:34) 1997

CD: 21 Sange Og Monologer Fra Showet: Mig & Elvis [National Records CD-81664] ● Denmark, 1997

Produced by Danmarks Radio for RMT Productions. Taken from a musical show, “Me & Elvis”, that Nørbygård travelled around with in Denmark during 1996/97, 132 shows altogether with 21 songs and monologues. But I don’t understand the title here, as there is only one track an Elvis medley, the rest are songs from the likes of Berry, Tommy Steele, Percy Sledge, Chubby Checker, Beatles, Willie Nelson etc. Well, there’s also a Danish cover of “Fever” which Elvis did record back in time, but still…

OFF BEAT (Russia)

See DENIS MAZHUKOV

BERT PAQUETTE & The New Gamblers (Canada)

Rock and country singer and guitarist.

Maybellene ( : ) 1981
Memphis, Tennessee [as “Memphis”] ( : ) 1981

LP: Bert Paquette & The New Gamblers [Black Rose Records LP-1001] ● Canada, 1981

Covers on the album are from the likes of Freddy King, Hank Williams, Elvis, Jimmie Rodgers …

COLIN PAUL (UK)

Elvis impersonator. See Volume 3, page 1406 for biographical info.

Run Rudolph Run ( : ) 2009

CD: Home For Christmas [CP Self-released CD-01 2801 66916 7 5] ● UK, 2009

Okay version.

I’m Talking About You [as “Talkin’ ‘Bout You”] (2:22) 2014

CD: Child Of The Sixties [JaG Records 146 5] ● UK, 2014

A pretty good version. Interesting to hear an Elvis soundalike doing Berry numbers that Elvis never did.

MAURICIO PEDROSA BLUES QUARTET (Brazil)

Singer, pianoplayer from São Paulo.

Memphis, Tennessee (3:46) 2013
Roll Over Beethoven (3:47) 2013

Digital album: On The Road Again [Self-released ] ● Brazil, 2013

I especially enjoyed “Memphis” since he’s not followed the Mack/Rivers arrangements.

MIKE V. PHELAN (USA)

Singer, songwriter, guitarist from San Antonio, Texas. I am not sure if the songs below were recorded in 2016, because all of his 7 albums were released on Bandcamp in the summer of 2016, so…?

Johnny B. Goode (2:35) 2016 (?)

Digital album: Mike Rocks [Self-released ] ● USA, 2016

Released 29 June 2016. 16 tracks. Rocks? Well, the singing is more pop oriented.

Maybellene (2:09) 2016 (?)

Digital album: Beyond The ’70s [Self-released ] ● USA, 2016

Released 25 May 2016. 20 tracks.

PENTTI-OSKARI KANKAAN 7-SEINÄHULLUA VELJESTÄ (Finland)

A musical humour band founded in 1966 by Pentti Oskari Kangas. It’s a difficult band name to pronounce, and to speak for that matter. If you’re not from Finland, that is.

Rock And Roll Music (3:11) 2009 (?)

2-CD: Tuplat Vaakahuoneella [Fifty-Fifty FFCD-1061] ● Finland, 2009

The Berry cover is one of many bonus tracks (previously unreleased) so I don’t know when it was recorded actually.

PHILADELPHIA JUG BAND (USA)

Jug band (originally a quartet) formed in 1962 (!) by students at the Council Rock High in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I’m amazed that they are still doing their thing, however, I don’t know if there are any original members left or whatever.

Sweet Little Sixteen (4:12) 2012

CD: Always Fresh! [Self-released GKMZ-002] ● USA, 2012

Nice to hear a jug/string band version of this classic.