Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From '' Keep On Truckin' ''
Label: Westbound Records – WB 2005
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1971
Tracklist
A1 Keep On Truckin'
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
A2 This Time
Written-By – Chips Moman
A3 Bristol Stomp
Written-By – Dave Appell, Kal Mann
A4 Be-Bop-A-Lu-La
Written-By – Gene Vincent, Sheriff Tex Davis
A5 Donna
Written-By – Ritchie Valens
A6 I Love You Baby (But You Don't Dress Cool)
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B1 Chiffon Baby
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B2 Are We Really Going Steady?
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B3 Come Go With Me
Written-By – Clarence E. Quick
B4 Buzz Buzz-A-Diddle It
Written-By – Bob Crewe, Frank Slay Jnr.
B5 Take Your Clothes Off, And I'll Love You!
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B6 Running Bear
Written-By – J.P. Richardson
Lead Vocals – Norman "Panama" Lieberman
Lead Guitar – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley
Drums – Dave "Snidley Whiplash" West
Bass – John "Kozmo" Kosloskey
Baritone Vocals – George Moseman
Soprano Vocals – Dennis Rapucci
Tenor Vocals – Neil Brenner
Artwork By – Joel Nank
Producer [Supervision] – Bob Scerbo
------------------------
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.
Origins of the song
The writing of the song is credited to Gene Vincent and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis. Evidently the song originated in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from a motorcycle accident at the US Navy hospital in Norfolk, Virginia.
There, he met Donald Graves, who supposedly wrote the words to the song while Vincent wrote the tune. (Cf. "Money Honey" by the Drifters, 1953).
The song came to the attention of Davis, who allegedly bought out Graves' rights to the song for some $50 (sources vary as to the exact amount), and had himself credited as the lyric writer. Davis claimed that he wrote the song with Gene Vincent after listening to the song "Don't Bring Lulu".
Vincent himself sometimes claimed that he wrote the words inspired by the comic strip, "Little Lulu": "I come in dead drunk and stumble over the bed. And me and Don Graves were looking at this bloody book; it was called Little Lulu. And I said, "Hell, man, it's 'Be-Bop-a-Lulu.' And he said, 'Yeah, man, swinging.' And we wrote this song."
The phrase "Be-Bop-A-Lula" is similar to "Be-Baba-Leba", the title of a No.3 R&B chart hit for Helen Humes in 1945, which became a bigger hit when recorded by Lionel Hampton as "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop."
This phrase, or something very similar, was widely used in jazz circles in the 1940s, giving its name to the bebop style, and possibly being ultimately derived from the shout of "Arriba! Arriba!" used by Latin American bandleaders to encourage band members.
Recording by Gene Vincent
In early 1956, Gene Vincent performed the song on a radio show in Norfolk, Virginia, and recorded a demo version which was passed to Capitol Records, who were looking for a young singer to rival Elvis Presley.
Capitol invited Vincent to record the song and it was recorded at Owen Bradley's studio in Nashville, Tennessee on May 4, 1956. Cliff Gallup (lead guitar), "Wee" Willie Williams (rhythm guitar), "Jumpin'" Jack Neal (string bass), and Dickie "Be Bop" Harrell (drums) comprised the band.
When the song was being recorded, Harrell screamed in the background, he said because he wanted to be sure his family could hear it was him on the record.
The song was released in June 1956 on Capitol Records' single F3450, and immediately sold well.
The song was successful on three American singles charts: it peaked at No.7 on the US Billboard pop music chart, No.8 on the R&B chart, and also made the top ten on the C&W Best Seller chart peaking at No.5.
In the UK, it peaked at No.16 in August 1956.
In April 1957, the record company announced that over 2 million copies had been sold to date.
The original demo for the song, probably recorded at radio station WCMS, has never been located and presumed lost.
The song drew comparisons to Presley and is listed as No.103 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Vincent recorded a new version of the song in 1962 which appeared on the flip-side of the single "The King of Fools".
Vincent sang the song in the movie The Girl Can't Help It.
Cover versions
The Everly Brothers
Cliff Richard
Jerry Lee Lewis
Carl Perkins
The Beatles
John Lennon
The 77s
David Cassidy
Demented Are Go
Elvis Presley
Foghat
Gene Summers
Orion
Queen
Raul Seixas
Stray Cats
Suicide
Boney M.
------------------------
westboundrecords.com
westboundrecords.bandcamp.com/artists
#bluesrock
#rockandroll
From '' Keep On Truckin' ''
Label: Westbound Records – WB 2005
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1971
Tracklist
A1 Keep On Truckin'
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
A2 This Time
Written-By – Chips Moman
A3 Bristol Stomp
Written-By – Dave Appell, Kal Mann
A4 Be-Bop-A-Lu-La
Written-By – Gene Vincent, Sheriff Tex Davis
A5 Donna
Written-By – Ritchie Valens
A6 I Love You Baby (But You Don't Dress Cool)
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B1 Chiffon Baby
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B2 Are We Really Going Steady?
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B3 Come Go With Me
Written-By – Clarence E. Quick
B4 Buzz Buzz-A-Diddle It
Written-By – Bob Crewe, Frank Slay Jnr.
B5 Take Your Clothes Off, And I'll Love You!
Written-By – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley, George Moseman, Norman "Panama" Lieberman
B6 Running Bear
Written-By – J.P. Richardson
Lead Vocals – Norman "Panama" Lieberman
Lead Guitar – Bob "Crunchy Cristals" Holley
Drums – Dave "Snidley Whiplash" West
Bass – John "Kozmo" Kosloskey
Baritone Vocals – George Moseman
Soprano Vocals – Dennis Rapucci
Tenor Vocals – Neil Brenner
Artwork By – Joel Nank
Producer [Supervision] – Bob Scerbo
------------------------
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.
Origins of the song
The writing of the song is credited to Gene Vincent and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis. Evidently the song originated in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from a motorcycle accident at the US Navy hospital in Norfolk, Virginia.
There, he met Donald Graves, who supposedly wrote the words to the song while Vincent wrote the tune. (Cf. "Money Honey" by the Drifters, 1953).
The song came to the attention of Davis, who allegedly bought out Graves' rights to the song for some $50 (sources vary as to the exact amount), and had himself credited as the lyric writer. Davis claimed that he wrote the song with Gene Vincent after listening to the song "Don't Bring Lulu".
Vincent himself sometimes claimed that he wrote the words inspired by the comic strip, "Little Lulu": "I come in dead drunk and stumble over the bed. And me and Don Graves were looking at this bloody book; it was called Little Lulu. And I said, "Hell, man, it's 'Be-Bop-a-Lulu.' And he said, 'Yeah, man, swinging.' And we wrote this song."
The phrase "Be-Bop-A-Lula" is similar to "Be-Baba-Leba", the title of a No.3 R&B chart hit for Helen Humes in 1945, which became a bigger hit when recorded by Lionel Hampton as "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop."
This phrase, or something very similar, was widely used in jazz circles in the 1940s, giving its name to the bebop style, and possibly being ultimately derived from the shout of "Arriba! Arriba!" used by Latin American bandleaders to encourage band members.
Recording by Gene Vincent
In early 1956, Gene Vincent performed the song on a radio show in Norfolk, Virginia, and recorded a demo version which was passed to Capitol Records, who were looking for a young singer to rival Elvis Presley.
Capitol invited Vincent to record the song and it was recorded at Owen Bradley's studio in Nashville, Tennessee on May 4, 1956. Cliff Gallup (lead guitar), "Wee" Willie Williams (rhythm guitar), "Jumpin'" Jack Neal (string bass), and Dickie "Be Bop" Harrell (drums) comprised the band.
When the song was being recorded, Harrell screamed in the background, he said because he wanted to be sure his family could hear it was him on the record.
The song was released in June 1956 on Capitol Records' single F3450, and immediately sold well.
The song was successful on three American singles charts: it peaked at No.7 on the US Billboard pop music chart, No.8 on the R&B chart, and also made the top ten on the C&W Best Seller chart peaking at No.5.
In the UK, it peaked at No.16 in August 1956.
In April 1957, the record company announced that over 2 million copies had been sold to date.
The original demo for the song, probably recorded at radio station WCMS, has never been located and presumed lost.
The song drew comparisons to Presley and is listed as No.103 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Vincent recorded a new version of the song in 1962 which appeared on the flip-side of the single "The King of Fools".
Vincent sang the song in the movie The Girl Can't Help It.
Cover versions
The Everly Brothers
Cliff Richard
Jerry Lee Lewis
Carl Perkins
The Beatles
John Lennon
The 77s
David Cassidy
Demented Are Go
Elvis Presley
Foghat
Gene Summers
Orion
Queen
Raul Seixas
Stray Cats
Suicide
Boney M.
------------------------
westboundrecords.com
westboundrecords.bandcamp.com/artists
#bluesrock
#rockandroll
