music.wikisort.org - Composition
"Shotgun" is a song written by Junior Walker and recorded with his group the All Stars. Called a "dance tune",[1] it was produced by Berry Gordy Jr. and Lawrence Horn.[2] Gordy's Soul Records, a Motown Records subsidiary, issued it as a single in 1965. It reached #1 on the U.S. R&B Singles chart for four non-consecutive weeks and peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3] In Canada, the song reached #26.[4]
| "Shotgun" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jr. Walker & the All Stars | ||||
| from the album Shotgun | ||||
| B-side | "Hot Cha" | |||
| Released | February 13, 1965 | |||
| Recorded | 1964 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A), Detroit, Michigan | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | Soul | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Autry DeWalt a.k.a. Junior Walker | |||
| Producer(s) | Berry Gordy, Lawrence Horn | |||
| Jr. Walker & the All Stars singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Recording
"Shotgun" was Walker's debut as a vocalist – when the singer who was hired to perform at the recording session did not show up, Walker stood in.[1] Rather than re-record the vocal at a later date, producer Gordy decided to keep Walker's take, much to the latter's surprise.[1]
The song opens with the sound of a shotgun blast and a drum roll, with the verses alternating between Walker's vocals and tenor saxophone fills.[1] It does not employ the typical progression, but remains on one chord throughout.[5]
Personnel
- Junior Walker – tenor saxophone, lead vocals
- Willie Woods – lead guitar, harmony vocals
- Eddie Willis – rhythm guitar
- Johnny Griffith – Hammond organ
- Victor Thomas – keyboards
- James Jamerson – bass guitar
- Benny Benjamin – drums[lower-alpha 1]
- Jack Ashford – tambourine
Performances and renditions
In his biography, Robbie Robertson recalled an early performance of the song:
Junior Walker and the All Stars were a very different Motown act—raw, sax-blowing energy in all league all its own. A four piece unit, they sounded like eight. When the guitar player fell to his knees on "Shotgun", Junior Walker tore the roof off the joint.[8]
In July 1965, Jimi Hendrix, who was then touring with Little Richard, made his first television appearance performing the song. With Richard's backup band and vocalists Buddy and Stacy, he was filmed for Nashville's Channel 5 Night Train show.[9] In 1966, the Norwegian R&B group Public Enemies performed the song in the film Hurra for Andersens. Their version reached number seven on Radio Luxembourg's Top 20 Chart.[citation needed] A version by Vanilla Fudge reached #59 in Canada in 1969.[10]
See also
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1965 (U.S.)
Footnotes
References
- Huey, Steve; Hamilton, Andrew (2003). "Junior Walker". In Bogdanov, Vladimir; Bush, John; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (eds.). All Music Guide to R&B and Soul. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 721. ISBN 0-87930-744-7.
- White, Adam; Bronson, Fred (1993). The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits. New York City: Billboard Books. p. 3.
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 607.
- "RPM Top 40 Singles - March 15, 1965" (PDF).
- Ross, Alex (2007). The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century. New York City: Picador. p. 553. ISBN 978-0-312-42771-9.
- Schlueter, Brad (December 2007). "The Greatest Grooves of R&B and Soul". DRUM! Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- Nicholls, Geoff (September 7, 1992). "Obituary: Larrie Londin". The Independent. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- Robertson, Robbie (2016). Testimony: A Memoir. New York City: Crown Archetype. eBook. ISBN 978-0307889805.
- McDermott, John; Kramer, Eddie; Cox, Billy (2009). Ultimate Hendrix. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-87930-938-1.
- "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 10, 1969" (PDF).
 | This 1960s R&B/soul music song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.
WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии