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"Hey! Baby" by Bruce Channel
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"Playing one night at a place called The Castle in New Brighton, this girl who had been following Bruce said,
'You gotta hear this band that just got back from Hamburg, they're the hottest band in England,' "
-- Delbert McClinton
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"Hey Baby" was a $10,000 song that sold for $500. Bruce Channel was a country singer who had appeared regularly on the Louisiana Hayride radio show. In 1961 he wrote "Hey! Baby" with Margaret Cobb and they took it to Major Bill Smith in Fort Worth, Texas to try and get a recording contract. Smith liked the song, but changed the guitar intro to a harmonica intro played by Delbert McClinton. The song was originally released on Smith's LeCam label, but when Smith played it for Mercury Records at a Nashville disk jockey convention, Mercury executive Irwin Steinberg offered him $500 for the record. Smith agreed to the deal. Then Randy Wood of Dot records called and offered $10,000. But Smith honored the original deal. "Hey! Baby" was released in December of 1961 and on March 10th, 1962 it was the #1 song in the U.S. During a tour of England in 1962, Channel and McClinton played the Castle in New Brighton. McClinton visited one of the lower acts on the bill, The Beatles and John Lennon asked him to show him the catchy harmonica intro. A year later The Beatles would be riding the success of two songs, "Love Me Do," and "Please, Please Me," both of which include Lennon harmonica riffs inspired by "Hey! Baby."
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LYRICS:
Heyyyyy, hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Heyyyyy, hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
When I saw you walkin down the street
I said that's a kind of gal I'd like to meet
She's so pretty, Lord she's fine
I'm gonna make her mine all mine
Heyyyyy, hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
When you turned and walked away
That's when I want to say
C'mon baby, give me a whirl
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Heyyyyy, hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
When you turned and walked away
That's when I want to say
C'mon baby, give me a whirl
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Heyyyyyy, hey baby!
I want to know if you'll be my girl
Hey, hey hey hey hey, baby
C'mon, baby now... |
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| week debuted |
highest ranking |
Date Highest Rank |
Weeks in Top Twenty |
Weeks in Top Forty |
BillBoard Rank |
Cashbox Ranking |
GT rank |
| 1962 2 10 |
1 |
1962 3 10 |
10 |
12 |
11 |
14 |
10 |
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 Above: Pete Best, John Lennon, Delbert McClinton, Bruce Channel, Paul McCartney, George Harrison
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