It was recorded at this time in 1955 (Well, May 21, 1955). It became the Father of Rock And Roll's breakthrough hit....
"Maybellene" by Chuck Berry needed 36 takes while it was recorded at Chicago's Universal Record Studios. It would roar to #1 on the R&B chart for nine weeks and crossed over to the pop chart, where it reached #5. The song was based on an old country-western song called "Ida Red" (by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys).
Berry originally tried to retool the song and call it "Ida Mae." However, Leonard Chess, the owner of Chess Records, asked Chuck to change the title to eliminate any confusion. There's at least two differing stories as to the new title. One was that Maybellene was the name of a cow in a nursery rhyme. Another was how pianist Jimmy Johnson said he saw Maybellene mascara in Chess' office.
Sources differ as the writers of "Maybellene." Berry is often credited as the only writer. However, legendary DJ Alan Freed is sometimes credited as a co-writer along with Russ Frato. If, indeed, Freed did get song-writing co-writing credit, it's believed it was done in exchange for Freed playing the record a lot.
While Freed may have profited from this, it would catch up to him when the payola scandal of 1960 would pretty much destroy his DJ career.
"Maybellene" would make the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame's list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll. Many others have sung "Maybellene," including Elvis early in his career…
Nine years later, “Maybellene” would become a #12 hit for Johnny Rivers…
Among the others to have recorded the song are the Everly Brothers, Marty Robbins, Simon and Garfunkel, Chubby Checker, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, George Jones and the group Foghat.
A clip of "Maybellene" would be heard in the breakthrough song-break-in novelty record, "The Flying Saucer," by (Bill) Buchanan and (Dickie) Goodman in 1956. The part heard was the lyrics, "the motor cooled down, the heat went down.” Next on the record, Buchanan calls the singer "Huckle Berry."