The Silverballs – Shake, Rattle and Roll | Big Joe Turner & Elvis Presley | Friedberg 2026

THE SILVERBALLS – SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL Big Joe Turner / Bill Haley / Elvis Presley | 18th Elvis Weekend 2026 – Friedberg, Germany The Silverballs perform one of the essential songs in the birth of rock ’n’ roll: “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. This song travelled an extraordinary path from African-American rhythm & blues through Bill Haley and finally to Elvis Presley – making it a perfect example of how rock ’n’ roll developed during the 1950s. 🎶 THE ORIGINAL – BIG JOE TURNER “Shake, Rattle and Roll” was written in 1954 by Jesse Stone, using his songwriting name Charles E. Calhoun. The original recording was made by Big Joe Turner for Atlantic Records. Joseph Vernon “Big Joe” Turner was born on May 18, 1911 in Kansas City, Missouri. With his enormous voice and background in blues, boogie-woogie and jump blues, Turner was already an established performer long before the phrase “rock ’n’ roll” became part of mainstream culture. His 1954 recording of “Shake, Rattle and Roll” became one of the landmark records connecting rhythm & blues with the emerging sound of rock ’n’ roll. Big Joe Turner died on November 24, 1985 in Inglewood, California, aged 74. 🎸 BILL HALEY TAKES IT TO A NEW AUDIENCE Later in 1954, Bill Haley & His Comets recorded a substantially reworked version of “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. Their recording became a huge pop hit and helped introduce rhythm & blues-based rock ’n’ roll to an even wider audience. Together, the Big Joe Turner and Bill Haley recordings demonstrate how quickly the new music was crossing musical and cultural boundaries. 👑 ELVIS PRESLEY’S VERSION Elvis Presley also embraced the song. He performed “Shake, Rattle and Roll” on national television during his early 1956 appearances and recorded his RCA version at RCA Studios in New York. The master was completed on February 3, 1956. The musicians included: Elvis Presley – vocals and guitar Scotty Moore – guitar Bill Black – bass D.J. Fontana – drums Shorty Long – piano Scotty Moore, Bill Black and D.J. Fontana also provided backing vocals. The recording appeared on an Elvis EP in June 1956 and was later issued as a single. 👑 ABOUT ELVIS PRESLEY Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. By combining country and gospel influences with the blues and rhythm & blues music he had grown up hearing in Mississippi and Memphis, Elvis became one of the defining figures of rock ’n’ roll. He died at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee on August 16, 1977, aged 42. 🎸 ABOUT THE SILVERBALLS The Silverballs are a German old-school rock ’n’ roll band active since 2010. Their music deliberately reaches back to the blues, rhythm & blues, swing, boogie and early rock ’n’ roll that created the foundations of the genre. Their influences include artists such as Louis Prima, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Big Joe Turner and Fats Domino. Current line-up: Jürgen – vocals & keyboards Tom – guitar Ralph – bass Michel – drums In 2025, The Silverballs won the German Rock & Pop Award in the category “Best Rock ’n’ Roll Band”. Official website: www.thesilverballs.de 🎥 ABOUT THIS RECORDING This independently filmed amateur audience recording was made during the 18th Elvis Weekend in Friedberg, Germany, in August 2026. The Silverballs performed as part of the rock ’n’ roll programme surrounding the Elvis celebrations in the neighbouring Friedberg and Bad Nauheim area. This is not an official recording of The Silverballs or the event. Song and composition rights remain with their respective copyright holders. #TheSilverballs #ShakeRattleAndRoll #BigJoeTurner #ElvisPresley #BillHaley #RockNRoll #ElvisWeekend #Friedberg