Bruce Channel Hey Baby Other Recordings of This Song

Its official title is "Hey! Baby," merely Bruce Channel'southward 1961 chart-topper is probably more easily recognized in impress if you write information technology like this: "Heeeeeeeeey Baby!"

You're singing it in your head now, aren't you? "Hey, infant/ I wanna know/ If you'll be my girl."

Before it became a high schoolhouse and college marching band staple, "Hey! Baby" was a fixture of John Lennon's personal jukebox. The tape'southward long "Hey!" and the harmonica playing by a young Delbert McClinton inspired several early Beatles songs, including "Love Me Do."

And before all that, Channel and co-author Margaret Cobb were a couple of friends in Texas "simply trying to write everything we could write," unwittingly crafting a vocal that's still beingness shouted out loud, most lx years later. Channel told the Story Backside the Song to Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Bart Herbison: Well, I don't know how else to start off this interview other than to say, "Hey, baby."

Bruce Aqueduct: "Hey, infant."

BH: Well, take u.s. dorsum. You lot and a co-writer wrote this song — (her name was) Margaret Cobb — in 1961. Accept us back and tell us the story behind "Hey! Baby."

BC: My brother worked for a company chosen Texas Tank, a manufacturer of butane tanks. I went over in that location, and he talked to his boss and they gave me a job. I was almost 17. I worked in that location for a while and I met a guy named Buddy Combs. Buddy was a guitar actor and we would pick together.

He said, "I want you to come across my sis. Her proper noun is Margaret and she'southward a songwriter." He took me over to Margaret'south house and I met her. I started going there and hanging out. Buddy would come play guitar sometimes and I'd do niggling gigs here and there. Buddy would play guitar with me. He was an first-class guitar thespian. Margaret and I were trying to write songs, so that'south how our association started. We tried 20, 30 songs together over a few years. "Hey! Baby" was one of those.

BH: But how do they become from you and her writing one of 20 songs … (to where) yous ended up getting ("Hey! Baby")? I think first (there is) a local tape deal, then a big record bargain, and so pretty soon in 1962, the whole world knew well-nigh the song. How did that part happen?

BC: After nearly a year, Barbara Montgomery says to me, "Look, I've been working in the studios with a lot of different people — I worked with this guy in Fort Worth who is a retired major in the Air Force who fiddle(d) in the tape business. He had some success with a (vocal) called 'Peanuts.' "

(Bruce sings) "Peanuts, ah-ah-ah" by the Teen Kings. Anyway, she said, "Accept two or three songs and go over on Saturday and play them for him. And I'm telling you, he'll cut them."

That Sabbatum, I took my guitar and went to Bill's firm. … I played him "Hey! Infant" and he liked information technology. I played him "Dream Daughter" and other songs that I'd written. He said, "Yeah, I like those. We'll get some studio fourth dimension and practice them side by side calendar week." So, I was happy, but I didn't exactly know what was going to happen going in the studio next calendar week.

When we showed up at the studio the next week, I met Delbert McClinton with the Directly Jackets. They played with all the great blues players that covered Fort Worth. … I showed the other guys what I was going to do with my guitar so we did a take. Marvin (Montgomery, musical director) said, "Let's try it ane more time." So, nosotros did it again. Then Marvin says, "Wait a minute. It needs a spine. It needs a pianoforte." He came in and played the piano with united states of america. He played those really straight parts that fabricated the residual of the looseness really clot together later. The feel of it was different because the bass in the ring and the crush was right on. Everybody else wants to (sing) "Hey, hey," simply he's the direct beat.

BH: I'yard so glad y'all did that last tape because then nosotros get "Hey! Baby," that we know equally 1 of the greatest records always.

BC: It came out in November of '61. I played a New year's day's Eve gig with Delbert in the Directly Jackets in a big club in Fort Worth. During the times of the New Yr'due south Eve, it took it from Nov of '61 to March ten of '62, it was No. 1.

BH: I recollect it was a three- or four-calendar week No. 1, wasn't it?

BC: Yep, and that's when I was booked for the national tour. Information technology was nearly No. 47 with a "bullet," they used to say. I got booked to do this tour with the band, Fats Domino and all these people. When I got back they said, "OK, we need yous to go to England." I said, "OK, I'm more willing to go to England and play, but Delbert has got to go with me." They agreed he could, but we couldn't take the whole ring.

BH: Wow.

BC: Information technology was too expensive back in that day. Nobody would haul in a whole band anywhere.

BH: Now when you lot're in England, don't you meet The Beatles? Here's the story I always heard. I call back y'all were playing a show together or perhaps you simply met them, you tell me, but that John Lennon learned how to play harmonica from Delbert. So pretty soon yous started hearing that on a couple of Beatles records.

BC: We played this one place and I'd been on the BBC and did an interview. These guys showed up and at that place wasn't plenty fourth dimension for them to be on, and I apologized for taking up so much time. Anyway, and then we become on and this (Bruce shows a poster to the camera), it says, "Bruce Channel with Delbert McClinton straight from America."

BH: I love that your name's bigger than The Beatles on that thing.

BC: They didn't have any records and certainly not written any of the songs that they did. But everybody knew they were a good band and they already had a riff with the kids, and it was packed where they would play anyway. But hither (we are) in the dressing room (Bruce shows photo) that nighttime at that prove.

BH: Wow, look at you lot guys. I certainly see you and I see Delbert.

BC: That's (original Beatles drummer) Pete Best.

BH: I was going to say that'southward Pete before Ringo. This is amazing, homo.

BC: This is about two weeks or so before Ringo.

BH: At present the song, Bruce, has had a shelf life now of 60 years. Every time I see you lot play it, I don't care if somebody in the audition is 14 or they're 80, they simply know that song. It's i of those handful of songs that everybody in the globe knows. Did that surprise yous back and so? And does it yet surprise y'all today?

BC: Information technology surprised me then, and it still surprises me now. Loftier school marching bands do it. I'thousand and so honored that the different generations have liked information technology and then much. I couldn't enquire for more, you know, and I won't. It was too much to ask for anyway.

That song was No. ane 3 times. One by me start, so past Anne Murray, and by D.J. Otzi. It was in "Dirty Dancing" and ten or xi other movies. … That song had legs that nobody knew nearly.

BH: I know you lot'd written a lot of songs. Did you take any idea how special this one was?

BC: No, because we were just trying to write everything we could write. I mean, information technology felt good. … My brother and I would sing information technology with a friend of ours. We'd go far his car and bulldoze around to help him throw his papers. We'd act like we was one of the groups off the "Dick Clark Show" or something. (Bruce sings) "Babe, would you be my girl?"

About the serial

In partnership with Nashville Songwriters Association International, the "Story Behind the Song" video interview series features Nashville-continued songwriters discussing one of their compositions. For full video interviews with all of our subjects, visit www.tennessean.com/music.

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Source: https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/story-behind-the-song/2020/07/24/bruce-channel-hey-baby-story-behind-song/5481238002/

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