THE R & B FACTOR

Here's Chuck again, and 1956, here performing with Robert Cray in the 80s:



Buddy Holly, the recording released in the UK, posthumously, in 1963:



Waylon Jennings, in 1970:

Good concept.

It can work the other way, too.

The Beatles, 1966:



Richie Havens, 1967:



Aretha Franklin, 1969:

Hoagy Carmichael

Nat King Cole

Louis Armstrong

Billie Holiday, 1939:



Blood, Sweat and Tears, 30 years later (this is a 1982 live performance, with a couple of other tunes):

Laura Nyro

Blood Sweat and Tears

Mary Travers

This last one is actually the first time I ever heard the song.

Bo Diddley, 1955:



The Yardbirds, 1967:

I had read for a number of years that Gene Autry sang the first Blueberry Hill. His record was released in 1941. Turns out a number of artists beat him to it. Of the versions recorded in 1940, this is the one that topped the charts.

"Blueberry Hill" is a popular song published in 1940 best remembered for its 1950s rock n' roll version by Fats Domino. The music was written by Vincent Rose, the lyrics by Larry Stock and Al Lewis. It was recorded six times in 1940. Victor Records released the recording by the Sammy Kaye Orchestra with vocals by Tommy Ryan on May 31, 1940 (catalog #26643, with the flip side "Maybe"; matrix #51050[1]). Gene Krupa's version was issued on OKeh Records (#5672) on June 3 and singer Mary Small did a vocal version on the same label with Nat Brandwynne's orchestra, released June 20, 1940 on OKeh Records #5678. Other 1940 recordings were by: The Glenn Miller Orchestra on Bluebird Records (10768), Kay Kyser, Russ Morgan, Gene Autry (also in the 1941 film The Singing Hill[2]), Connee Boswell, and Jimmy Dorsey. The largest 1940 hit was by The Glenn Miller Orchestra, where it reached #1.[3]
Louis Armstrong 1949

And of course Fats Domino

Sarah Vaughn

Johnny Mathis

Erroll Garner

The Tarriers

Belafonte

Billy Eckstine 1949

Mel Torme 1949

The Marcels 1961

Bo Diddley (Ellas McDaniel) was influential not only with his songs, but his style of playing the guitar. Here is one of the most influential songs, from 1956, both for cover versions, and the guitar technique:



The same year, Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded "Bo Diddley" (this is an "undubbed) studio recording done in Lubbock:



Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks (early Rockabilly) played "Who do you love" for years, before recording it in 1963 (this is a bizarre video):



Here Ronnie performs the song with The Band in 1976:



Quicksilver Messenger Service played it for several years and then recorded it in 1968. This is a 1975 performance:

Les Baxter 1955

Al Hibbler 1955

"Unforgettable" is a popular song written by Irving Gordon. The song's original working title was "Uncomparable". The music publishing company asked Gordon to change it to "Unforgettable". The song was published in 1951.

Dinah Washington 1959