Today we feature a very different interpretation of a George Gershwin song from 1935's "Porgy and Bess." According to Wikipedia there are something like 25,000 recordings of this tune. Janis Joplin's take is wonderfully compelling but none are quite like Billy Stewart's version here, which contains several freelance passages - definitely unusual for the rock charts at the time. Billy crossed paths with Marvin Gaye when they grew up singing in Washington, DC, and was discovered by Bo Diddley.
Billy Stewart - Summertime
2 comments:
Hi, Larry!
The Shady Dell hangout upon which my blog is based was a juke joint for teenagers. Billy Stewart's version of "Summertime" was a hit at the Dell, its mid tempo conducive to shuffle and/or line dancing. "Summertime" was one of the last summer sounds I enjoyed before leaving town (York, PA) to spend four years on the main campus of Penn State. I attended PSU during Joe Paterno's glory years when future pro greats Franco Harris and Jack Ham were on the team.
Hey dude! There were soooo many 50's and 60's tunes that were originally done in the 30's and 40's. Glad there were places like the Shady Dell in York (hell, every town had those and we loved them!) that conjure up such fond memories. My buddy Charles and I made the trek from Virginia to State College a few times and partook of the joys of the Creamery!
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