ROCK Sex: "Suzie Q" - Dale Hawkins > Creedence Clearwater Revival

ROCK Sex likes 'the way you walk and the way you talk'.

Creativity compounds itself in unexpected directions. Here's another example.

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The original version of "Susie Q" was by unsung swampabilly guitarist Dale Hawkins.

(The slamming guitar break by James Burton shows how Rock'n'Roll was the Punk of the times).

DALE HAWKINS -"Susie Q" (1957)



In the early to mid-'60s, it was subsequently covered by luminaries like Lonnie Mack, Gene Vincent, The Rolling Stones, The Everly Brothers, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and even the early Velvet Underground.

But it was the epic workout by Creedence Clearwater Revival on their debut album that many folks remember so well that they think it's CCR's song.

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL -"Suzie Q" (1968)



Glam queen Suzi Quatro built her style out of '50s boogie-woogie and leather, and it was an easy association to make likening her to a real-life "Suzie Q":

SUZI QUATRO -"Can the Can" (1973)



Suzi's image clearly inspired Joan Jett and Gaye Advert, and her name may have inspired the Punk Suzie Q, SIOUXSIE SIOUX; on their first gig, they were called 'Suzie and The Banshees' before the spelling change.

© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• 1950s PUNK: Sex, Thugs, and Rock'n'Roll!, with Music Player

• 1950s Rock, A: The '60s Disciples, with Music Player
• 1950s Rock, B: The '70s Disciples, with Music Player

• HERE IN PURPLE VELVET NOW: The Psychedelic Revolution, with 2 Music Players!


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Time Is Tight!" - Booker T > The Clash > Elvis Costello > Squeeze

ROCK Sex knows sometimes time is timeless.

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Booker T And The MG's were the premiere Soul band of the 1960s.

They backed Atlantic Records stars like Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Sam And Dave, as well as Stax Records artists like William Bell, Eddie Floyd, and Carla Thomas. They also made their own classic instrumental albums, inspiring bands like The Meters, the Muscle Shoals studio bands, and CCR.

Here they are backing up Otis on this killer groove.

OTIS REDDING -"I Can't Turn You Loose" (1965)



A few years later, when doing the soundtrack for the film UPTIGHT, the MG's retooled the riff into this proto-Funk instrumental classic.

BOOKER T & THE MG'S -"Time Is Tight" (1968)



Notice their heavy influence on the sound of Creedence Clearwater Revival, like for instance this song.

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL -"Down On the Corner" (1969)



Directly on the MG's heels this Ska version quickly followed.

SOUND DIMENSIONS -"Time Is Tight" (1969)



The song gained new life in the late '70s as an into theme for The Blues Brothers, whose band included guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn from The MG's, which they combined with Otis Redding's "I Can't Turn You Loose".

THE BLUES BROTHERS -"I Can't Turn You Loose" (1978)



About the same time it was covered by these eclectic Punk upstarts:

THE CLASH -"Time Is Tight" (1978)



ELVIS COSTELLO used it as the basis for this song.

ELVIS COSTELLO -"Temptation" (1980)



And his friends molded it into this song.

SQUEEZE -"In Quintessence" (1981)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• SHAKE AND FINGER POP! Soul Music and the Interior Truth, with Music Player!

• "I Thank You" - Sam And Dave > ZZ Top

• "Walk On By" - Dionne Warwick > Isaac Hayes > The Stranglers > Hooverphonic > Mono > Pete Rock

• "You Can't Hurry Love" - The Supremes > Iggy Pop > The Jam > David Bowie

• "25 Miles" - Wilson Pickett > Edwin Starr > The Three Amigos


• Chuck Berry > Bob Dylan > Ultravox > Elvis Costello

• "Sweet Dreams" - Squeeze > Eurythmics


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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