If you don't know this song, I am really sorry. If you don't know this artist - where have you been? Little Richard is an institution as far as rock n' roll history is concerned. There when it started, continued as it got popular, acknowledged when it became an art form. Little Richard has never been duplicated.
This track, Keep a Knockin' is my absolute favorite and in my top five as all-time great records is concerned. This is an alternate take, an earlier take that included the lyric "I'm drinkin' gin and you can't come in", which was dropped in the released version (Specialty Records owner Art Rupe knew a thing or two about the teenage market). The interesting thing about this track is that it wasn't recorded in either New Orleans or Los Angeles, as all of Richard's Specialty sessions were thought to be. This one was recorded at a Washington D.C. radio station during a tour break in September 1957. A little piece of history for you buffs. I know this is true because a: I saw the paperwork for the original session and b: I remastered this track when I was working for Specialty when we did the giant box set of the Complete Little Richard Sessions in 1989.
In any event, it's an iconic track from an immortal artist and it ages really well. Play it very loud.
