Red Hot (song) explained

"Red Hot" is a song written and recorded by Billy "The Kid" Emerson and released on Sun Records in 1955. It has been covered many times.

Emerson's version

Emerson recorded the song at the Sun Recording Studio in Memphis, Tennessee on May 31, 1955. Besides Emerson as vocalist, the Sam Phillips produced session included Calvin Newborn, guitar; Kenneth Banks, bass; Phineas Newborn, Sr., drums; Billy 'Red' Love, piano; Jewell Briscoe, tenor sax; and Moses Reed, tenor sax. The b-side for the release was another Emerson song, "No Greater Love".

Covers

• The best known cover of "Red Hot," also recorded at Sun Studio, produced by Sam Phillips, and released on Sun Records was by Billy Lee Riley & The Little Green Men, in January 1957 and issued as # 277. Along with Riley on vocals and guitar were guitarist Roland Janes, drummer J. M. Van Eaton, bassist Marvin Pepper, and Jimmy Wilson on piano. The record did not chart.^[1]
• Another version was recorded in 1957, at Mira Smith's Ram Studios, Shreveport, Louisiana by Bob Luman (Imperial XB8313, 1957) featuring James Burton on guitar.
• Ronnie Hawkins released a version of the song on his first album, Ronnie Hawkins, on Roulette Records, # SR-25078 in 1959. The drummer on the session was future member of The Band, Levon Helm, then a member of Hawkins' backing band, The Hawks.^[2]
• The Beatles performed "Red Hot" in December 1962, live at the Star-Club in Hamburg, but the recording has never been officially released.^[3]
• Robert Gordon with Link Wray on guitar, released a version on his debut album for Private Stock Records, # PS-2030 in 1977.
• The song was performed by Joss Ackland (as Evil Edmunds and The BeeLzeeBOPS) in the 2003 movie, I'll Be There.^[4]
• Brian Setzer released a version of the song on his 2005 album Rockabilly Riot, Vol. 1 - A Tribute to Sun Records.

Notes and References

1. Sun Rockabilly: The Classic Recordings, Rounder Records Corp., Cambridge, MA, 1990, liner notes
2. Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks: Forth Days, CD, Snapper Music, Germany, 2011
3. Unterberger, Richie (2006). The Unreleased Beatles: Music and Film. Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-892-3. pp. 37-42
4. Web site: I'll Be There (2003). IMDb.com. 2016-08-19.