WORDS BY BILL DAHL
Much has been written regarding the heinous and sadly frequent mid- 1950s practice of bland white pop artists (Pat Boone, Georgia Gibbs, the McGuire Sisters, et al) covering the vastly superior original versions of early rock’n’roll classics by black artists – Tutti Frutti, Ain’t It A Shame, Hearts Of Stone etc. But sometimes a great rhythm and blues song slipped through the cracks and was revived more successfully by another R&B artist. The same thing happened within the rockabilly and doo-wop genres. And every once in a while, a cover was simply better. Here are 20 R&B covers that are definitely worth seeking out…
HOUND DOG