Artist	Song
Jackie Wilson	Reet Petite
from Jackie Wilson: 20 Greatest Hits (2002)
Chuck Berry	Back In the U.S.A.
from The Definitive Collection (2006)
King Cole Trio	Straighten Up and Fly Right
from The Very Best of Nat King Cole (2006)
The Chantels	Maybe
from Doo Wop Classics, Vol. 1 (2003)
Billie Holiday	Good Morning, Heartache
from Billie Holiday's Greatest Hits (1995)
Thelonious Monk	Straight,No Chaser
from Jazz Profile: Thelonious Monk (1998)
Horace Silver	Sister Sadie
from Blowin' the Blues Away (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) (1999)
Stan Kenton	Artistry in Rhythm
from The Best of Stan Kenton (1995)
Ray Charles	What'd I Say, Pts. I & 2
from The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years (2007)
Sam Cooke	You Send Me
from Greatest Hits (1997)
Dinah Washington	What a Difference a Day Makes
from Compact Jazz: Dinah Washington (1987)
Frank Sinatra	I've Got the World On a String
from The Capitol Years (1990)
Sammy Davis, Jr.	That Old Black Magic
from Sammy Davis, Jr.: The Decca Years (1990)
The Platters	The Great Pretender
from The Platters: The Magic Touch Anthology (1991)
The Moonglows	Sincerely
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Moonglows (2002)
The Ink Spots	My Prayer
from 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Ink Spots (1999)
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers	Why Do Fools Fall In Love
from The Best of Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (2005)
The Isley Brothers	Twist and Shout
from Twist and Shout (2009)
Etta James	All I Could Do Is Cry
from Her Best - The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (1997)
Little Willie John	Fever
from Best of the Best (2002)
Elvis Presley	Jailhouse Rock
from Elvis: 30 #1 Hits (2002)
Buddy Holly & The Crickets	That'll Be the Day (Brunswick Version)
from The "Chirping" Crickets (2004)
Bill Haley & His Comets	Rock Around the Clock
from Rock Around the Clock (2004)

Comment:

What [i]didn’t[/i] influence Motown back in its early days? Before the assembly line swung into high gear, the label rolled out country, gospel, jazz, R&B . . . even surf music — always angling for that sweetest sound of all: [i]ka-ching[/i]. The success of fellow Detroiter Jackie Wilson’s hip-poppin’ jump blues “Reet Petite” sprung its struggling cowriter (and failed record retailer) Berry Gordy from a life sentence at the Lincoln-Mercury plant. Nat “King” Cole’s jazz-schooled trio — the Funk Brothers of their day — drafted the blueprint for crossover success with the ivory-tickling swing of their chart-topping “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” inspiring jazz fan Gordy to cast his musical net wide. And Chuck Berry duck-walked his way to the bank on the back of singles tailor-made for white American teens, like the Twist-friendly, boogie-woogified “Back In the U.S.A.” Incidentally, [i]doo-wop-shoo-bah[/i]ing behind the track are Harvey & the Moonglows, featuring two future pillars of Hitsville, one behind the scenes and the other behind the mic: Harvey Fuqua and Marvin Gaye. From Frank Sinatra to Frankie Lymon, from the Ink Spots to the Isley Brothers, we’ve got all the sounds that would one day echo in the Hitsville Snakepit, one click away from your earbuds.

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