Boogie Down (Linda): Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu

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But of course! There are some songs that just cannot be ignored in a countdown, and when it comes to songs with “boogie” in the title, this is one of them. While it was a hit in the 70s, I’m going back to the original version for this song for Linda’s boogie affections. Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu - Huey “Piano” Smith And why not? After all Huey Smith co-wrote the song! I’ll admit that the first version of the song I heard was the 1972 Johnny Rivers cover, but why not pay homage to the original! This was Huey “Piano” Smith’s only major hit; however, he made another major contribution to the world of rock and roll: “Sea Cruise.” The Frankie Ford hit that you’re familiar with is just Ford singing over the original recording by Smith and his band (the Clowns), with Smith’s voice cut out. Smith wrote the song, so he did manage to at least get the royalties from that, but his record label did him wrong. Smith died in 2023 at the age of 89. While this hit is his major claim to fame, his influence on the New Orleans R&B sound of the 50s and 60s cannot be understated. Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Written by Huey Smith and Johnny Vincent Recorded by Huey “Piano” Smith Released as a single, 1957 (Also covered by Johnny Rivers, 1972) I wanna holler but the joint’s too small: