Tweedle Dee

[

Tweedle Dee by LaVern Baker
] "Tweedlee Dee" is a rhythm and blues novelty song with a Latin-influenced riff written by Winfield Scott [cite web
url=http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvisnews_qandawithwinfieldscott.shtml
title=Interview with Winfield Scott
publisher=www.elvis.com.au
accessdate=2006-11-20 ] for LaVern Baker and recorded by her at Atlantic Records studio in New York City in 1954. It was her first hit.cite book
first=& Steve Propes
last= Jim Dawson
authorlink=
coauthors=
year= 1992
title= What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record
edition=
publisher= Faber & Faber
location= Boston & London
pages= p. 164-169
id=ISBN 0-571-12939-0 ] It was also Winfield Scott's first successful song. [cite web
url=http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvisnews_qandawithwinfieldscott.shtml
title=Winfield Scott
publisher=
accessdate=2006-11-13 ]

The arrangement and vocal style of the song was an attempt to adapt the black vocal style to one that would satisfy the tastes of the white record-buying market, featuring a light tone and a frisky rhythm beat. It sold well but undoubtedly would have done better if it were not for white cover versions that followed.cite book
first=Charlie
last=Gillett
year= 1996
title= The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock and Roll
edition= (2nd Ed.)
publisher= Da Capo Press
location=New York, N.Y.
pages= p. 37-38, 52, 71, 130,
id= ISBN 0-306-80683-5]

Cover version

Although Baker had closely approached a pop style in this recording, a cover of the song was quickly recorded by Georgia Gibbs on the Mercury Records label. Because a major label like Mercury had a superior distribution system, Atlantic's independent label could not compete. The white cover version used not only the lyrics but closely imitated the style and arrangement of the original and became a Gold Record for Gibbs, thus ruining any chance of Baker's recording becoming a pop hit.cite book
first= Arnold
last= Shaw
year= 1978
title= Honkers and Shouters
edition=
publisher=Macmillan Publishing Company
location= New York
pages=p. 174-176
id= ISBN 0-02-061740-2] LaVern Baker's little girl charm was closely copyied by Georgia Gibbs.

It was common at that time for major record companies to cover R&B hits generally appealing to blacks with their own more polished arrangements aimed at the wider white audience, a practice not forbidden by United States copyright law. In this case, Mercury Records did not ever bother to rework anything and essentially issued the same recording under their label with a different vocalist. According to Atlantic's engineer, Tom Dowd, Mercury hired the same arranger, the same musicians and tried to hire the same engineer. Atlantic had to watch while Mercury took Atlantic's original releases up the charts.

LaVern Baker attempted to get her congressman to introduce Federal legislation to prevent the wholesale copying of arrangements but was unsuccessful. To this day it is still not illegal to do so.

Over the years, numerous performances of the song have been released by artists ranging from Elvis Presley (a 1955 live performance first released commercially in the 1980s) to Bill Haley & His Comets (recorded in 1979 for Haley's final album, "Everyone Can Rock and Roll"). Presley would go on to record a number fo Scott's compositions in the 1960s.

ee also

*

Notes

External links

* [http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=60 Hall of Fame inductee]