My Ding A Ling

[John]

My Ding-A-Ling by written and recorded by Dave Bartholomew recorded in 1952. How did Chuck Berry manage to steal this?

Either way, it's a horrible song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgyF2Mv360Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr-YF_dTTZM

[Yin Yang]

Chuck Berry's songs all sound-a-like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGXOy4cz_xI

[Colin B]

Self-appointed guardian of our morals, Mary Whitehouse demanded the Chuck Berry version be banned on the BBC.

When the popularity of the song became widespread throughout the UK, making her look pretty stupid, she cancelled her demand,
saying it was only 'the video' she objected to.

Here she is with a fellow do-gooder:

Mary Whitehouse & friend (2).JPG

[John]

Chuck Berry's songs all sound-a-like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGXOy4cz_xI

Not ALL.

[Mister Moon]

My Ding-A-Ling by written and recorded by Dave Bartholomew recorded in 1952. How did Chuck Berry manage to steal this?

Either way, it's a horrible song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgyF2Mv360Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr-YF_dTTZM

The roots of this song go back to the 19th century, with "The Little Brown Jug". It has been recorded by dozens of artists in all possible forms, and the "Ding-A-Ling" variation is just one of them.

I guess the composition eventually fell into public domain territory, hence the different writer credits all through the years.

The Glenn Miller version is a classic, and the label just credits Miller as arranger. Same with the Bartholomew and Berry versions, which credit each of them as the composers. By the way, Bartholomew recorded it at least twice, and those recordings appeared respectively on Imperial and then on King, both in 1952. A couple of years later, Dave produced a very cool version by The Bees, on Imperial too, under the title "Toy Bell" - no doubt, the best of the bunch.

A few years later, "Little Brown Jug" became something of a surf music underground classic, mainly because of The Belairs' 1962 version on Arvee.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOw0OukmOuc

[Rickeap]

Surely there should have been a co-writing credit for Chuck's hit?
I saw another YouTube video showing how Chuck "borrowed" the Johnny Be Good guitar riff from a late 1940s song.

[John]

Surely there should have been a co-writing credit for Chuck's hit?
I saw another YouTube video showing how Chuck "borrowed" the Johnny Be Good guitar riff from a late 1940s song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd3qXfF7hqE

[Mister Moon]

Chuck Berry rocks - and Louis Jordan rolls !

Lotsa info here :

Louis Jordan - Ain't That Just Like a Woman
https://theelvisforum-phoenix.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5337

[Rickeap]

that's the one, thanks for the link