Untitled Document

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	Song	Artist/Date/Label	Remade by
	Radio Free Europe	R.E.M. 1981 Hib-Tone 0001	R.E.M. (1983 for I.R.S.)

Rag Mop

Johnnie Lee Wills c.12-49
Bullet 696

Ames Bros. (12-5-49), Lionel Hampton (12-29-49), Joe Liggins, Mighty Blue Kings

"Get The Mop," recorded by Henry "Red" Allen in 1946 (RCA Victor 1808), was a clear predecessor to "Rag Mop" such that its publisher brought a successful suit again "Rag Mop's" copyright holder, Hill & Range.

Ragtime Cowboy Joe

Bob Roberts 4-23-12
Victor 17090

David Seville & Chipmunks

Raining On Sunday

Radney Foster 1999
on CD Arista Nashville 18833 See What You Want To See

Keith Urban

Rains Came, The

Big Sambo & House Wreckers 1962
Eric 7003

Sir Douglas Quintet

Rainy Jane

Neil Sedaka 1969
SGC 008

Davy Jones

Rainy Night In Georgia

Tony Joe White 1969
on lp Monument 18133 ...Continued

Brook Benton (11-5-69), Hank Williams Jr.

Ramblin' Rose

Jerry Lee Lewis 10-21-61
Sun 374

Ted Taylor, MC-5, Wayne Kramer, Barrence Whitfield & Savages

This wasn't really ever a hit but I saw the MC-5 play it so many times I just had to include it.

Do I have to point out that this is a different song from Nat King Cole's hit?

Ram-Bunk-Shush

Lucky Millinder 1952
King 4534

Bill Doggett, Ventures

Rave On!

Sonny West 11-57
Atlantic 1174

Buddy Holly (1-26-58), Waylon Jennings, Steeley Span, Commander Cody

Raw-Hide

Link Wray 1958 (cut for Cadence) on CD Sundazed 11137 White Lighting; Lost Cadence Sessions '58 (2006)

Link Wray (1958 for Epic)

Following his Cadence Records hit "Rumble," Wray and his band cut material for an album. Label owner Archie Bleyer later admitted that he didn't like Link or the (supposed) negative affect of his music, meaning the instrumental(!) "Rumble," so no LP was issued at the time.

Reach Out For Me

Lou Johnson 1963
Big Top 3153

Dionne Warwick

Ready For Love

Mott The Hoople 1972
on lp Columbia 31750 All The Young Dudes

Bad Company (11-73)

Ready Or Not (aka Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie)

Sam The Sham & Pharaohs 1967? (lp charted 3-11-67)
on lp MGM 4422 Greatest Hits

Jay & Techniques (2-7-67)

The song only appeared on Sam The Sham & Pharaohs Greatest Hits album and there doesn't seem to be any recording date information available. The track could've been in the can for some time and the release of the album in relation to when Jay & The Techniques cut theirs (as "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie"), strongly suggests Sam's was earlier.

A record by Happy Louie titled "Apple Peaches Pumpkin Pie" (MGM 13620) is not the same song.

Real Wild Child see Wild One

Reason To Believe

Tim Hardin 4-25-66
on lp Verve Folkways 3004 Tim Hardin 1

Bobby Darin (11-1-66), Rod Stewart, Carpenters

Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache (aka Red Cadillac And Black Mustache)

Warren Smith c. 2-57
on lp UK Sun 6467 025 Sun Rockabillys - Put Your Cat Clothes On (1973)

Bob Luman (3-28-57 for Imperial, 1973 for Epic), Robert Gordon, Brian Setzer, Bob Dylan et el.

Red Hot

Billy "The Kid" Emerson 5-31-55
Sun 219

Billy Lee Riley, Bob Luman, Sam The Sham & Pharaohs, Robert Gordon, Brian Setzer

"Red Hot" by the Five Scamps (Columbia 30158, 1950) is a different song.

Red Red Wine

Neil Diamond 1967
Bang 556

Vic Dana, Tony Tribe, UB-40

Red River Rock (aka Red River Valley) see Cowboy Love Song

Red Roses For A Blue Lady

John Laurenz 1948 (rel. 11-48)
Mercury 5201

Vaughn Monroe (12-15-48), Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians (12-22-48), Vic Dana, Bert Kaempfert, Wayne Newton

Red Sails In The Sunset

Lew Stone 7-35
UK Regal Zonophone 1786

Guy Lombardo, Mantovani, Bing Crosby, Tab Hunter, Platters, Fats Domino

The song was featured in the 1935 stage play Provincetown Follies.

Release Me (And Let Me Love Again)

Eddie Miller & his Oklahomans 1949
4-Star 1407

Jimmy Heap, Ray Price, Esther Philips, Engelbert Humperdinck

The song was inspired by a quarreling couple Eddie Miller overheard in a bar, when a woman said to her man "If you would release me, we'd get along all right."

Remember What I Told You To Forget

Four Tops 1972
on lp Dunhill 50129 Keeper Of The Castle

Tavares

Remember You're Mine

Ray Vernon 1957
Cameo 109

Pat Boone

Ray Vernon aka Vernon Wray is Link Wray's brother.

Cameo 109 was issued twice, with "I'll Take Tomorrow (Today)" on some copies in place of "Remember You're Mine."

Respect

Otis Redding 7-9-65
Volt 128

Rationals, Vagrants, Aretha Franklin

Respectable

Isley Bros. 10-14-59
on lp RCA Victor 2156 Shout!

Isley Bros. (11-9-59, RCA Victor 7657), Yardbirds, Outsiders

Revolution Will Not Be Televised, The

Gil Scott-Heron 1970
Flying Dutchman 26011

Gil Scott-Heron (1974 on lp Flying Dutchman 10613), Soul Rebels

Rhinestone Cowboy

Larry Weiss 1974
20th Century 2084

Glen Campbell

Rhythm Of My Heart

René Shuman 1986
Dutch CBS 650213 0

Rod Stewart

Rich Woman

Li'l Millet & His Creoles 10-25-55
Specialty 565

Canned Heat, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Yockamo All-Stars, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Ride, Ride, Ride

Lynn Anderson 7-66
Chart 1375

Brenda Lee (12-15-66)

Riders In The Sky (Cowboy Legend) (aka Ghost Riders In The Sky)

Burl Ives 2-17-49
Columbia 38445

Vaughn Monroe (3-14-49), Peggy Lee (4-18-49), Stan Jones (5-49 for Mercury, 1957 for Disneyland), Gene Autry (8-16-49), Ramrods, Dick Dale, Outlaws, Johnny Cash et el.

Ridin' The Storm Out

REO Speedwagon 1973
Epic 11078

REO Speedwagon (1977, Epic 50367

REO's first version featured replacement singer Mike Murphy, while their hit had returning original vocalist Kevin Cronin.

Riding With The King

John Hiatt 1983
on lp Geffen 4017 Riding With The King

B.B. King & Eric Clapton

B.B. King & Eric Clapton's was on their album also titled Riding With The King.

Right Or Wrong (I'll Be With You)

Billy Graves c. 7-59
Monument 418

Wanda Jackson (10-28-60), Ronnie Dove

Right String But The Wrong Yo-Yo, The

Douglas Finnell & Royal Stompers 11-29
Brunswick 7123

Speckled Red (4-8-30, 1956), Piano Red (1950, 1956, 1962 as Dr. Feelgood & Interns, 1965), Carl Perkins. Danny Shirley & Paino Red (as "Yo Yo")

Piano Red (aka Dr. Feelgood), born William Perryman, was Speckled Red's brother. Seperated by 19 years, both were albino musicians with the nickname "Red."

Right Time, The (aka [Night Time Is] The Right Time)

Nappy Brown 10-1-57
Savoy 1525

Ray Charles (10-28-58)

Although they're not the same composition, Brown's could have easily been influenced by "Night Time Is The Right Time" (Decca 7324) done by the Honey Dripper, aka Roosevelt Sykes, in 1937.

Right Time Of The Night

Peter McCann 1976
20th Centruy 2314

Jennifer Warnes, John Travolta

Jennifer Warnes had been recording for a decade before her "Right Time Of The Night" became a ubiquitous hit in 1977. Writer Peter McCann had recorded it just before Warnes' and was set to issue his as a single. Arista Records head honcho Clive Davis let it be known that he was going to heavily promote Jennifer's version so McCann's label went with his "Do You Wanna Make Love" (with "Right Time" as the flip). McCann was happy with the consolation prize of having his record climb to top-5 (qualifying him as a genuine one-hit-wonder) as Warnes' "Right Time" was winding up its long chart run.

Ring Dang Doo

Demetriss Tapp 1964
Brunswick 55274

Sam The Sham & Pharaohs

Ring Of Fire

Anita Carter c. 11-62
Mercury 72073

Johnny Cash (3-25-63), Animals, Carlene Carter, Wall Of Voodoo, Social Distortion, Frank Zappa, Dick Dale, Bob Dylan et al.

June Carter first met Johnny Cash backstage at the Grand Ole Opry in the late '50s, at which time he told her he was going to marry her someday. Over the next couple of years, Carter often shared the bill with Cash's show and, while their relationship was growing, both were married to others. This "forbidden love" inspired Carter to write (along with Merle Kilgore) "Ring Of Fire." Her sister Anita was the first to cut it but future husband Johnny really brought the song to life. Obviously he felt the heat.

Anita Carter's recording is titled "Love's Ring Of Fire" on her Sings Folk Songs Old And New album.

Rings

Running Bear And Goldstein
1971 (early) Amos 160

Lonnie Mack, Cymarron, Tompall & the Glaser Bros., Lobo, Alex Harvey, Rueben Howell, Leo Kottke

The song was composed in the fall of 1970 as a wedding present for friends of co-writer Eddie Reeves. Running Bear & Goldstein were Eddie Reeves, Alex Harvey ("Rings" co-writer) and Mike Settle (who wrote the B-side, "Loretta"). Reeves and Harvey are both part Indian, hence the Running Bear moniker and Settle decided he wanted to be Goldstein—the keeper of the money!

Rising Sun Blues (aka House Of The Rising Sun)

Ashley & Foster 9-6-33
Vocalion 2576

Homer Callahan (as "Rounder's Luck," 4-11-35), Georgia Turner (9-15-37), Roy Acuff, Josh White, Almanac Singers, Leadbelly (1945, 1948), Doc Watson & Clarence Ashley (1960 for Folkways), Bob Dylan, Animals, Frijid Pink, Santa Esmeralda et al.

Ashley & Foster were Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster.

The melody is based on a centurys-old English ballad. It's been suggested that the song evolved from a 1928 recording called "The Risin' Sun" by Texas Alexander (Okeh 8673), but I don't hear the connection. According to folklorist Alan Lomax, the lyrics as we generally know them were formalized by Georgia Turner and Bert Martin in 1937.

As to whether there ever was a New Orleans brothel named the Rising Sun, nobody knows for sure. It's also been suggested the song was about a women's prison with a rising sun emblem on its entrance.

Ivy Smith's 1927 "Rising Sun Blues" (Paramount 12436) is a different song.

River is Wide, The

Forum 1966
Penthouse 504

Forum (1967 for Mira), Grassroots

Rivers Of Babylon

Melodians 1969
Jamaican Beverly's 138

Boney M, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Earle, Neville Bros.

Rock And Roll Angel (aka Rockin' Little Angel)

Webb Dixon 1959
Astro 101

Ray Smith

Rock And Roll Heaven

Climax 1973
Rocky Road 30072

Righteous Bros.

Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo

Johnny Winter 6-9-70
Columbia 45260

Rick Derringer, Suzi Quatro

Writer/guitarist Rick Derringer was part of Johnny Winter's band before he went solo and had the hit with this song.

Rock And Roll Love Letter

Tim Moore 1975
Asylum 45276

Bay City Rollers

Rock Around The Clock, (We're Gonna)

Sonny Dae & His Knights 3-20-54 (release date)
Arcade 123

Bill Haley & Comets (4-12-54), Sex Pistols

Bill Haley had wanted to record the song while signed to Essex Records but label owner Dave Miller didn't allow that to happen. Haley's manager Jack Howard then issued Sonny Dae's (née Adolf, later Paschal, Vennitti) original on his Arcade label. Bill & his Comets moved to Decca Records and squeezed in a take of RATC at the end of a session. Theirs was originally the B-side! See also "Thirteen Women And One Man."

Rock Island Line

Kelly Pace & Group 10-34
on 78 album Library Of Congress AFS L 8 Negro Work Songs And Calls (1943)

Leadbelly (many times, first in 1937), Weavers, Lonnie Donegan, Stan Freberg, Don Cornell, Johnny Cash, Little Richard & Fishbone, Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band et al.

Folklorist John Lomax made this recording of a group of Arkansas prisoners, led by Kelly Pace. Lomax's son Alan normally worked as John's assistant, but he was ill at the time and Huddie Ledbetter (aka Leadbelly) was enlisted to help. Alan had met inmate Leadbelly the year before while making recordings at Angola Prison. After hearing Pace's song "Rock Island Line," Leadbelly was inspired to adopt it.

In the early 1900s, the Rock Island Company bought a railroad line which cut across Arkansas, through Little Rock and into West Memphis.

Rock Lobster

B-52's 1978
B-52's Records (no #)

B-52's (1980 for Warner Bros.)

Rock Love

Lula Reed 11-29-54
King 4767

Fontane Sisters

Rock Me Baby see Rockin' & Rollin'

Rock Me Baby

Cymbal and Clinger 1971
on lp Chelsea 1002

David Cassidy

Rock Me On The Water

Johnny Rivers 1971
on lp United Artists 5532 Homegrown

Brewer & Shipley, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne (twice: album track and single), Kathy Mattea w/ Jackson Browne

Rock The Joint

Jimmy Preston & Prestonians 5-49
Gotham 188

Bill Haley & Saddlemen (1952), Bill Haley & Comets (1957), Long John Baldry, Rev. Horton Heat

Preston's recording is often cited as an early rock & roll prototype. After Bill Haley cut it, he embraced the heavy beat music and reconfigured his group into the Comets. (Session guitarist Danny Cedrone later duplicated his "Rock The Joint" guitar solo on Haley's "Rock Around The Clock.")

Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie

Esquire Boys w/ Kay Karol 1952
Rainbow 200

Treniers (9-9-53), Esquire Boys (1954 for Guyden), Bill Haley & Comets (10-22-55), Buddy Morrow

Rockin' And Rollin' (aka Rock Me Baby)

Lil' Son Jackson 12-16-50
Imperial 5113

B.B. King (many times), Muddy Waters, Jeff Beck

A derivation of Curtis Jones' "Roll Me Mama" (Vocalion 4694, 1938), and likely other double entendre blues even earlier. Arthur Crudup's "Rock Me Mama" (Bluebird 0731, 1944) is related only in its title/lyric and blues form.

Rockin' Chair

Clarence Reid 1974
Dash 5014

Gwen McCrae

Rockin' Good Way, A

Priscilla Bowman (& the Spaniels) 7-30-58
Abner 1018

Dinah Washington & Brook Benton, Peaches & Herb, Shakin' Stevens & Bonnie Tyler

Rockin' Little Angel see Rock And Roll Angel

Rocky Road Blues

Bill Monroe & Blue Grass Boys 2-13-45
Columbia 36907

Gene Vincent, Ronnie Self, Dwight Yoakam

Kokomo Arnold's "Rocky Road Blues," recorded 10-23-37 (Decca 7449), is a different song.

Rocky Top

Osborne Bros. 11-16-67
Decca 32242

Chet Atkins, Dillard & Clark, Everly Bros., Lynn Anderson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dolly Parton, Felice & Boudleaux (Bryant), Osborne Bros. (1996 as "Rocky Top 96"), Phish et al.

Rolene

Mink DeVille 1978
on lp Capitol 11780 Return To Magenta

Moon Martin

Roll And Tumble Blues (aka Rollin' & Tumblin')

Hambone Willie Newbern 4-14-29
Okeh 8679

Muddy Waters, Canned Heat, Cream, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, Bob Dylan

Room To Move

Climie Fisher 1988
on lp Capitol 48338 Everything

Animotion

John Mayall's "Room To Move" (on lp The Turning Point) is a different song.

Rosalyn

Pretty Things 1964
Fontana 1916

David Bowie

Rose Garden see I Never Promised You A Rose Garden

'Round Midnight (aka 'Round About Midnight)

Cootie Williams 8-22-44
Hit 7119

Dizzy Gillespie (2-7-46), Thelonious Monk (11-21-47), Chet Baker, Bud Powell, Betty Carter, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Sun Ra, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Carmen McRae, MJQ, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Mel Tormé, Wes Montgomery, Sarah Vaughn et al.

After toying with its melody for over a year, Thelonious Monk finished his composition in the summer of 1943, titling it "I Need You So." In an attempt to have a hit record, he called upon a neighborhood friend, Thelma Elizabeth Murray, to write lyrics. Monk copyrighted the song in September of that year, assigning co-credit to Murray. It was never recorded with those lyrics and a few months later, following minor additional tinkering, the song was renamed "'Round Midnight."

Cootie Williams added an eight-bar interlude when he cut it, taking a share of the composers' credit. The third writer's name on Williams' record, lyricist Bernie Hanighen (misspelled on the label), wrote revised words reflecting the "'Round Midnight" theme. Cootie Williams filed a new copyright on the song in November, 1944 and it's likely that only then did Monk learn of the new lyrics and co-credits. Frustratingly, he only received one third of the royalties generated by a song he essentially wrote.

Williams' version was the B-side but it garnered a fair amount of attention at the time.

A November 11, 1944 recording was made of Monk playing the song in Timme Rosenkrantz's midtown Manhattan apartment. It was made public on the 2015 CD Timme's Treasures.

Many of the artists listed recorded the song more than once.

Route 66, (Get Your Kicks On)

King Cole Trio 3-15-46
Captiol 256

Bing Crosby & Andrew Sisters, Bobby Troup, Rolling Stones, Asleep At The Wheel, Manhattan Transfer et al.

Rub It In

Layng Martine 1971
Barnaby 2041

Billy "Crash" Craddock

Rubber Biscuit

Chips 1956
Josie 803

Blues Bros.

Ruby

Richard Hayman 1-53
Mercury 70115/70146

Les Brown (3-2-53), Victor Young (3-25-53), Les Baxter (4-6-53), Vaughn Monroe, Harry James (7-11-53), Ray Charles, Adam Wade

Composed by Heinz Eric Roemheld as the theme for the 1952 film Ruby Gentry. Richard Hayman's harmonica playing is featured in the movie but this recording has yet to be officially released.

Lyrics were subsequently written by Mitchell Parish.

Ruby Baby

Drifters 9-19-55
Atlantic 1089

Dion, Billy "Crash" Craddock

Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town

Waylon Jennings 9-8-66
on lp RC Victor 3825 Love Of The Common People

Mel Tillis (12-9-66), Roger Miller (1-26-67), Johnny Darrell, Kenny Rogers & First Edition

"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" was inspired by a real-life couple who lived behind writer Mel Tillis. He'd been thinking about them for some time and ended up composing the song in his head one day while driving home. His wife Doris later said it was the most morbid song she'd ever heard.