"Wee Wee Hours" is a song written and recorded by Chuck Berry in 1955. Originally released as the B-side of his first single, "Maybellene", it went on to become a hit, reaching number 10 in the Billboard R&B chart.[2]

"Wee Wee Hours"
Single by Chuck Berry
A-side"Maybellene"
Released1955 (1955)
RecordedMay 21, 1955
StudioUniversal Recording Corp. (Chicago)[1]
GenreBlues
Length3:02
LabelChess
Songwriter(s)Chuck Berry
Producer(s)Leonard Chess, Phil Chess
Chuck Berry singles chronology
"I Hope These Words Will Find You Well"
(1954)
"Wee Wee Hours"
(1955)
"Thirty Days"
(1955)

The song is a twelve-bar blues, described as "a slow, sensuous blues featuring some exceptional piano from Johnnie Johnson".[3] "Wee Wee Hours" was on the audition tape submitted by Berry to Leonard Chess in hope of landing a recording contract with Chess Records.[3] Although it seemed like a good fit with the record company's blues roster,[4] Chess was more interested in the song that became "Maybellene", the song that launched Berry's career as a rock and roll star.

Berry often performed the song live. It is included on the 1969 album Chuck Berry Live in Concert,[5] and in the 1987 film Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "The Chuck Berry Database: Details For Recording Session: 21. 5. 1955". A Collector's Guide to the Music of Chuck Berry. Dietmar Rudolph. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1988). "Chuck Berry". Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 41. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
  3. ^ a b Altman, Billy (1988). Chuck Berry: The Chess Box (Box set booklet). Chuck Berry. Chess/MCA Records. p. 5. CH3-80,001.
  4. ^ "I wanted to play the blues ... But I wasn't blue enough. We always had food on the table." Rolling Stone (April 7, 2011). "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  5. ^ "Live at the Toronto Peace Festival 1969 - Chuck Berry | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll - Chuck Berry | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 30, 2021.