Monday, June 2, 1958 : JOHNNY HORTON is at Bradley Film & Recording Studio
in Nashville for a recording session. "All Grown Up"/"Counterfeit Love" is
chosen for his next single (Columbia 41210) and "Mister Moonlight" will be
selected for the album "The Spectacular Johnny Horton" (Columbia LP 1362),
to be released in 1959. The session is closed with a first attempt at "Got
The Bull By The Horns". Personnel : Johnny Horton (vocal / guitar) ; Grady
Martin and Reggie Young (guitars) ; Lightnin' Chance (bass) ; Buddy Harman
(drums). Producer : Don  Law.
 
June 3, 1958: The first of several BILL HALEY sessions in June. On this
day he and the Comets record two instrumentals, "Joey's Song" (released
in September 1959 on Decca 30956) and "Chiquita Linda" (Decca 30741). The
next nine tracks all appear on the LP "Bill Haley's Chicks" (Decca DL
78821) and some were also released as a 45. "Dinah" and "Ida, Sweet As
Apple Cider" were recorded on June 9, the excellent "Whoa Mabel!" (30741),
"Marie", "Eloise" and "Corrine Corrina" (30781) on June 12, and "B.B. Betty",
"Sweet Sue, Just You" and "Charmaine" (30844) on June 18.

June 3 and 4, 1958 : CARL PERKINS's second session for Columbia. The harvest
is : "Tutti Frutti", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "That's All Right",
"Where the Rio De Rosa Flows", "Shake, Rattle And Roll", "Long Tall Sally",
"I Got A Woman", "Hey Good Lookin'", "Sittin' On Top Of The World", "Good
Rockin' Tonight", "Ready Teddy" and "Jenny Jenny", the complete album "Whole
Lotta Shakin" Goin' On" (Columbia LP 1234), to be released later in the year.
Also recorded are "Pop Let Me Have The Car"/"Levi Jacket" for his next single
(Columbia 41207), released in July, while "Because You're Mine" and "You Were
There" will remain unissued until 1990 ("The Classic Carl Perkins" (Bear
Family CD 15494)).
Personnel : Carl Perkins (vocal / guitar) ; Eddie Starr (guitar) ; Clayton
Perkins (bass) ; W.S. Holland (drums) ; Marvin Hughes (piano).
Producer : Don Law in Nashville (Owen Bradley Studio).

June 6, 1958 : The first Columbia session of BILLY "CRASH" CRADDOCK, again
supervised by that busy producer Don Law. "Ah, Poor Little Baby"/"Lulu Lee"
(Date 1007) is chosen for single release. "Sweetie Pie" gets a release on
Columbia 41367 in March 1959 and "School Day Dreams" stays on the shelf until
1992 when it is issued on the Bear Family CD "Boom Boom Baby" (BCD 15610).
Session musicians include : Floyd Cramer (piano) ; Lightnin' Chance (bass).

June 7, 1958 : CHUCK BERRY is back in the Chess Studio in Chicago, along
with : Bo Diddley (guitar) ; Willie Dixon (bass) ; Johnny Johnson (piano) ;
Fred Below (drums). "Sweet Little Rock and Roller"/"Jo Jo Gunne" will be
released as a single (Chess 1709) in October, "Anthony Boy" (Chess 1716)
in January 1959 and "Memphis Tennessee" (Chess 1729)  in June 1959, hidden
on the B-side of "Back In The USA". 

June 10 and 11, 1958 : With a two-week leave scheduled at the beginning of
June, Private ELVIS PRESLEY is booked into RCA's new Studio B. In the course
of ten hours, five sides are cut : "I Need Your Love Tonight"/"A Fool Such As
I" (RCA 47-7506), "I Got Stung" (47-7410, b/w the previously recorded "One
Night"), "A Big Hunk Of Love" (47-7600) and "Ain't That Loving You Baby"
(unreleased until 1964).
In the absence of Scotty and Bill, there was for the first time a whole new
studio line-up. Elvis (vocal / guitar) is accompanied by : Hank Garland (lead
guitar)  ; Chet Atkins (guitar) ; Bob Moore (bass) ; Floyd Cramer (piano, for
the first time since "Heartbreak Hotel") ; Buddy Harman (drums / bongos,
relegating D.J. Fontana to second percussionist) ; the Jordanaires (vocal
group).
 
June 14, 1958 : FATS DOMINO lays down four tracks at Cosimo Recording Studio
in New Orleans. "Young School Girl" will be issued as a single (Imperial 5537)
in September, and "I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday" (Imperial 5606) in July 1959.
"How Can I Be Happy" ends up as an album track on "Walking To New Orleans"
(Imperial LP 9227), and a first attempt at "Let The Four Winds Blow" is lost /
unissued. 

Monday June 16, 1958 : LARRY WILLIAMS records at the same studio in New
Orleans. Session personnel includes : Red Tyler (sax) ; Roy Montrell (guitar) ;
Charles "Hungry" Williams (drums). Two versions of "Hocus Pocus" come out of
this session, plus "Took A Trip", with references to the then popular "Purple
People Eater". These songs were first released on the LP "Alacazam!" (Ace CH
203, UK) in 1987.

June 19, 1958 : BUDDY HOLLY is rushed into the Pythian Temple in New York City
to cover both sides of Bobby Darin's "Early In The Morning"/"Now We're One",
after Bobby's Brunswick single (credited to The Ding Dongs) had to be withdrawn,
as Darin was legally contracted to Atco. The musicians are exactly the same as
on Bobby's version and include top session men : George Barnes (guitar) ; Sam
Taylor (sax) ; Panama Francis (drums). Buddy's version is rush-released on July
5, (Coral 62006). Producer of both versions is Dick Jacobs.

June 30, 1958 : THE BIG BOPPER, aka J.P. Richardson, records "Chantilly Lace"
and "The Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor" at Goldstar in Hollywood.
Initially rejected by Mercury (the label to which Richardson was contracted),
the single was first released on Pappy Daily's D label (1008), but it attracted
enough interest for Mercury to reverse their decision and reissue the single
(Mercury 71343). Session musicians include Hal Harris (guitar) ; Link Davis
(sax).

Also in June 1958 : The following songs were recorded by DALE HAWKINS at KWKH
Radio, Shreveport : "La-Do-Dada"/"Cross-Ties"(Checker 900) and "" Superman".
The latter was first released as by Wailin' Dale (Rarin' LP 666), and is now
available on "Rock 'n' Roll Tornado" (Ace CD 693 UK), released in 1998.
Personnel : Dale Hawkins (vocal / guitar) ; Joe Osborn and Roy Buchanan
(guitars) ; Sheldon Vizell (tenor sax) ; Mark Mathis (bass) ; Dean Mathis
(piano) ; Al 'Puddler' Harris (piano on "Superman") ; Jerry Hawkins (maracas) ;
D.J. Fontana (drums) ; Margaret Lewis (backup vocal).

With thanks to Tapio and Henk Gorter.

Additions and corrections welcome.
 
Dik

In the can index