Songs to Dance To: Hound Dog

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Six different notifications telling me we have a flash flood warning in town? Yeah, I think I have enough weather apps. So no venturing out for me today, given that my submarine is in the shop. Let's stay home and dance to this one! Hound Dog - Elvis Presley See you tomorrow. Actually, there's a funny piece of trivia for you. While "Hound Dog" is considered one of the shots heard 'round the world when it comes to starting rock and roll (and Elvis' career), this wasn't even the first version of the song on RCA Victor! Everyone knows that Big Mama Thornton did the original version in 1952. In 1953, Homer and Jethro, under the pseudonym "Jack Turner and His Granger County Gang," recorded a perfectly straight (well, except for Homer's howl at the end) country cover of the Thornton version. That was three years before Elvis! Elvis ran into Homer and Jethro at the DJ convention in 1955 and told them what a big fan he was of theirs, saying, "Man, I hope I can be half as successful as as you are one day." Fast forward 70 years and you have to look "Homer and Jethro" up (they were Weird Al before Weird Al was born, I'll save you the trouble ), but you dang sure know who Elvis was. I'd say Presley got his wish. One more Elvis/Homer and Jethro connection: while there were rumors that Elvis would attend Homer's funeral in August 1971 (Homer died of a heart attack ten days after his 51st birthday), he did send flowers. There was a lot of love there. None of which you asked for, but you know how I am when I get off on a musical tangent. Ignore all of that and enjoy the King. Hound Dog Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Recorded by Elvis Presley Released as a single, 1956 Song used last month: "She's Not You" You ain't never caught a rabbit: