Johnnie Allan - Promised Land

[Jammin2vibes]

Awesome Country Swamp rock!

[whitehorsetom]

Yep pure bliss .Johnnie Allan ,the biz.

[vinco33]

E ji rock 'n roll!

[RickDougall]

One of my all-time favourite rock 'n' roll tracks. Thanks for the upload :-)

[whitehorsetom]

thanks for posting ,yeah it is the best version ,so i will replay it .ta

[captainsteve58]

this makes Elvis sound lame which is rare !!

[coolerator48]

Super version, great guitar and the accordion gives an appreciated cajun touch. I love this rendition as much as the original by Chuck Berry. Thanks for sharing.

[glocky1969]

Thanks ...............

[latokatn506]

this is the best

[kencha1948]

I Johnny Allen a couple of hours ago at Festival International in Lafayette La., What a treat to hear him sing this song with a great band and the accordion player that played the ride on the original. Great tune.

[teloro1959]

Belton Richard on accordion,

[STILLAVRIL1]

It is an accordion.

Recorded for the Jin label out of Ville Platte, Louisiana in the early 70's.

Strictly speaking this recording is terrible, the tuning sounds slightly off and the time slips and slides about all over the place.

But my god it swings like crazy and is so exciting!

[Suentimb]

Much as I love Chucks version ..this has me in goosebumps right the way through every second....

[dougallsdiscs]

This was released in 1978 on the OVAL STIFF LABEL Cat.No.LOT 1 in Stereo by JOHNNIE ALLAN.It's a Chuck Berry composition but I prefer this one by far.

[rubberducky272]

It's not a squeeze box it'sa harmonica

[BobTheRecordGuy]

@rubberducky272 : It's a squeezbox alright.

[groundedinfurs]

First song Edwyn Collins heard after his coma

[dakarlion1]

Some people improved Chuck Berry songs such like this Johnnie Allan who made a great cajun-version of his "promised land"

[greeneyedbaby100]

i know him personally!!  <3 ya uncle johnnie

[borderlord]

Dig that squeezebox...squeal piggy squeal!!

[glocky1969]

Thanks.

[reuireuiop]

No need to be from Alabam to know about Birmingham 1963 - I´m from Amsterdam, NL. The Browneyed Handsome man wrote Promised Land while in jail in `64, so mentioning that Hound stranding downtown B´ham may not have been that coincidental. Sure enough, it were firemen hosing protesters with pressure water.

But frankly, I don´t think Johnny Allen would´ve thought twice, 10 years of history later, in a hurry to have his record clocking in just over 2 minutes, panting Po Boy in that phone boot.

[pauldennis67]

Woah, what a harmonica solo!

[UISTMAN59]

Brilliant version of this Chuck Berry written classic. I've had this record for years. :-)

[marcogreek]

I love this guy's sound...Uncomplicated! You just gotta tap the toes!

[LaGrandeBayou]

Thanks 777 for posting this

Johnnie still kicks out the tunes from time to time!

This is NO Doubt, the Ultimate Version of "The Promised Land"

...making Chuck some money and proud...missing lyrics aside!

[MrLexielover]

The best version ever. I remember buying this record in 1974

[whiskywineandbeer]

Love this version, thanks for posting it.

The compilation "Another Saturday Night" is well worth getting hold of if it's still around. Loads of good cajun and Louisiana music on it.

[MAC136]

Love this version. But have a question

The verse he missed out, did he have a problem with the Struggle in Alabam?

In short was JA a racist?

[fireman70537]

@MAC136 WHY YOU GOOTA USE THE "R" WORD ITS NOT LIKE THAT YOU ALABAMA ASSHOLE BROYHER U

[MAC136]

@fireman70537 You couldn't rewrite that in English for me could you? Oh! and it's "Racist" not the "R" word.

[fireman70537]

@MAC136 don't ever mess with me again you fuckin nigger stumpjumper . i can fuck your world up!!! you have been warned leave me alone!!!!

[MAC136]

@fireman70537 Hey momma look deh! I got me my very own internet stalker and he's a racist too. How's it hanging tough guy? speaking of hanging how's yer Paw? Oh well at least you've stopped shouting guess you must have sobered up eh?

Nigger stumpjumper, that's some insult you and the good ole boys make that one up yourselves or did you steal it from a Enimen album? I'll need and remember that one next time I'm stranded in downtown Birmingham.

Have a nice day, missing you already!

[cosycleaner]

Yep, best version of the song, even against CLASS competition!

[24Wayney]

Never heard these lyrics before, different to Elvis,but nonethelss enjoyable. Thanks for posting!

[e2ong]

great posting!

[RockabillyKitty62]

way back I use to hang out in a record store in Reading and this was one of the songs the manager would play over and over... Love it as much now as I did then... Rockabilly rules!!!

[LeslieWelsh]

He missed out a verse & messed up the rhymes in another verse......who cares! This is just a great / definitive version & another example of how Chuck could write them, but others could do them!

[breffnipark]

The Definitive Version :)

[Sagitaricorn]

I first heard this song on a tape called "Alligator Stomp" with cajun songs on it. I loved this one best of all on that tape. Glad to see it posted here. Thanks.

[leedscityroy]

Is this Great Version by Johnnie Allan on the Sound Track of any film ( Movie ) Thanks

[hoping22]

Men in Black !

[leedscityroy]

John Allen Guillot

[samuel498]

why the fade out? i could listen to this for eva

[EagerBoy39]

Killer version with real heart and soul of the Chuck Berry classic. Was killed off salewise by Elvis's version which was released at the same time. I picked it up at the time on the 'Another Saturday Night' LP which had a pile of other Swallow and Jin recordings on it.

[Bluefinger]

Actually this is a Johnny Allen original. Chuck covered it and it was a big hit for him.

[EagerBoy39]

I don't think so, Bluefinger. Chuck Berry recorded this around 1964. Johnny Allen's version came out in 1971.

[Bluefinger]

Yeah, I might have mixed something up, sorry ... I'm getting old. I remember a conversation my buddy had with Johnny Allen and he was a bit pissed at Chuck because of this song. It might have been because Johnny's version was a hit and it meant a lot of emoluments for CB and he didn't even say thank you. Hmm ... yes, it must be Chuck's song. The story doesn't make sense the other way around ...

[EagerBoy39]

Now that sounds entirely possible!

[6rachael]

a friend of mine had this on asingle way back in the 70's we were listening to the Clash and were in the throws of punk in the UK at that time ..and yet this song stuck with me .. driving beat /[ulse and that great acordian .. hell there was so much energy floatin around back in the late 40's and 50's .. a stroke of genius .. so glad I found this again

[fireblade929]

i love this track, not heard it for a very long time, still got it for me, amazing.

[BulletsandBibles]

I saw Johnnie Allan, about 10 years ago, home on leave. It was in Eunice. La. and my man brought the house down. He had Johnny Sonnier on the Accordian, and it was a good time. Louisiana Forever.

[EagerBoy39]

I've seen Johnnie Allen too. He gave a great performance and brought the house down with this one.

[samuel498]

imagine if springsteen sang this instead of his song,it would raise the roof-brilliant version,gets regular air play on bbc r2,more than other versions.

[Jellyform]

This is freaking awesome

[martynjohnday]

This is an amazing version of a great song made by that stonking accordion solo from the legendary Belton Richard. Someone once told me that they were all completely paddled when they cut this! Laisser les bon temps roulent!

[fireblade929]

if u can get a copy of jools hollands " walking to new orleans" he goes to a cajun radio stn where they play live music, loads of people in there at 10am drinking and dancing, really amazing, id love to go to that place.

[EaglesRLFC]

First heard on Andy Kershaw's radio 1 programme in about 1985, didn't realise how old this actually was. Top work Country Music dude!

[oneachuck]

Without a doubt , this is the best version of a brilliant song. thanks for posting

[rudyardthestranger]

Aw come on Berry's version is as good.

[fartinringo]

always was the best version of a fine song.looked for it for years gave up an then found it on here by chance.awesome

[mclenptp]

One of the best versions of this classic....it sounds great today as it did 40 years ago.Johnnie Allan rockkkks.

[captainzorikh]

Dave Alvin does a great version of this in a medley intro'd by "Jubilee Train" and Woody Guthrie's "Do Re Mi," and followed by a chorus of "Jubilee Train." It's wonderful how the line "Poor boy on the line" as done by Dave Alvin reminds us of his song "Brother on the Line."

[limpnoodledagain]

Way kewl.... Didn't think anyone else liked this

[crazyboy56]

simply the best version of this song i remember this when it was on 1 of jools hollands shows proper red neck stuff lol

[bammo1]

Absolute class one of my favourite tracks of all time

[barrygioportmorien1]

This is great, I had this version on tape and lost it over the years, but I do prefer Freddy weller's version.

[erikthepossum]

This is just great! I have it on a compilation tape and have'nt been able to find it anywhere.

Definately the best version of this song,

I thought maybe I was the only person on earth who knew about this version. Thanks for posting.

[jravincent]

born John Allen Guillot in a two-room sharecroppers' shack in Arcadia Parish, near Rayne, Louisiana, in 1938, he nearly died at 3months..but survived to become the King of Swamp Pop.

[benjaminjamesbee]

no make me

[ilovedolly58]

It's those wonderful squeezebox breaks that really make this song - they really lift your spirits and force you to get up and dance. Magic! Vocally, I prefer The King's version.

[Cleophuss]

Definitely better than the Elvis version. I'd rank this right up there with Chuck Berry's, maybe even better.

[butterflyk155]

That voice is pure bliss

[Superbear666]

Great piece of Cajun music . How does cajun relate to zydeco ?

[blafleur886]

This is considered Swamp Pop, not Cajun or Zydeco. Cajun is the music played in SW Louisiana by the Cajuns. Zydeco came from the blacks in the same SW Louisiana area, and has a different beat than cajun. Zydeco nowdays is mostly in English, and Cajun is usually in French. The sound is very different. Swamp pop came out in the 50's, and was the Cajun's answer to the rock and roll movement at that time, of which Johnnie Allan was a star.

[Ruiggie]

Better than Elvis's version.

[gnidder]

Thanks for posting .been looking for this song

for years.cheers

[777COUNTRYMUSIC777]

thi's is not a video,only a slideshow

[theclarkey100]

@777COUNTRYMUSIC777 Well spotted! ...you country folk are real bright! :)