Skinny Minnie

1 Background
Skinny Minnie was composed by Bill Haley with Milt
Gabler, Rusty Keefer, and Catherine Cafra. The song was
released as a Decca single, 9-30592, backed with Sway
With Me, reaching no. 22 on the Billboard chart and
no. 25 on the Cash Box chart.[1] The song was featured
on the 1958 Decca album Bill Haleys Chicks.[2] The song
became a rock and roll standard which was covered by
scores of bands and singers.
In 1966, Bill Haley and the Comets recorded a new version of the song as La Flaca Miny with Spanish lyrics
sung by Bill Haleys wife Martha Velasco Haley. The
song was released on the 1966 Orfeon LP Whisky A Go
Go, LP-12-478. The session was recorded at Orfeon Studio A in Mexico City featuring Bill Haley on vocals, Rudy
Pompilli on saxophone, Johnny Kay on lead guitar, John
Bam Bam Lane on drums, Al Rappa on bass, Julian
Bert on piano, Mike Shay on guitar, and Martha Velasco
Haley on background vocals. The album was re-released
on Ember as EMB 3396 in 1968 in the UK as The King
of Rock Bill Haley Plays.

1958 Decca 45, 9-30592, Bill Haley and His Comets.

2 Personnel
The recording session was by Bill Haley And His Comets
at the Pythian Temple, New York on February 6, 1958
with the following personnel:
Bill Haley (vocal and rhythm guitar)
Franny Beecher (lead guitar)
Billy Williamson (steel guitar)
Rudy Pompilli (tenor saxophone)
Johnny Grande (piano)
Al Rex (bass guitar)
Ralph Jones (drums)
Rusty Keefer (guitar)
1958 sheet music cover, Valley Brook.

3 Cover versions of Skinny Minnie

Skinny Minnie is a 1958 song co-written and recorded

by Bill Haley and The Comets. The song was released as
a Decca single which became a Top 40 chart hit in the
U.S.

Carter-Lewis and the Southerners (featuring Jimmy

Page on lead guitar), March 27, 1964, Oriole CB
1

3 COVER VERSIONS OF SKINNY MINNIE

Jimmy and the Rackets, 1964, Elite Special 942745, b/w O Mona Lisa, 45 single, #1 on the German
charts in 1964, 32 weeks on the charts
JD & The Expressions, Guyden 45, 2122, 1965
James Last Band on the album Non Stop Dancing 65
The Rollicks, also known as The Shouters, The Rollicks, Bear Family BCD 16478 AR, 1990
Jerry Williams, 1965, Sonet LP, Mr. Dynamite Explodes Again!, Grand Prix album Rock & Roll Time,
1968, EP
The Sonics, on 1966 album Boom
Andy and the Manhattans, Musicor 45 single, MU
1112
Teddy Lee, RCA Victor compact 33 picture sleeve
single, 1967
The Rubins, also known as The Five Rubins, live,
1964

1964 sheet music cover for Carter-Lewis recording featuring

Jimmy Page, Burlington Music, London.

1919, 45 single b/w Easy to Cry"; Your Time Is

Gonna Come: The Roots of Led Zeppelin, 19641969 album, 2007
Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, Polydor,
1964 45 single, Polydor NH52927, b/w You'd Better Move On"; My Bonnie album, Polydor, 1962;
Vagabond, 2002, Bear Family; The Beatles: Ain't
She Sweet album, Polygram, 2002. The Tony Sheridan recording reached #4 on both the West Germany
and Bavaria charts on December 12, 1964 as reported in the Billboard Hits of the World chart, page
19.
Gerry and the Pacemakers, June, 1965, Laurie 45
single, b/w Its Gonna Be Alright"; A side reached
#23 on the Billboard Hot 100 ; I'll Be There U.S.
album; The Best of the EMI Years (2008)
Beat Chics (featuring Jimmy Page on lead guitar),
November 6, 1964, Decca F 12016, b/w Now I
Know, 45 single

The Mummies, 1990, Rekkids; Never Been Caught

album, Telstar, 2002. Rekkids 1991 45 single, 162.
Bryan Davies, Australian 45 single b/w I Should
Have Stayed in Bed, HMV, April, 1965; Barry
Gibb of The Bee Gees wrote and sang backing and
harmony vocals on I Should Have Stayed in Bed
Lee Curtis and the All-Stars, Liverpool rock group,
1964
Louis Prima, Keely Smith, Sam Butera, and The
Witnesses, The Capitol Recordings; The EP Collection, 2000. Sam Butera released the song as a 1964
45 single, PR 1003-B, on Prima with Music by
Louis Prima & The Witnesses. The label has incorrect songwriting credits. The song appears on the
1961 Capitol album, 1677, The Continental Twist.
The Lyres, 1987, Early Years Live, 1979-1983,
Crypt, 1997
Snooks Eaglin, 1995, Souls Edge album on Black
Top
The Lions, 1964, 45 single b/w Sticks and Stones,
TD 246; Hit House Shake, King Beat, 1989

Goldie & the Gingerbreads, A side 45 single,

Spokane 45-4005, Skinny Vinnie

Peter Briggs & The Vikings, 45 single, Go!!, G5021-B, 1966.

Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, 1965, Its

Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders album,
Fontana

Sten & Stanley, 1965, Decca 45, Decca F 44503,

b/w Goldnger

Johnny Hallyday, 1965, in French as J'attends minuit

Albert West, 1988, West & Friends album, Arcade

01 3290 61

The Watusi (band), 2009

3
Jumpin' Gene Simmons, Sun rockabilly singer,
1965, 45 single b/w I'm A Ramblin' Man, HI 452086; Haunted House: The Complete Jumpin' Gene
Simmons on Hi Records
Ray Brown & The Whispers, Australian rock
group,1964, Ray Brown & The Whispers album,
Leedon LL-31646
The Liverpool 5, as The 5 Liverpools, 45 single b/w
Tokio, 1964, CBS 1623; Tokio International album, CBS 62460, 1965
The Rocking Ghosts, Danish rock band, The Rocking Ghosts album, Metronome MLP 15166, 1964
The Shanes, Swedish rock group, The Shanes, RockIn-Beat, 2000
Johnnie Cli Five, Die Hamburg Szene, 2001
Alan Dale, Raven RVLP15, 1963; Alan Dale and
The Houserockers: The Early Masters
Bill Haleys Comets, Rock and Roll Survivors Featuring Al Rappa and Joey Welz. Bill Haleys Comets
featuring Al Rappa was one of several continuation
groups established after Haleys death in 1981.
The Tigers (Japanese band), Legend of The Tigers:
Rare and Unreleased Tracks, 2003; The Tigers on
Stage, 1967
The Team Beats, Smash! Boom! Bang!, Bear Family BCD 16466, 2001
Ricky King, Rock `n` Roll Party, Epic 26158, 1984
Larry Donn, Thats What I Call a Ball, 2003, Collector/Wht
Bill Blaine and The Dynamics, Western Australian
Snake Pit Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 1, 2004; The Rockin'
Years
Me and The Other Guys, 1966 45 single on Hit Cat
as 102
Bill Haley Orchestra, 2008, Let the Good Times Roll
album, CultSound. German tribute band.
Bill Haley, Jr.
Jesse Robin
Lattie Moore and The Emperors, Skinny Minnie
Shimmy b/w You Got Me Woundering. RKR
100-200, Olimpic Records Ohio, 1962.
Miki Volek and Olympic
The Blue Cats
The Hillbilly Voodoo Dolls
The Zettlers, A side 45 single, Swe Disc SWES
1105, Sweden, 1965

4 References
[1] Song artist 91 - Bill Haley & his Comets. tsort.org.
[2] Bill Haley Recordings

5 External links
Bill Haley discography

6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

Text

Skinny Minnie Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_Minnie?oldid=671952420 Contributors: Str1977, Khazar, DouglasCalvert,

Richhoncho, Carl savich, Jax 0677, Yobot, Starcheerspeaksnewslostwars, The Blade of the Northern Lights, JohnnyLurg, PrachtAl, Boingboomtschak and Anonymous: 7

6.2

Images

File:Skinny_Minnie_Bill_Haley_Comets_1958_Valley_Brook.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0a/Skinny_

Minnie_Bill_Haley_Comets_1958_Valley_Brook.jpg License: Fair use Contributors:
Valley Brook Publications, Inc., Chester, PA, copyright 1958.
Original artist: ?
File:Skinny_Minnie_Carter_Lewis_1964.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/72/Skinny_Minnie_Carter_
Lewis_1964.jpg License: Fair use Contributors:
1964 sheet music cover for Skinny Minnie as recorded by Carter-Lewis and the Southerners featuring Jimmy Page on Oriole, copyright
by Burlington Music, Ltd., London, UK.
Original artist: ?
File:Skinnyminnie45.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Skinnyminnie45.jpg License: Fair use Contributors:
The cover art can be obtained from Decca Records.
Original artist: ?

6.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0