‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’: The blues song that sparked rock and roll revolution
Ground zero for virtually every rock and roll song ever written, the age-old sound of the blues has never really gone out of style.
Throughout the 20th century, virtually every pioneering rock outfit and iconic album could, in one way or another, have its lineage traced back to the same handful of American blues heroes who changed the music landscape forever without even knowing it.
Although the spotlight of this inspiration tends to fall on the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, or Robert Johnson, whose legendary output forged the basis for everything from The Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin, there are a plethora of often overlooked blues records that nevertheless altered the course of rock history forever. One such track is Tommy Tucker’s 1964 track ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’, the sound of which was crucial in forming the British Invasion scene.
Hailing from Ohio, Tucker is rarely regarded among the greatest blues players of the Sixties, but even if ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’ had been his only contribution to the genre, his place in rock history would still have been sealed. Upon its initial recording in 1963 – either in New York or Chicago, depending on whose account of the song’s history you believe – little was expected of the short, sharp, blues single. In fact, its release was siphoned off to Checker, one of Chess Records’ various imprints.
Nevertheless, the song immediately took the airwaves by storm, its blending of old-school blues and a modern sensibility doing enough to rocket the single to an impressive number 11 spot in the US singles charts and, even more impressively, 23 in the UK. More than chart placings, though, the song soon boasted an incredible legacy that encircled everything from obscure soul stars to movie soundtracks and a litany of legendary rock stars.
For starters, Tucker’s tale of footwear and fighting inspired a response song from the iconic soul sister Sugar Pie DeSanto, in the form of her single ‘Slip-In Mules (No High Heel Sneakers)’, which also featured Tucker in the songwriting credits.
On top of DeSanto’s slice of soulful blues mastery, ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’ also courted the attention of London’s blossoming blues scene. Not only was it a live favourite of The Who during their early days – even featuring on the soundtrack of the Quadrophenia film, performed by Cross Section – but it also inspired cover versions by The Rolling Stones, whose blues sensibilities naturally drew them to Tucker’s single.
Aside from the Stones, a multitude of other artists tried their hand at covering the track, spanning the spectrum from early pioneers like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis, to garage rock hoodlums like The Trashmen.
Perhaps most notably, it became a favourite jam song for The Beatles during their ‘Get Back’ sessions in the late 1960s, spurring Paul McCartney on to record his own version on 1991’s Unplugged.
It is tough to think of many other blues anthems that have boasted such an extensive, enduring legacy as ‘Hi-Heel Sneakers’, beloved everywhere from the mod nightclubs of the 1960s to the turntables of bona fide rock colossi.
So, while Tommy Tucker might never have rivalled the unparalleled reputations of fellow blues writers like Muddy Waters, the late, great Ohio songwriter certainly cemented his place in rock and roll history with that landmark 1964 single.
