Moovin' 'N' Groovin' by Duane Eddy

Album: Have Twangy Guitar, Will Travel (1958)

Charted: 72

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Songfacts®:

Duane Eddy's first single was a tune that he wrote with Lee Hazlewood, an Arizona disc jockey whom the guitarist had met while hanging out at a radio station as a teenager. Eddy and Hazlewood would go on to collaborate on a string of hit instrumental hits, including "Peter Gunn Theme," "Boss Guitar" and "Rebel Rouser."
Some music scholars cite this as the first true example of Surf music, partly because The Beach Boys borrowed the opening riff for their tune "Surfin' Safari." "Yeah, they used it," Eddy told Spinner with shrugs and a chuckle, "and I never cared. That's just music, sharing little bits of melody and all, no big deal. You know, Bobby Darin asked me about using the title, Moovin' 'N' Groovin', in his song 'Splish Splash.' No problem, I told him."

Comments: 2

Robert from ArizonaBrian Wilson ripped off the intro for "Surfin' USA."

However, after a little digging, I found that Duane didn't create the opening riff, which was written in late 1955 or early 1956 by Chuck Berry as the intro to "Brown Eyed Handsome Man."
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn July 24th 1958, Duane Eddy performed "Moovin' 'N Groovin'" on the ABC-TV program 'American Bandstand'...
Four months earlier on March 2nd, 1958 it entered Billboard's Top 100 Sides chart at position #91, the following week it was at #72, its peaked position on the chart, and in its 3rd and final week on the chart it was at #86...
And on the same 'Bandstand' show he performed "Rebel Rouser", it stayed on the Top 100 for 14 weeks, peaking at #6...
Mr. Eddy celebrated his 76th birthday three months ago on April 26th, 2014.

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