‘Louie Louie’ Singer Jack Ely Dies at 71

[IDemo]

Source: Time

(PORTLAND, Ore.) — Jack Ely, the singer known for “Louie Louie,” the low-budget recording that became one the most famous songs of the 20th century, died at his home in Redmond, Oregon, after a long battle with an illness. He was 71.

His son, Sean Ely, confirmed the death Tuesday.

“Because of his religious beliefs, we’re not even sure what (the illness) was,” he said.

Jack Ely was original member of the Kingsmen, a band formed in 1959 that mostly performed cover versions of songs. Four years later, the group recorded “Louie Louie” at a studio in its home city of Portland. According to lore, it cost $36.

Read more: http://time.com/3839530/louie-louie-jack-ely-singer-dies/

[840high]

1. RIP

[Tom_Foolery]

2. RIP...

[Unknown Beatle]

3. A lot of people thought

that the lyrics contained "Fuck a girl a-constantly".

RIP Mr. Ely

[DreamSmoker]

4. bump

I have reached an age when my past is now dying in front of me..
This is another piece gone...

[narnian60]

14. Yes, indeed.

[Kip Humphrey]

5. I hope he left the real lyrics he sang on the 45 in his will for posterity's sake! R.I.P., Jack.

"Louie, Louie" lyrics... probably the first and longest lasting urban legend.

[Dont call me Shirley]

6. Jack...

[Qutzupalotl]

7. Eulogy to be mumbled by a sloshed frat boy.

[enough]

8. FBI investigated possible obscenity, a 455 page report.

snip>

In addition to the song’s fame, Ely’s incoherent singing also made it one of the most misunderstood. The FBI was so mystified by the hard-to-understand lyrics that it conducted an investigation into whether the song was obscene. They found it to be “unintelligible at any speed.”

Over the years, Ely and other band members attributed the indistinct lyrics to the microphone suspended from the ceiling, forcing Ely to shout up at it. Sean Ely said his father got “quite the kick” out the FBI’s 455-page investigative report. He said his father certainly knew the words, and wasn’t just slurring nonsense.

snip>

[madokie]

9. What are the words?

in case anyone knows

[IDemo]

13. This works for me:

[madokie]

15. Thanks

Pretty plain to me what the words are.

[packman]

23. “unintelligible at any speed.”

Funniest line I've read today. Gotta remember that the next time my wife berates me for something I've done a thousand times before.

[OldRedneck]

10. Get up and DANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Joe Shlabotnik]

11. Best 36 bucks ever spent.

[Zorra]

12. I bet Louie Louie has been played in bars by cover bands a million times. nt

[Miles Archer]

16. I've been a life-long MAJOR fan of Paul Revere & The Raiders, BUT...

...even though their version of "Louie Louie" was huge regional hit for them, as a Massachusetts boy, it was the Kingsmen for me.

It was one of those "rites of passage" songs...my friends and I all got musical instruments and before we knew how to play them we were gathered in my cellar, or my friend's rec room, playing "Louie Louie."

That line about "Every night, at ten, I..." resulted in some lively and obscene speculation amongst the boys in our band.



The Kingsmen may have been one hit wonders, but my God...WHAT a hit.

R.I.P., Jack.

[yorgatron]

17. I could argue that "Louie Louie" is the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all time.

[dead_head]

18. Actually

LOUIE LOUIE was originally recorded by a cat named Richard Berry first.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Berry_%28musician%29

Still R.I.P.

But keep on rockin'


nadim
www.deadheadcomicks.com

[Initech]

19. I shall go watch Animal House in his honor.

[LTG]

20. He recorded it after hearing The (Fabulous) Wailers' version. (an aside re the song)

Ely and the Kingsmen were performing in Seaside, OR when he heard The Wailers', with Rockin Robin Roberts, 1960 recording being played non-stop on the jukebox. He called the band over to hear and learn it. He copied the words and music and they started singing it during performances. They later recorded it. Ely had unwittingly changed the beat somewhat having misheard the jukebox.

The Wailers were a rock and roll band from Tacoma, WA. They did not have any national distribution of the record, but did have a couple other songs become national hits. The song was also very popular with other rock bands in Washington and the northwest throughout the early sixties. There was even a movement at one time to have the song designated as Washington State's official rock and roll song.

The most popular national version was certainly the recording by the Kingsmen.

The other group related to the song, Paul Revere and the Raiders, was also a very popular one in Seattle. They frequently played at Parkers, a dance venue in north Seattle. In fact, they were the last group booked to play there before it closed in the '90s.

The song, and the groups that recorded it in the 60's, all had deep connections to the Northwest.

Ely, like so many artists of that era, will be missed

[Zambero]

21. Gotta go now,,,

RIP Jack

[central scrutinizer]

22. additional details about the recording session

from the local fishwrap this morning:

http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33033610-75/louie-louie-singer-dies-in-oregon.html.csp

“Right out of his mouth, my father would say, ‘We were initially just going to record the song as an instrumental, and at the last minute I decided I’d sing it,’ ” Ely’s son, Sean Ely, said Tuesday.

When it came time to do that, however, Ely discovered the sound engineer had raised the studio’s only microphone several feet above his head. Then he placed Ely in the middle of his fellow musicians, all in an effort to create a better “live feel” for the recording.

The result, Ely would say over the years, was that he had to stand on his toes, lean his head back, and shout as loudly as he could just to be heard over the drums and guitars.

It might not have helped, either, that the 20-year-old musician was wearing braces at the time, although Ely maintained that the real problem was trying to sing with his head tilted back at a 45-degree angle.