Bruce Channel - Hey! Baby (Original)

Although Bruce wrote the song along with Margaret Cobb in 1959 and performed it live many times, he didn't actually record the song until encouraged to do so by a Ft. Worth, Texas record producer in 1961. It was first released on a small label, but when the song started to take off, Smash Records picked up the distribution and the song ultimately went all the way to #1 in the U.S. during February of 1962. The song today is talked about on many levels particularly the harmonica play of Delbert McClinton (pictured near the end of the video). When Bruce and Delbert toured Europe while this song was a hit, the then unknown Beatles played a gig with them, and it's said that John Lennon's later harmonica play on many of the Beatles' recordings, especially "Love Me Do", was influenced by what he picked up from Delbert.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bruce Channel
• Hey! Baby
• Delbert McClinton

[montdakotala]

If, by "Original," you mean "original release," then you're wrong. The original release was by The Ban-Lons in 1959, on the Fidelity label. The label gives Channel only *co-composer* credit, a common rip-off in the day so that the greater proportion of royalties accrued to the label and not to the artist and/or the composer. The label was taking a chance, since, if the record bombed, the label lost its investment. OTOH, if the record hit, the label had the artist and/or composer by the throat.

[Nocaro]

@montdakotala "Original" as it applies in this context on all my video posts refers to that song by that artist, not necessarily the first time the song was ever recorded by anyone. The reason I do this is to differentiate between this the "Original" version by Bruce Channel and any re-recordings of the song he may have made. People have posted many, many re-recordings by the original artist to YouTube.

[MysticSojourner]

Hey, Nocaro! I'm running across a lot of your presentations here on YouTube; all across the entire spectrum of oldies. Like all your other postings that I've seen and heard, this one is also a quality audio and visual gem. Thank you!

[Nocaro]

@MysticSojourner Thanks for your comment. What I've tried to do is present the best audio version available along with a short encyclopedic notation about the recording, but unfortunately for every one I post, YouTube blocks two of them for copyright issues. I guess something is better than nothing though...Nocaro

[snakelady666]

this is one of those songs that make you wanna get up and dance. thanks for putting it up here.

[TheFpuff]

This song has aged like cheese. It was all right, then it became better and better with other people's versions, then it went bad around the same time when music went bad.

[1RichardGary]

This was John Lennon's inspiration for I Should Have Known Better.

[agadek06]

WOw are you old man :)

[flatscreen29]

this was #1 the day I was born...

[saxbandmom1313]

our high school pep band plays this and all the older parents in the crowd just sing and dance along w them . i love it .

[jclark3749]

Why one hit wonder KEEP ON was a big hit to

[TheKristobald]

I heard it in a shop today. Great song !

[87dutchess]

on an old school kick today bok w me