Have Mercy Baby
{{Distinguish|Mercy, Mercy (Don Covay song)}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Have Mercy Baby
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Billy Ward and the Dominoes
| album =
| B-side = Deep Sea Blues
| released = April 1952
| recorded = January 28, 1952
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Rhythm and blues
| length =
| label = Federal
| writer = Billy Ward, Rose Marks
| producer =
| prev_title = That's What You're Doing to Me
| prev_year = 1952
| next_title = No Room
| next_year = 1952
}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Have Mercy Baby
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = James Brown
| album = Papa's Got a Brand New Bag
| B-side = Just Won't Do Right (I Stay in the Chapel Every Night)
| released = {{Start date|1964}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Rhythm and blues
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=14}}
| label = King
5968
| writer = Billy Ward, Rose Marks
| producer = James Brown
| chronology = James Brown charting
| prev_title = Out of Sight
| prev_year = 1964
| next_title = Papa's Got a Brand New Bag Part I
| next_year = 1965
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|aLpJXohVjyI|"Have Mercy Baby"}}|header=Audio video}}
}}
"Have Mercy Baby" is a popular rhythm and blues song, written by Billy Ward and Rose Marks, recorded by The Dominoes in Cincinnati, produced by Ralph Bass, and released by Federal Records in 1952. It was Number One on the R&B Charts for ten non consecutive weeks.{{cite book |title= Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=168}}
Description
Clyde McPhatter's roots were in the black church. The song is essentially the gospel song "Have Mercy, Jesus" sung in the call-and-response style of a gospel quartet, although it is in the straight twelve-bar blues form that gospel singers disdained. In the first chorus McPhatter simply follows the melody, but subsequently he freely improvises in the gospel style with short but spectacular melismas, stringing out phrases to overlap the backup singers responses, interjecting screams and yeahs, shouting a gospel funk. The backup band lays down the rhythm and provides the expected tenor sax solo.{{cite book
| first= Anthony Decurtis (Eds.)
| last= Holly George-Warren &
| year= 1976
| title= The RollingStone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll
| edition= 3rd
| publisher= Random House
| location=New York
| pages= 18–20
| isbn= 0-679-73728-6 }}
“Have Mercy Baby” would be the final Dominoes recording to feature original bass singer, Bill Brown on background vocals. After which, Brown would help found The Checkers (American band).
Impact
The Dominoes' version of "Have Mercy Baby" was the definitive rhythm and gospel record. Influenced by the group's lead singer Clyde McPhatter, its importance lies in that it was the first popular R&B recording highlighting passionate black gospel music features.{{cite book
| first1=Steve
| last1=Propes
| author-link1=Steve Propes
| first2=Jim
| last2= Dawson
| author-link2=Jim Dawson
| year= 1992
| title= What Was the First Rock'n'Roll Record
| edition=
| publisher= Faber & Faber
| location= Boston & London
| pages= 105–108
| isbn=0-571-12939-0 }}
Cover versions
Other significant recordings of the song were made by:
- The Bobbettes (1960), whose version went to #66 on the Hot 100.{{cite book |title= Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |authorlink=Joel Whitburn |year=2013 |publisher=Record Research |page=94}}
- The Rivingtons (1962)
- James Brown (1964), whose version charted #92 Pop.White, Cliff (1991). "Discography". In Star Time (pp. 54–59) [CD booklet]. New York: PolyGram Records.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Billy Ward and his Dominoes}}
{{James Brown singles}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Billy Ward and his Dominoes songs
Category:Songs written by Billy Ward (singer)
Category:Songs written by Rose Marks
Category:Federal Records singles
Category:King Records (United States) singles
{{1950s-R&B-song-stub}}