Be-Bop-A-Lula

Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps came out with Be-Bop-A-Lula in 1956. It is one of the classic rock and roll songs. The title is an amalgam of slang from the Jazz era that became known as "be-bop." Vincent is credited with the music, and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis is credited with the words, even though it appears that he bought the rights from Donald Graves, the true author. Capitol records pressed the disc in hopes of finding a pop music phenom to rival Elvis. The song went double gold in 1957. Be-Bob-A-Lula quickly became a favorite of other artists, who covered it widely in performances and on records. Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, the Everly Brothers and Queen are just a few of the well-known acts that sang this song, besides the Beatles.

The up-tempo pace and the positive vibe of the lyrics made Be-Bop-A-Lula a natural choice for the Beatles' performance repertoire in their early period. Evidence indicates they sang it in the early days of the Cavern Club and on tour in 1961-62. The surviving recording is part of the double disc set, Live! At the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962, which was released in May of 1977 from a very rustic taping of the Beatles' last night in Germany. The track, which is only 2 minutes and 29 seconds long, features a "guest vocal" -- Fred Fascher, who was a waiter at the Star-Club at the time.