CBID - More Berry Covers and other things…

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: Before we list a couple of old, recently discovered or re-released cover versions, let's have a look at recordings which look as they were covers but aren't.

Punk-rock band Green Day from East Bay, California recorded a song titled «Back In The USA» featured on an album «Greatest Hits: God’s Favorite Band» in 2017. It's NOT the Berry track.

Rock band Wild Horses from England recorded a tune titled «Back In The USA» in 1981 featured on the album «Stand Your Ground». NOT the Berry song. Written by band members Jimmy Bain and Brian Robertson.

A British heavy metal band called Cloven Hoof recorded a song titled «Back In The U.S.A.» in 1982, written by Lee Payne, bass player in the band. So it is NOT the Berry classic.

And another one in the NO Chuck section: Greg Copeland (USA) «Brown Eyed Handsome Man» CD: Brown Eyed Handsome Man [GC (self-released) 701467] Germany, 2019. Recorded in Italy. It’s a slow blues song.

In 1967 two guys from Greece, George Ressiness and Gus Georgiou, released a single on RCA Victor 50g-4022 (W.Germany), titled “Always With You / Oh! Sweet, Little Sixteen”, calling themselves Gus And George. Both songs written by the two. The B-side is a pop song with harmony singing and has nothing to do with Berry’s.

In 1969, in Belgium, a girl called Linda recorded a single titled “Bye Bye Johnny” on Monopole S. 033 sung in Belgian. This is NOT the Berry tune but a song written by J. Blenco & N. Lambre. It’s an ordinary sweet pop tune.

Coming to covers, let's begin with a few that won't be included in the covers list but which you might want to know about:

An obscure British ‘60s group called The Four Teens made an album (acetate) of 15 tracks in 1966 that was not released. It included a version of “Too Much Monkey Business”. Sorry to say, but pretty awful with no feeling as in the UK ‘60s tradition.

Then there are so many covers of “Run Rudolph Run” you wouldn’t believe it. Every year around Nov./Dec. they turn up. Several are just MP3, Flac or whatever for downloading/streaming only. The strange thing is that many have made a professional “cover” to attract your attention. I found a video on You Tube of the US Army Field Band called The Jazz Ambassadors performing a rockin’ version, with Staff Sgt. Sarah Polinski on lead vocals. Pretty goode.

Fine, now let's look at covers I recently learned about:

On page 1061 under Javier Bátiz (Mexico) I was wondering if the cover of «Memphis» was an instrumental? It’s not, it’s a vocal version. So now we know.

BLACKWELL (USA)

I haven’t the slightest idea except that he is singing and playing an acoustic guitar, that’s all... in a folk blues style.

Johnny B. Goode (3:06) 1970s

45: Omni Records 1000 ● USA, 1970s

The A-side is called “Jamacian Sun” written by one D. A. Blackwell. And both tracks produced by him. Probably self-released.

CHANTILLY LACE (UK)

Not quite sure. A rock’n’roll revival quintet. They have two albums and one single released. All on different labels.

No Particular Place To Go ( : ) 1978

LP: Chantilly Lace [Great Western Records Bristol DM-004] ● UK, 1978

Bye Bye Johnny ( : ) 1979
Johnny B. Goode ( : ) 1979
Tulane ( : ) 1979
You Never Can Tell ( : ) 1979

LP: Chantilly Lace [Firebrand Records DM-1023] ● UK, 1979

Sweet Little Sixteen (3:04) 1983

45: Freeway Records FRW-1 ● UK, 1983

CHAPARRAL BROTHERS (USA)

Country duo, John and Paul Chaparral, from Southern California. I found two albums and nine singles by them, 1968 – 1970.

Brown Eyed Handsome Man (2:16) 1970

LP: Just For The Record [Capitol ST-551] ● USA, 1970

Thank you, it’s not a Waylon Jennings copy.

COUNTRY RAMBLERS (USA)

Studio musicians. Album below recorded at RCA Studios in Nashville. There were several of these Country Ramblers albums on RCA in the early ‘70s featuring cover versions of popular country songs at the time.

Brown Eyed Handsome Man (2:05) 1970

LP: Honey Come Back / If I Were A Carpenter And Other Country Favorites [RCA Camden CAS.2413] ● USA, 1970

This sounds like Waylon Jennings version from 1968 although a little different in the way of more harmony singing.

DRIFTWOOD (USA)

1970s pop/rock band from Kentucky, maybe Lexington (?) Very little info here, sorry.

Johnny B. Goode ( : ) 1975

45: Lemco 750104 ● USA, 1975

Record label out of Lexington, Kentucky.

JASON & THE SCORCHERS (USA)

Cajun singers Jay Chevalier and Shelley Ford. They had two singles out on Creole Gold in 1978.

Johnny B. Goode (3:52) 1979 as “The Ballad Of Johnny B. Goode”

45: Creole Gold CG-1115 ● USA, 1979

The Ballad thing is because Jay is talking about when Johnny was 10 years old he got a guitar from his mama...
Lead guitar played by Phil Baugh.

KING STINGRAY (Australia)

Surf-rock quartet from Yirrkaia North-East Arnheim Land. Founded in 2020. They have a couple of albums and singles out.

Run Rudolph Run (3:15) 2022

Digital: Stingray Music ● Australia, November 2022
2022 King Stingray. Under exclusive license to Civilians. Publisher: King Stingray - Sony Music Australia.

It’s a good surf version with harmonies like the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean, although with a more up to date sound. It was recorded exclusively for Apple Music’s Christmas Covered playlist.

NEW JORDAL SWINGERS (Norway)

See Volume 3, page 1388 for biographical info.
Except for “Maybellene” all the following songs have been out before and are dealt with on the page mentioned. However, I wanted to let you know about this particular CD release from the greatest Norwegian rock’n’roll band of all time.

Johnny B. Goode (2:36) 1975 (live)
Live at Ski Rådhusteater, Ski. Previously released on CD in 2009.
Maybellene (3:04) 1983 (live)
Live at Oslo Konserthus, Oslo. Previously unissued.
Sweet Little Sixteen (2:32) 1992 (live)
Live 1992. Previously released on cassette only in 1992.
Promised Land (3:12) 1984 (live)
Live at Oslo Konserthus, Oslo. Previously released on CD in 2007.
No Particular Place To Go / School Day (3:50) (live)
Live 1992. Previously released on cassette only in 1992.

2-CD: NJS Live [Norske Albumklassikere NACD-547 1-2] ● Norway, 2024

Compiled by Eigil Berg from his personal collection. CD-1 =24 tracks. CD-2 =23 tracks.
Except for “Maybellene” all tracks have been out before but nowadays some are hard to get. So this is a good compilation of New Jordal Swingers and how they sound live on stage. 3 Decades of NJS live with 15 of the tracks previously unissued. They have just finished a long farewell tour around Norway (Autumn 2024) after 50 years in the business, playing small and big venues for the fans. Therefore a very rational release. And further more, there are Berry soundalikes in there too, like “Stand On It”, “Fyrrige Damer”, “Old Time Rock And Roll” and “From Small Things”.

KENNY PRICE (USA)

Singer, songwriter James Kenneth Price, born 1931 in Florence, Kentucky. Died in 1987. Had his first single out in 1955. In 1966 he had his first hit, “Walking On New Grass”, reaching #7 on the country charts. He scored many hits throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s. Released also many albums from 1967 up until 1980.

Brown Eyed Handsome Man (2:21) 1970

LP: Northeast Arkansas Mississippi County Bootlegger [RCA Victor LSP-4373] ● USA, 1970

This was almost a cover of the Waylon Jennings version from 1968 (!)

RAIN (USA)

An obscure hard rock & blues rock band from Rochester, New York. Brad Morse (vocals), Helmut Getto (guitar), Ted Paris (bass) and Mick Guerin (drums). They also got an album out in 2020, titled «1971…The Lost Album» on Jargon Records.

Tulane (3:22) 1971 (live)

LP: Live, Christmas Night [Whazoo! Records USR-3046] ● USA, 1971

This album has been reissued several times, e.g. in 2005 on CD in the UK on Radioactive RRCD-110. No songwriting credits on the album. But you can listen to it on You Tube.

SEARCHERS (UK)

See volume 3, page 1493 for biographical info.

Sweet Little Sixteen (1:55) 1965 (live)

2-CD: BBC Sessions [Castle Music CMEDD-938] ● UK, 2004

Recorded live 7 May 1965 on Saturday Swings. Previously unissued.

TERRY THOMPSON (USA)

Terry Jene Thompson born 1943 in McCallsburg, Iowa. In 1977 he moved to Hanford, California. Apart from having his own band and playing throughout Iowa, as far as I can tell he only recorded just one record (below) coupled with “Shadow In The Window”. He died in 2020, at the age of 76.

Johnny B. Goode (2:29) 1973

45: Ven-Jence No. 7 ● USA, 1973

Record label out of Carlisle, Iowa.

NOTE: According to discogs regarding the single above, they are talking about a different artist, namely Curtis T. Thompson, singer, guitarist and songwriter, born 1941 in Amory, Mississippi, died 1965. Besides playing with various bands on the road he was a studio musician at Rick Hall’s Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
And they state that the single would be from 1963. But the Ven-Jence record above IS from Iowa and it sounds more ‘70s than ‘60s. So I’ll stick with the above Terry Thompson.

JOHN TORV (Australia)

Jaan Torv. Radio founder, Programme Director at 2SM, DJ, Hot Tomato co-founder,” singer”, and credited for inventing Rocktober. Born 1946, died 2022. I have found three singles by him.

Too Much Monkey Business (3:56) 1974 as "Too Much Funky Business"

45: RCA Victor 102575 ● Australia, 1974

Funky cover with a different approach but credited solely to Berry. Very unusual but not so much to my taste and kinda boring in the long run. It’s on You Tube in case you wanna listen(?)

TRASH (Netherlands)

Rock quintet from Dordrecht. The music is called nederbeat or nederpop. However, this should have been nederrock.

Johnny B. Goode (3:27) 1973

45: Trash 6802 108 ● Netherlands, 1973 (PS)

Recorded at Phonogram Studio, Hilversum, 3 February ’73. This was a self-released single but it looks very professional, both sleeve and label. The music is pretty straight forward. The rhythm becomes a little monotone.

UPSTARTS (USA)

1960s rock band from Madisonville, Kentucky. At least that’s where the record label was located.

Sweet Little Sixteen (2:23) 1966

45: M’Ada 100 (Century Records) ● USA, 1966

Printed on the label: Vocal - Bassett, Tony & Dennis Brown