"Early One Morning" is a blues rock song written by Little Richard. It was originally released on his album The Fabulous Little Richard, and released by Specialty Records as a B-side single to "She Knows How to Rock" in November 1958.[1] The song derives from "Wee Baby Blues" by Big Joe Turner.[2] Turner's version features Ray Charles on piano, and was released as a single on Atlantic Records in 1957.[3]
| "Early One Morning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Little Richard | ||||
| from the album The Fabulous Little Richard | ||||
| A-side | "She Knows How to Rock" | |||
| Released | November 1958 | |||
| Genre | Blues rock, rock n roll | |||
| Length | 2:12 | |||
| Label | Specialty Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Penniman | |||
| Little Richard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "Early One Morning" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Ike & Tina Turner | ||||
| from the album Let Me Touch Your Mind | ||||
| A-side | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | |||
| Released | January 1973 | |||
| Recorded | July 1972 | |||
| Studio | Bolic Sound (Inglewood, CA) | |||
| Genre | Soul, R&B | |||
| Length | 3:38 | |||
| Label | United Artists Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Roger Whittaker (credited), Richard Penniman (uncredited) | |||
| Producer(s) | Ike Turner, Soko Richardson, Warren Dawson | |||
| Ike & Tina Turner singles chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
editBillboard (November 17, 1958):
The shoutin' cat is at his best on these sides. "Early One Morning," the great blues standard, is given a wild reading against driving ork support. "She knows," the flip, is a fast blues swinger that is also solidly belted. Both sides are safe bets to score heavily in both pop and r.&b. marts.[4]
Ike & Tina Turner version
editIke & Tina Turner recorded a version of "Early One Morning" for their 1973 album Let Me Touch Your Mind. Their rendition was released by United Artists Records as the B-side to the non-album track "With A Little Help From My Friends."[5] While the A-side didn't chart, "Early One Morning" reached No. 47 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 60 on the Cash Box R&B chart.[6][7]
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Soul Singles[6] | 47 |
| US Cash Box R&B Top 65[7] | 60 |
| US Record World R&B Singles[8] | 52 |
Other versions
edit- Mo Jo Buford Blues Band released a version as a single in 1977
- The Zombies performed a version which was released on the album Live on The BBC (1985)[9]
References
edit- ^ Cook, Howard (November 24, 1958). "Distributor News" (PDF). Billboard. p. 6.
- ^ Groom, Bob (1971). The Blues Revival. London: Studio Vista. p. 21. ISBN 0-289-70149-X. OCLC 202308.
- ^ "Reviews Spotlight On... R&B Records" (PDF). Billboard. December 2, 1957. p. 2.
- ^ "Reviews of New Pop Records" (PDF). Billboard. November 17, 1958. p. 56.
- ^ "Singles Reviews: Picks of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box: 18. January 27, 1973.
- ^ a b "Best Selling Soul Singles" (PDF). Billboard. April 21, 1973. p. 30.
- ^ a b "R&B Top 65" (PDF). Cash Box: 38. April 7, 1973.
- ^ "The R&B Single Chart" (PDF). Record World: 42. March 31, 1973.
- ^ "Live on the BBC - The Zombies | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.