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(Dave Bartholomew)
Chuck Berry's biggest hit, and often thought of as his
composition, this song made its first appearance in 1952 under the name
"My Tambourine" when it was recorded by Dave Bartholomew, who was
responsible for Fats Domino's and Smiley Lewis' recordings and often wrote
their songs. In 1954 the group
The Bees recorded it under the title "Toy Bell" and in 1966 Chuck Berry
recorded it as "My Tambourine".
Chuck Berry recorded it again in 1972 as "My Ding a Ling" while live
in concert in Coventry, England, being backed by the Roy Young Band and
Onnie McIntyre of the Average White Band, and this time it topped the
charts in the US and the UK, making it his only No. 1 single. He took credit for the song, but
Dave Bartholomew challenged this and it is he that is credited in the Blues
Hall of Fame as the rightful composer. The song is riddled with innuendos
and many radio stations in the UK would not play it, and there was an
unsuccessful motion to ban it by Mary Whitehouse who was a British moral
campaigner. A lampoon of the
song as been seen in the cartoon series The Simpsons.
Chuck Berry recordings
Chess CH 2131 (CH 2228-E) (US 45)
Sources:
- http://hittingrockbottom.bravejournal.com/
- http://guide.dada.net/blues/interventi/2007/03/288138.shtml
- http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=723
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Ding-a-Ling
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