Little Eqypt - The Coasters

Little Egypt was a Leiber and Stoller composition for the The Coasters and hit for them in 1961. In the song, Little Egypt is depicted as a burlesque dancer/stripper, wearing "nuttin' but a button and a bow" and has a circus barker intro and a dramatic middle eight capped by one of the funniest images in the Coasters' entire oeuvre: "She had a picture of a cowboy tattooed on her spine, sayin' 'Phoenix, Arizona 1949.'

Elvis covered the song both in the 1964 film Roustabout -

and in the 1968 Comeback Special. -

According to Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Egypt_(dancer)
"Little Egypt was the stage name for three popular belly dancers. They had so many imitators, the name became synonymous with belly dancers generally. However the first one was  -

Farida Mazar Spyropoulos, (c. 1871, date of death unknown), also performing under the stage name Fatima, appeared at the "Street in Cairo" exhibition on the Midway at the World's Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893.

In 1893, at the Egyptian Theater on the World's Columbian Exposition Midway in Chicago, Raqs dancers performed for the first time in the United States. Sol Bloom presented a show titled "The Algerian Dancers of Morocco" at the attraction called "A Street in Cairo" produced by Gaston Akoun, which included Spyropoulos, though she was neither Egyptian nor Algerian, but Syrian. Spyropoulos was billed as Fatima, but because of her size, she had been called "Little Egypt" as a backstage nickname.

Spyropoulos stole the show, and popularized this form of dancing, which came to be referred to as the "Hoochee-Coochee", or the "shimmy and shake". At that time the word "bellydance" ( correct name Raks Sharki) had not yet entered the American vocabulary, as Spyropoulos was the first in the U.S. to demonstrate the "danse du ventre" (literally "dance of the belly") first seen by the French during Napoleon's incursions into Egypt at the end of the eighteenth century. Today the word "hootchy-kootchy" generally means an erotic suggestive dance and is often erroneously conflated with the group of dances originating in the Middle East that we now call bellydance. It is said Little Egypt changed Vaudeville into Burlesque with her striptease and many promoters cashed in on her striptease but she never actually stripped, only teased.

A second Little Egypt was -

Ashea Wabe who became front-page news item in 1896 after she danced at a swank Fifth Avenue bachelor party for Herbert Seeley. A rival dancer falsely reported that Wabe was going to dance nude and the party was raided by the vice squad.

The raid brought some amount of fame to Wabe. She was hired by Broadway impresario Oscar Hammerstein I to appear as herself in a humorous parody of the Seeley dinner. She might have then been forgotten except for a series of photographs taken by Benjamin Falk.

A third by the name of Fatima Djemille (1890-3/14/1921) appeared at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. It is said but not confirmed that this Fatima was the subject of two early films, Edison's Coochee Coochee Dance (1896) and Fatima (1897). performed at Coney Island for many years.

See more here including some video footage of the dancers http://www.streetswing.com/histmai2/d2egypt1.htm

Suspicious Minds - Mark James

"Suspicious Minds" is a song written by American songwriter Mark James. After James' recording failed commercially, the song was handed to Elvis Presley by producer Chips Moman, becoming a number one song in 1969, and one of the most notable hits of Presley's career. "Suspicious Minds" was widely regarded as the single that returned Presley's career success, following '68 Comeback Special. It was his seventeenth and last number-one single in the United States. Rolling Stone later ranked it #91 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Written by Mark James aka Francis Zambon in 1968, who was also co-writer of "Always On My Mind" (which Presley would later record), the song first was recorded and released by James on Scepter Records in 1968. Even though James' recording initially was not commercially successful, Elvis decided he could turn it into a hit on reviewing the song as presented to him by Memphis Soul producer Chips Moman, owner of American Sound Studio, in 1969. Suspicious Minds" was a product of January 23, 1969 session, that took place between 4 am and 7 am. It took eight takes to produce the final song that was later overdubbed by Presley the same night." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspicious_Minds

King Creole

King Creole was both the title of Elvis's fourth movie and a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The song was recorded by Elvis on 23rd January 1958 and first released on the film soundtrack August 10th 1958.http://www.secondhandsongs.com/performance/93056

First one segues into Rockin' Robin etc..

In Britain, Cliff Richard covered the song on Jack Good's Oh Boy TV show. It was recorded on October 1958 and released on the Oh Boy Show LP December 1958.

Blueberry Hill

"Blueberry Hill" is a popular song published in 1940 best remembered for its 1950s rock n' roll version by Fats Domino. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Al Lewis. It was recorded six times in 1940. Victor Records released the recording by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra with vocals by Tommy Ryan on May 31, 1940 (catalog #26643, with the flip side "Maybe"; matrix #51050[1]). Gene Krupa's version was issued on the Okeh label (#5672) on June 3. Other 1940 recordings were by: Glenn Miller on Bluebird (10768), Kay Kyser, Russ Morgan, Gene Autry (also in the 1941 film The Singing Hill, Connee Boswell, and Jimmy Dorsey.The largest 1940 hit was Glenn Miller.
Louis Armstrong's 1949 recording charted in the Billboard Top 40. It was an international hit in 1956 for Fats Domino, and has become a rock and roll standard. It reached number two, for three weeks on the Billboard Top 40 charts, becoming his biggest pop hit, and spent eight non-consecutive weeks at number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart.The version by Fats Domino was also ranked #82 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.The song was Domino's greatest hit and remains the song most associated with him. From Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry_Hill_(song)

Youtube of this Sammy Kaye version taken off 

Sammy Kaye Orchestra with vocals by Tommy Ryan 

Gene Krupa version


  Glenn Miller Version here - on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsqgTEgEvis

This is classic R & B version - Fats Domino 1956

or listen to Take 5 on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEmbszM4AuY&feature=fvwrel
The writers -


Sammy Kaye (Lyrics and first version) "(March 13, 1910–June 2, 1987), born Samuel Zarnocay, Jr., was an Americanbandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era.

Kaye, born in Lakewood, Ohio, graduated from Rocky River High School in Rocky River, Ohio in 1927. At Ohio University in Athens, Ohio he was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity. Kaye could play the saxophone and the clarinet, but he never featured himself as a soloist on either one.

A leader of one of the so-called "Sweet" bands of the Big Band Era, he made a large number of records for Vocalion Records, RCA Victor, Columbia Records, Bell Records, and the American Decca record label. He was also a hit on radio. Kaye was known for an audience participation gimmick called "So You Want To Lead A Band?" where audience members would be called onto stage in an attempt to conduct the orchestra, with the possibility of winning batons. Kaye was also known for his use of "singing of song titles", which was emulated by Kay Kyser and Blue Barron." More on Wiki -  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Kaye

Vincent Rose (Who wrote the music) (June 13, 1880 in Palermo, Italy – May 20, 1944 in Rockville Centre, New York, United States) was a musician and band leader.

Vincent Rose has one of the longest histories as a band leader. He achieved much popularity with his Montmartre Orchestra in the 1920s, and recorded with the group for RCA. The same personnel later recorded for the Columbia label as the Hollywood Orchestra. After leaving California, he settled in New York, but continued to record as "Vincent Rose and His Orchestra" for various labels throughout the 1930s.

He was very active as a songwriter, publishing well over 200 songs. Among his hits are:

1920 "Whispering"

1921 "Avalon", with lyrics by Al Jolson and B.G. DeSylva, a big hit for Jolson.

1923 "Linger Awhile"

1940 "Blueberry Hill"

More on wiki  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Rose

Glenn Miller - Blueberry Hill.

Take My Hand Precious Lord - Thomas A. Dorsey

Thomas A Dorsey tells the sad but courageous story behind his song. It's sung here by Marion Williams.

Dorsey's life story has been mentioned on the Peace in the Valley post but here's the link to Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_A._Dorsey

"Take My Hand, Precious Lord" (aka "Precious Lord, Take My Hand") is a gospel song, lyrics by Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey (1899-1993), melody by George Nelson Allen (1812-1877).

The melody, although credited to Dorsey, was taken from a 1844 hymn entitled, "Maitland," by American composer, George N. Allen (1812-1877). Dorsey said he used it as inspiration. The "Maitland" music was for the text "Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone", it first appeared in The Oberlin Social and Sabbath School Hymn Book. Dorsey penned "Precious Lord" in response to his inconsolable bereavement at the death of his wife, Nettie Harper, in childbirth, and his infant son in August 1932. (Mr. Dorsey can be seen telling this story in the 1982 gospel music documentary "Say Amen, Somebody.") The earliest known recording was made on February 16, 1937, by the Heavenly Gospel Singers (Bluebird B6846). "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" is published in more than forty languages." More here on wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_My_Hand,_Precious_Lord

George Nelson Allen "(September 7, 1812 – December 9, 1877) was an American composer and geologist who was associated with Oberlin College, where he taught for 34 years. He is primarily known today for writing the melody to the hymn Precious Lord, Take My Hand. He also served on the first geological survey of Yellowstone National Park, under Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden.

In Oberlin published Allen's Social and Sabbath Hymn Book, a collection of hymns. One of the hymn melodies in this book, entitled Maitland, was used as the setting for Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone, whose words were originally written by Thomas Shepherd in 1693. Many years later Thomas A. Dorsey would use the melody as the setting to his own hymn, Precious Lord, Take My Hand, which became popular through its association with Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement." Full text on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Nelson_Allen

Sam Cooke with Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone.

And Elvis of course.

Peace in the Valley

"Peace in the Valley" is a 1937 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. The song became a hit in 1951 for Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys, reaching No. 7 on the Country & Western Best Seller chart. It was among the first gospel recordings to sell one million copies." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_in_the_Valley

Mahalia Jackson

Red Foley had a hit with it in 1951

And Elvis

And a live version

And the writer -

Thomas Andrew Dorsey (July 1, 1899 – January 23, 1993) was known as "the father of black gospel music" and was at one time so closely associated with the field that songs written in the new style were sometimes known as "dorseys." Earlier in his life he was a leading blues pianist known as Georgia Tom.

As formulated by Dorsey, gospel music combines Christian praise with the rhythms of jazz and the blues. His conception also deviates from what had been, to that time, standard hymnal practice by referring explicitly to the self, and the self's relation to faith and God, rather than the individual subsumed into the group via belief.
Dorsey, who was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, was the music director at Pilgrim Baptist Church in Chicago from 1932 until the late 1970s. His best known composition, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", was performed by Mahalia Jackson and was a favorite of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.. Another composition, "Peace in the Valley", was a hit for Red Foley in 1951 and has been performed by dozens of other artists, including Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Dorsey died in Chicago, aged 93. Read more on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_A._Dorsey

An interesting history of Thomas A Dorsey

Old Shep

"Old Shep is a song by Red Foley and Arthur Willis about a dog Foley owned as a child (in reality, the dog, poisoned by a neighbor, was a German shepherd named Hoover). Foley and Willis wrote the song in 1933. Foley first recorded the song in 1935, again in 1941 and yet again in 1946.
The song, later recorded by many artists including Hank Snow and Elvis Presley, became a country classic.
On October 3, 1945, Presley at age ten sang "Old Shep" for his first public performance, a singing contest at the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show. Dressed as a cowboy, he stood on a chair to reach the microphone. He came in fifth place, winning $5 and a free ticket to the fair rides." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Shep

Red Foley's original version of Old Shep 1935

And Elvis's version

Red Foley
" Clyde Julian Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968), better known as Red Foley, was an American singer, musician, and radio and TV personality who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II.
For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the genre, selling more than 25 million records. His 1951 hit, "Peace in the Valley", was among the first million-selling gospel records. A Grand Ole Opry veteran until his death, Foley also hosted the first popular country music series on network television, Ozark Jubilee, from 1955 to 1960."
More on Red Foley here on Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Foley

Here's Hank Snow's version