Hearts of Stone
- For a disambiguation of "Hearts of Stone" see: Hearts of Stone (disambiguation)
"Hearts of Stone" is an American R&B song. It was written by Eddie Ray and Rudy Jackson,[1] a member of the San Bernardino, California-based rhythm and blues vocal group the Jewels (no relation to the female Jewels group from Washington, DC) which first recorded it for the R&B label in 1954.[2] The Jewels began as a gospel group, then became the Marbles, recording for the Lucky label out of Los Angeles.
According to Johnny Torrence, leader of the Marbles/Jewels, it was taken from a song they recorded in their gospel days. "Hearts of Stone" was covered and taken to the charts by East Coast R&B vocal group the Charms, causing the story of the Jewels' involvement to be ignored by various writers and DJs who assume the Charms' cover was the original. The Charms' version of the song went to number one on the R&B Best Sellers and number fifteen on the pop charts.[3]
Other recordings
It also has been recorded by:
- Bill Black's Combo (1961)
- Red Foley in 1954
- The Fontane Sisters (1954) - the biggest hit version, reaching #1 on the chart in 1955
- John Fogerty and The Blue Ridge Rangers (1973)
- Elvis Presley (1955) - live on the Louisiana Hayride radio show.
- Tommy Sands on one of his LPs
- Don Walser and Mandy Barnett (1998)
- NRBQ in 1972 on LP Workshop
- Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes in 1978's Hearts of Stone
- Bruce Springsteen on October 14, 1977 (Darkness on the Edge of Town outtake; appears on Tracks)
- A 1953/54 version of Eddie Cochran was released in 1997 on the album Rockin' It Country Style.
Anita, June, Helen and Mother Maybelle Carter performed a memorable live version of this song on an appearance filmed in color by Albert Gannaway in Nashville in the mid-1950s. Red Foley opened both the first and last programs of Ozark Jubilee with the song.
References
- ↑ http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&keyID=548485&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID Hearts Of Stone, BMI Repertoire
- ↑ Dave Marsh (1999). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Da Capo Press. p. 128. ISBN 0-306-80901-X.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 114.
| Preceded by "Mambo Baby" by Ruth Brown and Her Rhythmmakers |
Billboard R&B Best Sellers in Stores number-one single November 27, 1954 - January 8, 1955 |
Succeeded by "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" by The Penguins |
| Preceded by "Let Me Go, Lover!" by Joan Weber |
U.S. Billboard Best Sellers in Stores number-one single February 5, 1955 |
Succeeded by "Sincerely" by McGuire Sisters |
| Preceded by "Let Me Go, Lover!" by Joan Weber |
U.S. Billboard Most Played in Jukeboxes number-one single February 12–26, 1955 |
Succeeded by "Sincerely" by McGuire Sisters |