Swamp Rock Boogie

Delmar Allen “Dale” Hawkins was one of those artists who combined a number of different genres. Hawkins was called the architect of swamp rock boogie, because he used a rock and roll style à la Elvis Presley plus the heavy blues sound from his native Louisiana. “Susie Q” features signature riffs and solo from fellow guitarist James Burton, who played with Elvis, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and many more. The high percussion in the song is not a cymbal, not a cowbell, but a metal ashtray from the radio station office in Shreveport, Louisiana, where Hawkins made the recording. In 1957, the song went to #7 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Sides and #27 on the Hot 100 Chart. “Susie Q” is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.” Hawkins also hosted a teen dance party, The Dale Hawkins Show, in Philadelphia.

There have been numerous covers of the song. Creedence Clearwater Revival had a cover of “Susie Q” in 1968, and their version went to #11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #9 on Cash Box, and #10 in Canada. Other versions include those by The Rolling Stones, Susie Quatro, Jose Feliciano, The Everly Brothers, Bobby McFerrin, Johnny Rivers, and The Astronauts. The cover by Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids was used in the soundtrack of the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.

Here are the lyrics:

“Oh Susie Q., oh Susie Q
Oh Susie Q. I love you
My Susie Q

I like the way you walk
I like the way you talk
I like the way you walk, I like the way you talk
My Susie Q

Oh Susie Q., oh Susie Q
Oh Susie Q., baby I love you
My Susie Q

Well say that you will be true
Well, say that you will be true
Well, say that you will be true and never leave me blue
My Susie Q

Oh Susie Q., oh Susie Q
Oh Susie Q., I love you
My Susie Q”

For More Golden Oldies Music                

The Daily Doo Wop Rec Room has daily featured doo wop, rock and roll, R&B, or rockabilly songs that were hits during the first era of rock and roll (that is, from about 1952 until the British invasion in 1964). After a song is featured, it then goes into the juke box. You are welcome to listen to any of the 40+ selections there. Every weekend, there is a Golden Oldies Juke Box Saturday Night, and the juke box is full of song requests from the 1950s and 1960s.

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