1970, The year Apollo 13 was launched ..and abandoned, The year the first ‘Earth Day’ was celebrated, The year of Richard Nixon and Edward Heath, and on one winters day, the 27th November to be exact, it was the year of balls-of-fire blues rock ballads.
As this year, Ladies and Gentlemen, marks the year that Dave Edmunds released rhythm & blues hit, ‘I Hear You Knocking’.
Written by Big-Band and Blues legends, Dave Bartholomew and Earl King, ‘I Hear You Knocking’ has been covered throughout almost every corner of music history, seeing a range of musicians put their own spin on the song.
Fats Domino, Shakin’ Stevens‘, Jerry Lee Lewis, Quicksilver Message and Billy Swan are just some of the artist who have taken the number under their melodic wings to fly back to the world with their own sense of syncopation.
The original hit of the song was credited to New Orleans style blues act, Smiley Lewis after reaching number two on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues Chart in 1955.
At the time of the songs release and commercialization artists such as Buddy Holly & The Crickets, The Everly Brothers and Little Richard were covering/releasing songs entitled ‘I Keep On Knocking” and ”Open The Door, Richard” to which ”I Hear You Knocking” became to be considered as ‘response song’ to.
”In an interview with John Lennon made shortly after the dissolution of The Beatles in 1970, Lennon told interviewer Jann Wenner that the Edmunds version was his favourite new recording.”