CBID - Covers, Chart Listings, and Not-Covers

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: Here's just a short list of two dozen new cover versions, but we have to add some chart listings to chapter 12 in volume 2. Let's start with a few comments about cover versions that aren't.

A blues quintet from Germany called Black Cat Bone has a song titled “Nadine” on their album “Blue Shadows” from 1993.
This is NOT Berry’s, it was written by two members of the band. Just so you know.

Back in time there were three main music trade magazines in the USA: Billboard, Cashbox, and Music Vendor/Record World. Very few people have ever heard of the latter, but it was still an important source. Music Vendor was founded in 1948, changed its name to Record World in 1964 and ceased publication in 1982. It was a weekly magazine housed in New York. They had Pop, R&B and Country charts, and Record World had Non-Rock survey comparable to Billboard’s Easy Listening chart.
Some 200 artists and nearly 1700 songs were accounted for on the MV/RW Country chart that were not on Billboard or Cashbox. And when it comes to our blog it’s interesting to notice that this Country chart featured 2 songs with Chuck Berry, “Maybellene” entered the chart on 22 August 1955, reached #19 and stayed for 11 weeks, “Thirty Days” entered on 24 February 1956 at #44 but only stayed for 1 week.
Berry pickin’ in the country.
(Source Joel Whitburn’s “Hit Country Records 1954-1982 Music Vendor/Record World”, published 2015.)

The Cash Box Kings is a very good US group of men playing Chicago style blues with a really good groove. And even though they haven’t recorded any Berry numbers their influence of the man’s music shines through on several recordings, such as “Ride Santa Ride” (2023) and “Build That Wall (2017). The group was founded in Madison, Wisconsin in 2001 by “Low Rollin’Joe” Nosek. They have 11 albums out so far, stretching from 2002 - 2023.

CRAZY HAMBONES (Germany)

Blues trio from Berlin. Peter Krause (guitars, vocals), Henry Heggen (harmonica, vocals), Michael Maass (drums, vocals).

Thirty Days [as “30 Days”] (3:31) 2007

CD: Blowin’ The Family Jewels [Stormy Monday Records MO-81221] ● Germany, 2007

Berry track recorded at Überschall Tonstudios, Kiel. Okay swingin’ version with a blues feeling. See also Jan Preston & Michael Maass (below).

DERRINGER (USA)

Rock and blues group consisting of Rick Derringer (vocals, guitar), Neil Giraldo (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Kenny Aaronson (bass, vocals), Myron Grombacher (drums). At least on the album below. The band was active from 1975 to 1978. Rick Derringer himself had hits from 1974. By the way he was the lead singer/guitarist of the rock band The McCoys who had a big hit in 1965 with “Hang On Sloopy”.

Back In The USA / Long Tall Sally in a Medley (4:58) 1978 (live)

CD: Live At The Paradise Theater, Boston, Ma. July 7, 1978 [Phoenix Gems 4004] ● USA, 2000

FIREBIRDS (Germany)

A rock’n’roll quintet from Leipzig. So far they have released around 10 albums since 2000. On their latest one “Stripes” (2023) they have a very goode Chuck Berry soundalike titled “My Guitar”, check it out on You Tube.

Johnny B. Goode ( : ) 2012 (live)

CD: Live! 20 Jahre Firebirds – Die Jubiläumsshow [Broken Silence CD-00752] ● Germany, 2013

Anniversary concert in Leipzig, November 2012. They also released a DVD set with the complete concert. Broken Silence is the distribution company.

Rock And Roll Music ( : ) 2015

CD: The Firebirds Meet The Pearlettes [Broken Silence CD-00753] ● Germany, 2015

And in 2020 they released a DVD (only) titled “25 Jahre The Firebirds – Die Jubiläumsshow” including a cover of “Roll Over Beethoven”.

40 ACRE MULE (USA)

5 piece popular rhythm & blues/rock’n’roll group formed in Dallas, Texas 2015. J. Isaiah Evans (vocals, guitar), John Pedigo (guitar, vocals), Chris Evetts (Baritone sax, percussion), Tim Cooper (bass), Robert Anderson (drums). Their debut album came in 2019 titled “Goodnight & Good Luck” on State Fair Records.

Brown Eyed Handsome Man (4:10) 2021

You Tube video: State Fair Records (Dallas, Texas) ● USA, 2021

Yes I know but what can I say? It such a damn good and unusual version … Here’s what’s been said by the band:
"Chuck Berry has always been a major influence on The 40 Acre Mule and we wanted to honor that. So, we started covering one of my favorites, Brown Eyed Handsome Man, but in our own way; a little sweaty, a little dangerous" - J. Isaiah Evans.

HEARTBEATS (West Germany)

Garage beat band from Munich, Germany, founded in 1983. They released two cassettes by themselves before they got a single out in ’89 on Universe Records, and another in 1993 on Twang! Records. They had a CD out on Twang in 1995 and another on Fortune Records in 2001.

Memphis, Tennessee ( : ) 1987
Reelin’ And Rockin’ ( : ) 1987

MC: Animal Crackers [Two By Art no cat number] ● West Germany, 1987

Too Much Monkey Business ( : ) 1988

MC: Why I Cry [Two By Art no cat number] ● West Germany, 1988

H.I.T (Germany)

Rock’n’roll quintet. Add hornsection on the album below.

Carol (3:02) ?

CD: Chickenthief [Revenge Music Force – RMF 366.000.32 40] ● Germany, ?

Recorded at the Revenge Studios, Frankfurt/M. They also do a cover of “I Wouldn’t Lay My Guitar Down” from Eddy Clearwater. Again I am so tired of searching for year of release and year of recording. It should have been a law that forbid such an unprofessional behaviour from the various companies.

CHRIS JANSON (USA)

Christopher Pierre Jamson, country singer, songwriter, born 1986 in Perryville, Missouri, now lives in Nashville. So far he has five albums out, 2015-2023.

Run Rudolph Run (3:45) 2019 (live)

CD single: Warner Nashville [Official Music Video] ● 2019, USA

2019 CMA Country Christmas performance.
Interesting to notice that according to New Country Songs web site the song was written by Chuck Berry, Marvin Brodie and Johnny Marks.

FREDDIE LEE (USA)

Black singer, songwriter, guitarist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who formed his first band back in 1995.

Nadine (A Tribute To Chuck Berry) (3:42) 2000

CD: When An Earresistable Force Meets An Immovable Object [Intense Anxiety Records IA-44663] ● USA, 2000

I haven’t been able to listen to this so I can’t comment. Is it really a tribute or just a cover of “Nadine”?

LOS SIREX (Spain)

Rock band formed in the early ‘60s. in 1965 they had a big hit with “La Escoba”. They split up in 1971 but reunited in 1977 and recorded several albums.

I’m Talking About You (as “Si, Lo Hago Por Ti) (1:48) 1966

45: Vergara 45.143 ● Spain, 1966

PIANO DREAMERS (USA)

Various musicians who perform piano renditions of contemporary popular music like pop, country and rock. There’s plenty of albums out there of the same, and I mean plenty. This has no doubt been going on since 2006.

Back In The USA / Johnny B. Goode / Maybellene / Memphis, Tennessee / My Ding-A-Ling (!) / No Particular Place To Go / Rock And Roll Music / Roll Over Beethoven / (Route 66) / You Never Can Tell - 2019 (instr)

CD digital: Piano Dreamers Cover Chuck Berry [CC Entertainment] ● USA, 2019

Since this is a Tribute album I thought it best to include. Except for Ding-A-Ling and Route 66 this is probably okay, but instead of those two why not include songs like “Down Bound Train” or “Havana Moon”? Just a thought guys.

PLAYTONES (Sweden)

Rock’n’roll quartet formed 2008 in Kallinge.

Little Queenie ( : ) 2008

CD: The Legacy [Enviken KREC-0108] ● Sweden, 2008

Released as Boppin’ Steve & The Playtones. A tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis.

Roll Over Beethoven (2:41) 2013

CD: In The Mood [Atenzia ATZ-1319] ● Sweden, 2013

It has a good groove but today it sounds silly not learning the lyrics correctly.

Run Rudolph Run ( : ) 2010

CD: Rock’n’Roll Christmas Party [Kavalkad LHICD-0121] ● Sweden, 2010

JAN PRESTON & MICHAEL MAASS (New Zealand & Germany)

Jan is a female singer, songwriter and pianist (boogie woogie style) from New Zealand who has some 13 albums out since 1993, and Maass is a drummer from Germany who’s been involved in groups like Crazy Hambones, who by the way is also on this blog (above).

Too Much Monkey Business [as “Monkey Business”] (2:24) 2007

CD: The Piano Has The Blues [Stormy Monday Records MO-81254] ● Germany, 2008

Recorded October 2007 at Highland Studio, Berlin. A good boogie version. I like it when people are doing it differently, but this could well have been a little longer. It has a good groove.