The Two Sheds Mix Tape #12 - Summertime

If you haven’t heard at least one version of the song “Summertime” then you’ve probably been living on another planet for the past eighty years. Written by George Gershwin in 1934, “Summertime” is the opening aria from his opera “Porgy & Bess”.

It’s one of the most recognisable songs in history, and it’s been recorded over 60,000 times, by jazz musicians, soul icons, prog rock legends, psychedelic masters, and even a Beatle! One version even “inspired” an iconic heavy metal song!

Here’s a small sample of those who have recorded the song over the years. There’s only eighteen of them because it would probably take decades to listen to each and every version! For obvious reasons I’ve only listed the artists here.

1) Billie Holiday
2) Sarah Vaughan
3) Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
4) Sam Cooke
5) Gene Vincent
6) Miles Davis
7) Pete Seeger
8) Ricky Nelson
9) Hank Ballard & the Midnighters
10) The Zombies
11) Big Brother & the Holding Company
12) Al Green
13) The Platters
14) Ray Charles & Cleo Laine
15) James Brown & Martha High
16) Rick Wakeman
17) Paul McCartney
18) Jim Hall & Pat Metheny

Don't forget you can listen to the previous mix tapes and my podcast over at https://www.mixcloud.com/julian-radbourne/