The Nitty Gritty (song)

"The Nitty Gritty"
Single by Shirley Ellis
from the album The Nitty Gritty
B-side"Give Me a List"
Released1963
GenreR&B, novelty
Length2:12
LabelCongress
Songwriter(s)Lincoln Chase
Producer(s)Hutch Davie
Shirley Ellis singles chronology
"The Nitty Gritty"
(1963) 		"(That's) What the Nitty Gritty Is"
(1964)
"The Nitty Gritty"
Single by Gladys Knight & the Pips
from the album Nitty Gritty
B-side"Got Myself a Man"
ReleasedJune 26, 1969
Recorded1969
StudioMotown
GenreR&B[1]
Length2:59
LabelSoul Records
Songwriter(s)Lincoln Chase
Producer(s)Norman Whitfield
Gladys Knight & the Pips singles chronology
"Didn't You Know (You'd Have to Cry Sometime)"
(1969) 		"The Nitty Gritty"
(1969) 		"Friendship Train"
(1969)

"The Nitty Gritty" is a 1963 song written by Lincoln Chase and recorded by Shirley Ellis. Released by Congress Records, it reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1964.[2] In Canada it was No. 19 for 2 weeks.[3][4]

Cover versions

  • A televised performance of the dance associated with the song by Robert Banas, recorded for a January 1964 episode of The Judy Garland Show, has had more than 18 million views on YouTube, 60 years after its original airing.[7]

References

  1. ^ Considine, J.D.; Coleman, Mark; Evans, Paul; McGee, David (1992). "Gladys Knight and the Pips". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Random House. pp. 163–164.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 205.
  3. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - December 30, 1963".
  4. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - January 6, 1964".
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 330.
  6. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - August 30, 1969" (PDF).
  7. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Best 60s Dancer Boy Ever - The Nitty Gritty. YouTube.


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