Last updated on March 17, 2025
Dave “Curlee” Williams was a songwriter credited as the co-writer of the rockabilly classic “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On“, along with Roy Hall. However, the details of his life and career remain somewhat obscure.
Williams was a club performer and songwriter, and it’s believed that he wrote the song in the early 1950s. The earliest known recording of the song was made in 1955 by Big Maybelle, produced by Quincy Jones. However, it was Jerry Lee Lewis’ 1957 version that turned it into a rock and roll standard, becoming one of the defining hits of the era.
Roy Hall, a honky-tonk pianist and singer, later claimed that he had a hand in writing the song as well, and his name appears alongside Williams’ in the songwriting credits. Hall’s assertions have been met with some skepticism, but he was known to have performed the song before Lewis made it famous.
There is little biographical information available on Dave “Curlee” Williams, and much of his role in the song’s creation remains debated.
According to Mark Lewisohn in “The Complete Beatles Chronicle“, The Beatles – first as The Quarrymen –performed “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” regularly between 1957 and 1962.
Unreleased song
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Jovan • Jun 20, 2025 • 2 weeks ago
Dave "Curlee" Williams, or Uncle David as he is known within the family, was one of my great uncles. While I only had the pleasure of meeting with him a handful of times, and those times were in my younger years, I can honestly say that there have been many mentions about his extraordinary character and personality, and that the stories that have been shared about some of the incredible experiences he had within the music industry, and also in his "regular life", have reverberated amongst the elders of the family for many years.
The PaulMcCartney Project • Jun 21, 2025 • 2 weeks ago
Hi Jovan, thanks a lot for those insights ! In case, you want me to improve the page with some details, let me know (for instance, I couldn't locate any picture of your great uncle). Thanks !