"Two Hound Dogs" is a 1955 rock and roll song composed by

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

and Frank Pingatore. The song was released as a Decca single by

Bill Haley and His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band formed in 1947 and continuing until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

. The Decca single peaked at No. 31 on the ''Cash Box'' singles chart.

Background

"Two Hound Dogs" was recorded in 1955 and released as a

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

single on June 25, 1955, backed with "Razzle Dazzle", as Decca 29552. "Razzle Dazzle" became the hit reaching No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' chart. "Two Hound Dogs" reached No. 31 on the ''Cash Box'' chart on the week ending on July 16, 1955, in a three-week chart run. The recording was produced by

Milt Gabler Milton Gabler (May 20, 1911 – July 20, 2001) was an American record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording industry of the 20th century. These included being the first person to deal in record reissues, the first to sel ...

at the Pythian Temple studios in New York City and appeared on the 1955 Decca Records album ''

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was reco ...

''. The single was also released in the UK on Brunswick Records and in Belgium on Omega. The song also appeared on the Decca 7-inch EP collection ''Rock 'N Roll'' by Bill Haley and His Comets released as ED 2322 in December, 1955. The single was the Cash Box Disk of the Week: "Two Hound Dogs" backed with "Razzle Dazzle" in the Cash Box issue of July 2, 1955. It was described as a "wild handclapper that starts rocking from the very first note. It was "a sensational two-sider" on which the "boys really kill themselves here and send up a side that just can't miss." The conclusion was that "Haley has another twin-deck money maker that's gonna keep the boxes rockin' all around the clock." It was "a follow-up to their current sensation '

'." The release of the recording was advertised in ''Billboard'' in the June 11, 1955, issue on page 44: "Here they come! Two hound dogs! Their names???? Ask Bill Haley." The names of the two hound dogs were "Rhythm" and "Blues".

Other album appearances

"Two Hound Dogs" also appeared on the 1972 Bill Haley & His Comets album ''Golden Hits'' on MCA, the 1976 album ''R-O-C-K'' on Universal International, the 1985 album collection ''From the Original Master Tapes'' on MCA/Geffen, the 1991 box set ''The Decca Years & More'' on Bear Family Records, and the 1999 Universal album ''The Very Best of Bill Haley''.

Other recordings

The Atomics released the song on the album ''Rock and Roll in Hi-FI'' on Musidisc. The group

The Wellingtons The Wellingtons are an Australian power pop band from Melbourne, Australia. The band has released four albums, including ''Keeping Up With The Wellingtons'' (2005), ''For Friends in Far Away Places'' (2006), ''Heading North For the Winter'' ...

performed "Two Hound Dogs" as part of a multi-artist medley during an episode of the U.S. music TV series ''

Shindig! ''Shindig!'' is an American musical variety series which aired on ABC from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966. The show was hosted by Jimmy O'Neill, a disc jockey in Los Angeles,Johnny Dyer Johnny Dyer (December 7, 1938 – November 11, 2014) was an American electric blues harmonicist and singer. He made numerous recordings, both as a solo performer and with other musicians. He was nominated for a Blues Music Award, Biography Dyer ...

recorded the song on his album ''Jukin in 1995 on the

Blind Pig Records Blind Pig Records is an American blues independent record label. Blind Pig was formed in 1977 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Jerry Del Giudice, owner of the Blind Pig Cafe, and his friend Edward Chmelewski. The label is now based in San Francisco. I ...

label. Fred Gerard released a version on an EP on President in 1958. Bogusław Wyrobek released the song in July, 1960 on an EP in Poland on the Pronit label.

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

recorded the song in 2023 on his album '' Accentuate the Positive'' which featured his favorite rock and roll songs.

Personnel

*Bill Haley – vocals, rhythm guitar *Franny Beecher – lead guitar *Billy Williamson – steel guitar *Johnny Grande – piano *Marshall Lytle – bass *Joey Ambrose - tenor saxophone *Billy Gussak – drums

References

Sources

*Jim Dawson, ''Rock Around the Clock: The Record That Started the Rock Revolution!'' (San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005) *John W. Haley and John von Hoelle, ''Sound and Glory'' (Wilmington, DE: Dyne-American, 1990) *John Swenson, ''Bill Haley'' (London: W.H. Allen, 1982) {{Bill Haley & His Comets 1955 songs Bill Haley songs Songs written by Bill Haley Decca Records singles