Vijftig jaar geleden: “Oh no, not my baby” (Rod Stewart)

 Rod Stewart (backed by his Faces bandmates Ron Wood, Kenney Jones and Ian McLagan) bracht vijftig jaar geleden “Oh No Not My Baby” uit, een nummer oorspronkelijk geschreven door Gerry Goffin en Carole King. Hier bij ons ging het nummer ongemerkt voorbij, maar in Engeland is het toch tot op de zesde plaats van de hitparade gegaan.

The first released version of “Oh No Not My Baby” was by Maxine Brown, according to whom the song had first been recorded by her Scepter Records‘ roster-mates the Shirelles with the group’s members alternating leads, an approach which had rendered the song unreleasable.

Released in September 1964, Brown’s “Oh No Not My Baby” spent seven weeks in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1964 – January 1965 with a #24 peak. The song was included on her second studio album Spotlight on Maxine Brown, released in 1965.

The song was covered by Manfred Mann — whose version of the Shirelles’ “Sha La La” had shared the U.S. Top 40 with Brown’s “Oh No Not My Baby” — and that group’s version of “Oh No Not My Baby”, released 9 April 1965, reached #11 in the UK.

Dusty Springfield recorded it for her 2nd album Ev’rything’s Coming Up Dusty in 1965.

Aretha Franklin recorded a rendition of “Oh No, Not My Baby” for her 1970 record Spirit In The Dark with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section.

Merry Clayton recorded “Oh No Not My Baby” in a 1972 version which featured co-writer Carole King on piano.

Na Rod Stewart kwamen o.a. nog Cher in 1992 en Linda Ronstadt for her 1993 Winter Light album. (Wikipedia)