Summers graduated from Duncanville High School in 1957 and attended Arlington State College, now known as the University of Texas at Arlington. That same year, he formed the rockabilly band The Rebels and performed on Joe Bill's Country Picnic on KRLD, where they were spotted by songwriter Jed Tarver. This led to the band being signed by newly-found Jan Records. Their first record was released on February 1, 1958, under the name of Gene Summers & His Rebels.
Partial Discography
Rock 'n Roll Volume 2. 1973, Holland
The Southern Cat Rocks On 1975, Switzerland
Mister Rock and Roll 1977, Switzerland
Rock a Boogie Shake 1980, Sweden
Early Rocking Recordings 1981, Holland
Texas Rock and Roll 1981, France
Gene Summers In Nashville 1981, France
Dance Dance Dance 1981, UK
Rock 'n Roll Tour - "Live" In Scandinavia 1983, Sweden
School Of Rock 'n Roll (album) 1993, Holland
Sounds Like Elvis CD 1996 (compilation), USA
The Ultimate School of Rock & Roll 1997, USA
Rockaboogie Shake 1999, UK
Do Right Daddy 2004, Sweden
Reminisce Cafe 2008, USA
Taboo! 2011, USA
Gotta Lotta That: The Essential Gene Summers 2012, USA
Shake Baby Shake
Gene Summers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you really, really shake it
Can you move it to the left
Can you move it to the right
Now we're gonna shake,
Shake all night
Get ready baby, do the town up right
Now everybody shake
Now we gonna start about half past eight
Get ready baby now don't be late
We'll get tired but baby
We're not stoppin'
We're gonna shake it 'till
We feel like droppin'
Now everybody shake
Everybody rockin' to the Alabama shake!
The song ‘Alabama Shake’ by Gene Summers is a lively and upbeat number about the Alabama Shake dance style that was popular in the 1960s. The singer is addressing his partner, questioning her ability to shake, and instructing her to move from left to right. The tone is playful and teasing, with a sense of urgency and excitement building up towards the chorus where he calls for everyone to shake and rock to the beat. The lyrics create imagery of a raucous night out, where the dancers are filled with energy and enthusiasm, shaking and moving until they drop.
The repetition of the phrase ‘everybody shake’ in the chorus serves as a call to action, encouraging listeners to join in and become part of the party. The song captures the essence of the dance craze perfectly, with its catchy melody, swinging rhythm, and playful lyrics. ‘Alabama Shake’ is a tribute to a time when music and dance were a way of life, and the vibrant culture of the South was celebrated with enthusiasm and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
Well honey can you take it
Do you have what it takes to handle what's coming next?
Can you really, really shake it
Are you capable of dancing with intense energy and enthusiasm?
Can you move it to the left
Are you able to dance to the left?
Can you move it to the right
Are you able to dance to the right?
Now we're gonna shake,
We will soon be dancing with wild abandon
Shake all night
We will dance all through the night
Get ready baby, do the town up right
Prepare yourself for a wild night on the town, let's make the most of it
Now everybody shake
It's time for everyone to dance together
Everybody rockin' to the Alabama shake!
We're all dancing to the popular regional style of dance called the "Alabama Shake"
Now we gonna start about half past eight
We'll begin the festivities at around 8:30pm
Get ready baby now don't be late
Make sure you're prepared and timely
We'll get tired but baby
We'll eventually tire out from all the dancing
We're not stoppin'
But we won't let that stop us from having a good time
We're gonna shake it 'till
We'll dance with enthusiasm until
We feel like droppin'
We finally collapse from exhaustion
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAMES C II MC CLUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D. E. Summers
Backing band is the Blue Cats from England
Urilla Graves
cool
Sanford Graham
kool
SuperDALLAMAN
Doesn't rock like the Jesse Lee Turner version
Christopher Johansson
Azar is right. This version really wants to make your baby shake not like Jesse's version
SuperDALLAMAN
Well it's each to his own but I think the guitar work in Jesse's version wins out
Azar Akbari
This version is far better than Jesse lee turner.