"Wee Wee Hours" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry in 1955. Originally released as the B-side of his first single, "Maybellene", it went on to become a hit, reaching number 10 in the Billboard R&B chart.[2]
| "Wee Wee Hours" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Chuck Berry | ||||
| A-side | "Maybellene" | |||
| Released | 1955 | |||
| Recorded | May 21, 1955 | |||
| Studio | Universal Recording Corp. (Chicago)[1] | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 3:02 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Chuck Berry | |||
| Producer(s) | Leonard Chess, Phil Chess | |||
| Chuck Berry singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song is a twelve-bar blues, described as "a slow, sensuous blues featuring some exceptional piano from Johnnie Johnson".[3] "Wee Wee Hours" was on the audition tape submitted by Berry to Leonard Chess in hope of landing a recording contract with Chess Records.[3] Although it seemed like a good fit with the record company's blues roster,[4] Chess was more interested in the song that became "Maybellene", the song that launched Berry's career as a rock and roll star.
Berry often performed the song live. It is included on the 1969 album Chuck Berry Live in Concert,[5] and in the 1987 film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll.[6]
References
edit- ^ "The Chuck Berry Database: Details For Recording Session: 21. 5. 1955". A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry. Dietmar Rudolph. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Chuck Berry". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 41. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ a b Altman, Billy (1988). Chuck Berry: The Chess Box (Box set booklet). Chuck Berry. Chess/MCA Records. p. 5. CH3-80,001.
- ^ "I wanted to play the blues ... But I wasn't blue enough. We always had food on the table." Rolling Stone (April 7, 2011). "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- ^ "Live at the Toronto Peace Festival 1969 - Chuck Berry | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
- ^ "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll - Chuck Berry | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2021.