Just clockwork, it seems like every two months I get an email from someone that wants to know about “a song called LOUIE LOUIE that’s not the Richard Berry song, and it’s sung by someone that they think sounds like Rod Stewart.”
Yup, I get all sorts of emails like that. Just like the emails about Jack Ely singing to a microphone hung from the ceiling before getting arrested by the F.B.I. Or that Chuck Berry was the guy that wrote LOUIE LOUIE. Yup, I do get my share of things like that – some folks that just don’t know … but I’m happy that they came to me, looking for clarity….
The song most likely to be confused with LOUIE LOUIE is actually a song called “Brother Louie,” which was a #1 hit record for the Stories for two weeks in 1973, staying in the Billboard charts for 18 weeks. The song was actually first recorded by Hot Chocolate, which had some chart action in the U.K. before it was re-recorded by the Stories.
Ian Lloyd, lead singer with the Stories, recorded three albums with the Stories before embarking on a solo career. In the course of his career he’s worked with Foreigner, Fotomaker, and Peter Frampton. Ian’s a great guy, and I’m grateful that he was able to provide me with an interview for the MEANING OF LOUIE documentary. He puts on a good show, and I recommend that folks seek him out wherever he’s performing.
Today, I’m declaring “Brother Louie” by the Stories as LOUIE of the Week. With a blog posting that mentions some of the key phrases of misinformation, I’m hoping folks will find this mention, and figure things out…
This is a performance of Ian Lloyd and the Stories on Midnight Special in 1973.
For more on Ian Lloyd, please visit
http://www.myspace.com/IanLloydsStories
http://www.machinedreamrecords.com
Does anyone know of a internet, ringtone site that I could download Louie Louie (by Stories) straight to my phone. I tried the Dada.net but they only can do though MP3. Thanks, Hawaii