Album This song officially appears on the Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) Official live.
Timeline This song was officially released in 1991
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
Jan 22, 1972 • From BBC Radio 1
Jan 29, 1972 • From New Musical Express (NME)
From Wikipedia:
“Blue Moon of Kentucky” is a waltz written in 1945 by bluegrass musician Bill Monroe and recorded by his band, the Blue Grass Boys. Some think the origins may trace back to “Roll Along, Kentucky Moon”, a similar waltz recorded 20 years prior by Jimmie Rodgers. The song has since been recorded by many artists, including Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney. The song is the official bluegrass song of Kentucky.
In 2002, Monroe’s version was one of 50 recordings chosen that year by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry. In 2003, CMT ranked “Blue Moon” number 11 in its list of 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
Bill Monroe version
Monroe’s earliest-known performance of “Blue Moon of Kentucky” was on the Grand Ole Opry broadcast of August 25, 1945. He first recorded it for Columbia Records on September 16, 1946, at The Wrigley Building in Chicago, Illinois. That recording was released in early 1947. At the time, the Bluegrass Boys included vocalist and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjoist Earl Scruggs, who later formed their own bluegrass band, the Foggy Mountain Boys. Both Flatt and Scruggs performed on the recording, although Bill Monroe supplied the vocals on this song. The song, described as a “bluegrass waltz”, had become a United States wide hit by 1947 and also became enormously popular with other bluegrass, country, and early rockabilly acts. The song was revered at the Grand Ole Opry; Carl Perkins played an uptempo version of this song in his early live performances.
After Presley’s more rock-oriented version became popular, Monroe tweaked the Blue Grass Boys’ arrangement of it, starting it slowly, playing one round, and then jumping into a 4/4 time signature, as Presley had done, turning it into a barn-burning bluegrass classic”.
Elvis Presley version
The search for another song to release along with “That’s All Right” at Sun Records in July 1954 led to “Blue Moon of Kentucky” via Bill Black. Presley’s version turned “it from a waltz to a bluesy rocker”.
According to Scotty Moore:
We all of us knew we needed something…and things seemed hopeless after a while. Bill is the one who came up with “Blue Moon of Kentucky”…We’re taking a little break and he starts beating on the bass and singing “Blue Moon of Kentucky”, mocking Bill Monroe, singing the high falsetto voice. Elvis joins in with him, starts playing and singing along with him.
The Blue Moon Boys – The Story of Elvis Presley’s BandPresley, Moore, and Black, with the encouragement of Sam Phillips, transformed Monroe’s slow waltz, in 34 time, into an upbeat, blues-flavored tune in 44 time. After an early rendition of the song, Sun Records owner Sam Phillips exclaimed, “BOY, that’s fine, that’s fine. That’s a POP song now!” As with all of the Presley records issued by Sun, the artists were listed and stylized as “ELVIS PRESLEY SCOTTY and BILL”.
The same night that Dewey Phillips first played the flip side of this first release of Presley’s music on WHBQ, “That’s All Right”, Sleepy Eye John at WHHM loosed “Blue Moon of Kentucky”. Bob Neal of WMPS played the record, too. The pop jockeys, entranced by something new, began slipping “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky” in among the easy-listening pop of Teresa Brewer, Nat Cole, Tony Bennett, and others.
With Presley’s version of Monroe’s song consistently rated higher, both sides began to chart across the Southern United States. Billboard has the song listed only in Memphis, and as number six with “That’s All Right” at number 7 on October 9 in the C&W Territorial Best Sellers. By October 23, “Blue Moon” was in the top 10 in Memphis, Nashville, and New Orleans, with “That’s All Right” absent from the listings.
Fellow Sun Records artist Charlie Feathers has often claimed that he came up with the arrangement of the song used by Presley. While others sources claimed that it was Presley who arranged the song. Monroe, at first, did not care for Presley’s version until “powerful checks” (in sizeable amounts) began rolling in for Monroe’s writing credit. […]
According to Mark Lewisohn in “The Complete Beatles Chronicle“, The Beatles – first as The Quarrymen –performed “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” regularly between 1957 and 1961, with Paul McCartney on lead vocals. However, no known recordings from that period exist.
Paul McCartney was influenced by both Elvis Presley’s and Bill Monroe’s versions of “Blue Moon Of Kentucky.”
In 1972, “Blue Moon of Kentucky” was part of the setlist for the 1972 Wings Over Europe tour. A live performance from this tour was released in 2018 on “Wings Over Europe”, which was an album released as a bundle with the “Wild Life” / “Red Rose Speedway” box sets.
In 1974, a different lineup of Wings recorded a live studio version during the filming of the 1974 documentary “One Hand Clapping.” The track remained unreleased for decades, circulating only as a bootleg until its official debut on the 2024 “One Hand Clapping” album.
In 1991, Paul McCartney recorded an acoustic version of “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” which was released on “Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)“. This version combined the Bill Monroe and Elvis Presley versions.
In 1994, during the Anthology sessions, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were filmed playing “Blue Moon of Kentucky” during an impromptu jam session. It was released on the Bonus DVD of the Beatles Anthology video series.
Though he has never before released it on records, McCartney followers in the right place at the right time will recall this one cropping up during Wings’ initial (1972) low-key jaunts around British universities and European cities. Though written by Bill Monroe at the end of 1946 – at which time, plucking his mandolin and backed by his Blue Grass Boys, he taped the first recording – the best know version was cut by an echo-drenched Elvis Presley in only his second Sun Studio session, 6 July 1954. Ray Charles, the Tornados and Al Kooper are among those who have since committed it to disc.
From Unplugged liner notes
I originally heard the Elvis version, uptempo and echoey, then later I heard the Bill Monroe original, a slower waltz version, and loved his nasal delivery. I also saw him doing it on telly, in America, a couple of times. So I thought, for Unplugged, that it would be nice to do his version first and then go into the uptempo Elvis one.
It’s a song from way back that I had confidence in singing, and that’s often enough to choose it for an act. It’s funny – I never meant to record it, but I did it on the early Wings tours, which we recorded, and now this, which we’ve released, and it’s become a bit more important than I intended it, really. But that’s OK.
Paul McCartney, from Club Sandwich 58, Summer 1991
Well blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
Well blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
Well, it was on one moonlight night
Stars shining bright
Wind blowin' high
My love said good-bye
Blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
Well, it was on one moonlight night
With the stars shining bright
Wind blowin' high
My love said good-bye
Blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
Well blue moon, yeah blue moon, yeah blue moon
Keep shining bright
Well blue moon
Keep on shining bright
Bring my baby back tonight
Yeah blue moon keep shining bright
I said blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
I said blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
Well, it was on that moonlight night
With the stars shining bright
Wind blowin' high
My love said good-bye
Blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
Yeah shine on the one that's gone and left me blue
Unplugged (The Official Bootleg)
Official live • Released in 1991
4:22 • Live • L1
Paul McCartney : Acoustic guitar, Producer, Vocals Robbie McIntosh : Acoustic guitar Hamish Stuart : Acoustic bass Blair Cunningham : Drums Geoff Emerick : Mixing engineer, Recording engineer Eddie Klein : Assistant engineer Gary Stewart : Assistant engineer Peter Craigie : Assistant engineer Gary Bradshaw : Monitor engineer
Concert From "MTV Unplugged" in Wembley, United Kingdom on Jan 25, 1991
Official album • Released in 2018
3:13 • Live • L2
Performed by : Paul McCartney • Linda Eastman / McCartney • Denny Laine • Henry McCullough • Denny Seiwell Paul McCartney : Producer Alan Parsons : Recording engineer Alex Wharton : Mastering Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer Jeremy Gee : Recording engineer assistant Graham Fleming : Recording engineer assistant
Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972
One Hand Clapping (2 LP and 7”)
LP • Released in 2024
3:05 • Studio version • A • This cut could be found on unofficial releases in the past (and was on acetates cut for members of Wings back in 1974) but gets its first official release here. Superb quality and nice to hear Jimmy's guitar solo higher in the mix.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals, Piano Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Electric guitar Jimmy McCulloch : Electric guitar Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Geoff Britton : Drums Mark Vigars : Assistant recording engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer
Session Recording: Aug 27, 1974 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Early 2024 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
One Hand Clapping (Dolby Atmos)
Streaming • Released in 2024
3:05 • Studio version • B • 2024 Dolby Atmos mix
Paul McCartney : Bass, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals, Piano Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Electric guitar Jimmy McCulloch : Electric guitar Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Geoff Britton : Drums Giles Martin : Mixing engineer Mark Vigars : Assistant recording engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer
Session Recording: Aug 27, 1974 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Early 2024 • Studio EMI Studios, Abbey Road
One Hand Clapping (2 LP edition)
LP • Released in 2024
3:05 • Studio version • A • This cut could be found on unofficial releases in the past (and was on acetates cut for members of Wings back in 1974) but gets its first official release here. Superb quality and nice to hear Jimmy's guitar solo higher in the mix.
Paul McCartney : Bass, Producer, Vocals Linda Eastman / McCartney : Backing vocals, Piano Denny Laine : Backing vocals, Electric guitar Jimmy McCulloch : Electric guitar Geoff Emerick : Recording engineer Geoff Britton : Drums Mark Vigars : Assistant recording engineer Steve Orchard : Mixing engineer
Session Recording: Aug 27, 1974 • Studio EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Session Mixing: Early 2024 • Studio Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Unofficial live
4:06 • Live
Concert From the concert in Montreux, Switzerland on Jul 22, 1972
Unofficial album
1:22 • Demo
Session Recording: Jun 23, 1994 • Studio Friar Park Studio, Henley-on-Thames, UK
Unofficial live
3:28 • Live
Concert From the concert in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Aug 17, 1972
“Blue Moon Of Kentucky” has been played in 22 concerts and 1 soundchecks.
Jan 25, 1991 • United Kingdom • Wembley • Limehouse Television Studios • TV show
Berlin • Deutschlandhalle • Germany
Aug 24, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Antwerp • Cinema Roma • Belgium
Aug 22, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
The Hague • Congresgebouw • Netherlands
Aug 21, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Amsterdam • Concertgebouw • Netherlands
Aug 20, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
See all concerts where “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” has been played
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012
This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.
The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.
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