Bo Weevil

"Bo Weevil"
Single by Fats Domino
B-side	"Don't Blame It on Me"
Released	January 1956
Genre	Blues
Length	2:02
Label	Imperial
Songwriter(s)	Dave Bartholomew, Antoine Domino
Fats Domino singles chronology
"Poor Me" (1955) "Bo Weevil" (1956) "I'm in Love Again" (1956)

Fats Domino versions

"Bo Weevil" is a song written by Dave Bartholomew and Fats Domino, recorded by Domino in 7 November 1955 and released as a single[1] in January 1956, peaking at number 35 on the U.S. pop chart and number 5 on the U.S. R&B chart in February 1956[2]. It was featured on his 1956 album, Rock and Rollin' with Fats Domino.

In 1991, two new versions of the song performed by Fats Domino were released: the so-called "complete" (length 2:45), on sound track of the film A Rage in Harlem[3], and "alternative" (1:50), on 4 CD box "They Call Me The Fat Man..."[4]. However, a comparison of the three versions in the sound editor irrefutably shows that two more long versions are composite edits of the same (and unique) original recording, the shortest of the three (1:50), which was considered as alternative by Fats Domino fans. The first minute of this original recording (after a two-second intro) was repeated twice to produce a composite master for the single and album (2:02). The long so-called "complete" version turned out to be a triple repetition of the same first minute with a fade-out at the end.

It is therefore not surprising that the latest edition of Fats Domino Imperial recordings I've Been Around (2019)[5] includes, in addition to the composite master, only the original recording, and no trace of the "complete" version included in the previous box set Out of New Orleans (1993)[6] released by the same label.

Other versions

• Teresa Brewer released a competing version in January 1956 as well, and her version reached #17 the U.S. pop chart in March 1956.[7] It was the B-side for her single, "A Tear Fell", which reached #2 in the UK and #5 in the U.S.[8]
• Bonnie Lou released a version of the song as a single in 1956, but it did not chart.[9]
• The Dixiebelles released a version of the song on their 1963 EP Down at Papa Joe's.[10]

References

1. "Fats Domino - Bo Weevil / Don't Blame It on Me (Imperial 5375, January 1956)". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
2. "Fats Domino, "Bo Weevil" Chart Positions". Retrieved March 22, 2018.
3. "Various artists - Music From the Film "A Rage in Harlem" (Sire 9-26617-2, May 1991)". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
4. "Fats Domino - "They Call Me The Fat Man...": The Legendary Imperial Recordings (4 CD, booklet) (EMI E2-7-96784-2, October 1991)". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
5. "Fats Domino - I've Been Around: The Complete Imperial & ABC-Paramount Recordings (12 CD, 1 DVD, book) (DE, Bear Family BCD 17579, October 2019)". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
6. "Fats Domino - Out of New Orleans (8 CD, booklet) (DE, Bear Family BCD 15441 HI, November 1993)". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
7. "Teresa Brewer, "Bo Weevil" Chart Position". Retrieved March 22, 2018.
8. "Teresa Brewer, "A Tear Fell" Chart Positions". Retrieved March 22, 2018.
9. "Bonnie Lou, "Bo Weevil" Single Release". Retrieved March 22, 2018.
10. "The Dixiebelles, Down at Papa Joe's EP Release". Retrieved March 22, 2018.