The Nashville music business had taken keen notice of what was happening in Shreveport as first Hank Williams, and then Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Johnnie & Jack, Kitty Wells, and more recently Elvis and Johnny Horton came to the fore. But, as Ed Hail confirmed, Blake wasn't content to wait for Nashville to find him: ''From a psychiatric point of view Blake was driven all right'', he said. ''He voiced dreams of fame and fortune but that was not what drove him to do anything.
Five Input Monaural RCA76-B Mixing Console (above). These recording consoles were used on some amazing records in the 1950s, but most famously at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
Notable early singers to record the song included Blind Lemon Jefferson (1926), Bo Carter (1928), Charlie McCoy (1928), Tampa Red (1929, 1930), Frankie "Half Pint" Jaxon (1929), Walter Davis (1939), Johnny Temple (1940 ), Big Joe Turner (1941). Postwar-blues artists recording the song included Taj Mahal and Snooky Pryor. Veteran blues artists recorded for the Blues revival market include Mississippi John Hurt (1966) and Mance Lipscomb (1968).
Among the musicians to record the song were Wilbur Sweatman, Red Nichols (1930). Cab Calloway (1931), Art Tatum (1941) and Natalie Cole.
Several recordings were made for the Country market by artists including Clayton McMichen (1929) and the Cajun musician Leo Soileau (1935). In 1934, Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies recorded the song under the title "Where Have You Been So Long, Corrinne," as a western swing dance song. Shortly thereafter, Bob Wills adapted it again as "Corrine, Corrina," also in the western swing style. Following his recording with The Texas Playboys (OKeh 06530) on April 15, 1940, the song entered the standard repertoire of all western swing bands, influencing the adoption of "Corrine, Corrina" by cajun bands and later by individual country artists.
Although the Playboys' rendition set the standard, early Western swing groups had already recorded "Corrine, Corrina". Western swing bandleaders easily adapted almost any style of music into their dance numbers, but the Mississippi Sheiks' string band country blues style came easier than some. Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies recorded the song during a session on August 8, 1934, after meeting the Sheiks at a similar recording session earlier that year. Their version was titled "Where You Been So Long, Corrine?" (Bluebird B-5808).
"Corrine, Corrina" is also an important song related to western swing's pioneering use of electrically amplified stringed instruments. It was one of the songs recorded during a session in Dallas on September 28, 1935 by Roy Newman and His Boys (OKeh 03117). Their guitarist, Jim Boyd, played what is the first use of an electrically amplified guitar found on a recording. Cliff Bruner's Texas Wanderers also recorded an early version of Chatmon's song on February 5, 1937 (Decca 5350).
"Corrine, Corrina" entered the folk-like acoustical tradition during the American folk music revival of the 1960s when Bob Dylan began playing a version he titled "Corrina, Corrina". Although his blues based version contains lyrics and song structure from ''Corrine, Corrina'', his melody is lifted from "Stones in My Passway" (Vocalion 3723) recorded by Robert Johnson in 1937. Dylan's version, found on his second album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," also borrows lyrics taken from Johnson's song.
The Rising Sons featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder recorded the song as ''Corinna, Corinna'' before breaking up in 1966. Taj Mahal then recorded another version in 1968 titled ''Corinna''. Joni Mitchell covered the song in 1988 on her album ''Chalk Mark In A Rain Storm''; titling it "A Bird That Whistles (Corrina Corrina)", and adding a flight-evoking Wayne Shorter sax solo. Many other different artists have covered this folk and blues classic over the years, including Eric Clapton, who sings it as "Alberta, Alberta", Willie Nelson, Steve Gillette and Leo Kottke, both of whom showcase their guitar virtuosity in their performances, and Conor Oberst. They generally sing a Bob Dylan style of it, with similar lyrics, although Oberst includes in the first verse: "I've been worried about you Coquito (a sweet coconut beverage), ever since you've been gone". Also regularly sung by Declan Sinnott (freeman of Wexford in Ireland/ producer of 4 albums for Mary Black) when he plays with Christy Moore - and as 7th track on his first album "I Love The Noise It Makes" (2012).
Big Joe Turner released a version of this song on Atlantic Records in 1956. Ray Peterson had a number 9 in 1960 with his version of the song, produced by Phil Spector. Jerry Lee Lewis released a version of the song on his 1965 album, ''The Return Of Rock''. Bill Haley and His Comets released a rock and roll version as a Decca Records single in 1958. Charlie Feathers recorded ''Corrine, Corrina'' for Sun on January 31, 1956 and later issued on the Zu-Zazz CD ''The Definitive Collection of Rare and Unissued Recordings 19541973''; Steppenwolf offers their version of "Corina, Corina" on the LP entitled ''Steppenwolf Live", released in April 1970. Rod Stewart recorded his own version sometime between 2011 and 2013, and it is featured as a bonus track on his CD "Time". Boz Scaggs released a version of the song on his 2013 album Memphis.
Asleep At The Wheel covered the song on their 1993 album ''A Tribute To The Music of Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys'' with Brooks and Dunn. Their version peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart in 1994.
But this record is beautiful in the old fashioned way; it is utterly gorgeous. It is easy to point to the haunting steel guitar work or the deft use of a 2-minor chord in the melody. But there is so much more here, small things that just come together perfectly. Self's lyric, for example. "living a lie / it's true, it's true". A small touch, but memorable. Or the final vocal line "I'm letting you go". The ending is made stronger by the fact that the first time through, that same line is just a wordless moan. The lyric only takes form when it is uttered at the end of the song.
The Snearly Ranch Boys got their name from Miss Imah Snearly. Imah owned a mansion (above) located at 233 North McNeil Street in the Evergreen District of Memphis in 1949. Her affinity and desire to help musicians led her to open up her home to any musician who needed a place to stay or live. It became a boarding house (known as ''Snearly Ranch House'') and rehearsal hall for local country musicians.
The first year in the big time ended with a five day gig at the Malco Theatre at home in Memphis with Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison followed by some dates in Huntsville and Sheffield, Alabama with Carl Perkins and someone destined to steal Smith's thunder, a cocky young piano pounder who'd just started to make an impression in Memphis, Jerry Lee Lewis.
1957 started with an unproductive (single wise) session with ''The Darkest Cloud'' and an early take on ''So Long I'm Gone'' remaining in the can. Another session in January had the same affect and with the second single having failed to click, the pressure was on to come up with something strong. In February, with a different line-up Smith had another crack at ''So Long I'm Gone'', a song from the pen of Roy Orbison. With Jimmie Lott now on drums due to the unwillingness of Bernero to tour, and with Jimmy Wilson on piano, the rhythm was strong and was helped by the dual guitar of Al Hopson and Roland Janes. It's a classic midtempo country rocker and was commercial enough to have a chance at the charts. Breaking from tradition, Sam chose not to release the single with a rocker on one side and a country song on the other. Instead the flip was the wild Miss Froggie, the rockinest item he ever recorded, helped in no small part by Al Hopson's brilliant guitar.
FEBRUARY 6, 1956 MONDAY
George Jones joins The Louisiana Hayride.
Columbia released ''Keep A Lovin' Me'', The Everly Brothers first single.
Capitol released Tennessee Ernie Ford's ''That's All'', and the double-sided Hank Thompson' hit, ''The Blackboard Of My Heart'' backed with ''I'm Not Mad, Just Hurt''.
Decca released Red Sovine's ''If Jesus Came To Your House''.
FEBRUARY 8 1956 WEDNESDAY
Buddy Holley sings a recording contract with Decca Records, ignoring the misspelling of his last name, ''Holly''. He mentors Waylon Jennings, and one of his songs, ''True Love Ways'', becomes a country hit for Mickey Gilley.
Wynn Stewart recorded his first hit, ''The Waltz Of The Angels''.
FEBRUARY 10, 1956 FRIDAY
The movie ''Hidden Guns'' makes its worlds premiere at Indianapolis Lyric Theatre. It marks Faron Young's first on-screen appearance, giving him his nickname, ''The Young Sheriff''. Also making a cameo role, fiddler Gordon Terry.
Little Richard recorded ''Slippin' And Slidin'''at J&M Studio in New Orleans, Louisiana. The song becomes a rock and roll standard, and earns a new country treatment in 1963 from Billy ''Crash'' Craddock.
FEBRUARY 11, 1956 SATURDAY
Elvis Presley sings ''Blue Suede Shoes'' and ''Heartbreak Hotel'' in his third appearance on The Dorsey Brothers' ''Stage Show''. Ella Fitzgerald is guest host.
Houston-based music publisher Curt Peeples sends a letter to Sun Records' Sam Phillips claiming he owns the copyright to ''Blue Suede Shoes''. Phillips sends back a letter stating that Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash co-wrote it. Peeples never responds.
Gene Vincent marries 15-year-old Ruth Ann Hand. They stay together two years.
George Jones reaches number 1 on the Billboard country chart for the first time as the writer of Red Sovine' and Webb Pierce's ''Why Baby Why''.
He was a well-know record dealer in West Texas. "Poppa" Hollifield liked the record and played it on the phone to one of his connections in Memphis. The guy on the other side of the line asked him to send him a copy. His name was Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records. A few days later "Poppa" telephoned Roy to say that Phillips wanted the Teen Kings in Memphis in three days to record for Sun Records.
At Johnny Cash's suggestion, Roy Orbison had already approached Sam Phillips at Sun Records, but Phillips had rebuffed him, declaring, "Johnny Cash doesn't run my record company". But Orbison had stronger ally in Cecil "Pop" Holifield, who operated the Record Shop in Midland and Odessa and had booked Elvis Presley into the area. Holifield played a copy of the Je-Well Record of "Ooby Dooby" over the phone to Phillips, who heard something unique in the strangely fragile voice, and asked him to send along a copy. "My first reaction", recalled Sam Phillips many years later, "was that "Ooby Dooby" was a novelty-type thing that resembled some of the novelty hits from the 1930s and 1940s. I thought if we got a good cut on it we could get some attention. Even more, I was very impressed with the inflection Roy brought to it. In fact, I think I was more impressed than Roy".
THE STORY ABOUT ''OOBY DOOBY'' – In February 1955, Wade Moore and Dick Penner composed "Ooby Dooby", in fifteen minutes on the roof of the frat house, but nothing happened even when Roy Orbison recorded the song. That demo was sent to Don Law, a Columbia Records representative, in vain with "Hey, Miss Fanny" as B-side. However, Roy Orbison and The Teens Kings keep faith on the song and they will often perform it on stage. Soon Weldon Rodgers, himself a great singer, wanted to set a up session in Norman Petty's studio in December 1955. "Ooby Dooby" b/w "Tryin' to Get to You" was issued on JE-WEL 101.
That label was named from the first letters Jean Olivier (daughter of Weldon's label associate) and Weldon. The record was manufactured in Phoenix, Arizona and, in spite of good sales, Roy Orbison was still lookin' around for fame and fortune on a major label.