February 15, 1954 – Big Joe Turner

February 15, 1954 – Big Joe Turner records one of the first Rock songs, “Shake, Rattle And Roll,” at Atlantic Records studios in New York. Turner’s recording was released in April 1954 and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart and number 22 on the Billboard singles chart. When Turner’s original version hit #1, Bill Haley and His Comets recorded a cover that would reach #7 on the Billboard singles chart. A year later, Elvis recorded a cover for Sun, and a year after that, for RCA. Elvis’ RCA cover was released as a single. #ROCkabillyHop #BigJoeTurner #ShakeRattleAndRoll #BillHaley #ElvisPresley @RocHop
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February 12, 1956 – “Screamin'” Jay Hawkins

February 12, 1956 – “Screamin'” Jay Hawkins records “I Put A Spell On You” which he had recorded the year before as a refined love song. According to Hawkins, the producer “brought in ribs and chicken and got everybody drunk, and we came out with this weird version … I don’t even remember making the record.” Despite its popularity, the single never charted. #ROCkabillyHop #ScreaminJayHawkins #IPutASpellOnYou #RocHop
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