Less popular originals

[1phlapdown]

Yes, I'm very well aware of who Lefty Frizzell was and the fact that he wrote the song, but Lefty never had a big hit with it himself. Johnny Rodriguez made the song popular, and Merle Haggard's version is more popular. But Left Frizzell is best know for Long, Black Veil IMO, I wouldn't call Saginaw Michigan his biggest hit, hell Gone, Gone Gone was big for him.

Now don't try to lecture me on Country music history, you will lose every time.

I was going by your first post in this thread where you said "Post a song where a cover version was more popular than the original".

 

[fullxtension]

 

[1phlapdown]

Most popular by a bunch of artists, I guess Elvis was the most popular

Here is one of those artists, Brook Benton. I picked up his My Country/That Old Feeling CD that has 12 classic country songs on it, and I haven't listened to much else since. It is just so nice listening to those songs sung by true vocalist. What a voice. But as always, YMMV.

 

[thedddd]

 

[blindbaby]

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Here are 2 lesser known originals that went on to become hits for another artist....

Made famous by Ray Charles:


Janis Joplin nailed his one:

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

2 more......

Aretha Franklin absolutely transcended this one...tho I do like Otis' original a lot too....



The Eagles made this well known in less than 2 yrs after Tom Waits wrote it..

 

[fullxtension]

Original

Obliterated by the cover

 

[lilchi721]

Original
More popular version

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Woody Guthrie...1941


Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter...1948


Glenn Yarbrough....1956


Nina Simone.....1962

 

[fullxtension]

Don't know if anyone has done this one

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Don't know if anyone has done this one

nah.....just 5 or 6 posts up/

 

[fullxtension]

imagine my lack of surprise

 

[fullxtension]

Alright, I'm just gonna keep swinging. How about this one?
Oh, and btw, RIP Bunny Walters

Slightly more popular cover...

 

[Guy Incognito]

Original, by the Meat Puppets:

Everyone knows it from Nirvana's Unplugged session.

Original, by The Las:


Became a hit for Sixpence None The Richer.

 

[fullxtension]

This one is admittedly somewhat questionable because the original version is a classic


But I contend that it still qualifies because this cover spent 15 weeks at number one (longer than the Beatles ever spent at #1) and would have been the biggest single ever (in the UK) had it not been removed from sale to give other records a chance.

 

[mrwallace2ku]

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

original version...

 

[blindbaby]

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

"When The Levee Breaks"