"One Mint Julep" | ||||
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Single by the Clovers | ||||
B-side | "Middle Of The Night" | |||
Released | March 1952 | |||
Recorded | December 19, 1951 | |||
Studio | Atlantic Studios, New York City | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 2:27 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Rudy Toombs | |||
The Clovers singles chronology | ||||
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"One Mint Julep" | ||||
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Single by Ray Charles | ||||
from the album Genius + Soul = Jazz | ||||
B-side | "Let's Go" | |||
Released | February 1961 | |||
Recorded | 1960 | |||
Genre | Rhythm and blues | |||
Length | 3:02 | |||
Label | Impulse! | |||
Songwriter(s) | Rudy Toombs | |||
Ray Charles singles chronology | ||||
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"One Mint Julep" is a R&B song, written and composed by Rudy Toombs, that became a 1952 hit for the Clovers. [1] The song has received over 100 cover versions, both with lyrics and as an instrumental. [2]
"One Mint Julep" was recorded on the Atlantic Records label in New York City on December 19, 1951, and released in March 1952. It was one of the first " drinking songs" to become a hit and one of the first to feature a tenor saxophone solo. It was an important step in the history of Ahmet Ertegun and Atlantic Records in its quest to become a hot rhythm and blues label. [3] Stylistically, the Clovers were moving away from the sentimental lyrics of the romantic doo-wop group songs and adapting a cooler group style, emphasizing rhythm more, nearing the style of a jump blues combo. [4]
Toombs had been hired by the Atlantic Records label to write and compose humorous up-tempo rhythm and blues novelty songs. Atlantic wanted material that was true to life, but also funny. The humor in this song comes in part from the idea of a young black man getting drunk on mint juleps, traditionally thought of as an aristocratic southern white woman's drink. [3] The Atlantic B-side was "Middle of the Night" by "Nugetre", Ertegun spelled backwards.
The story line is a classic one of a man who falls for the charms of a young woman only to realize a few years later that he has a ring on his finger. He remembers that it all started with "One Mint Julep." [5] [1]
"One Mint Julep" was the first of several successful up-tempo drinking songs by Toombs, who went on to write and compose " One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" for Amos Milburn, "Fat Back and Corn Likker" for Louis Jordan, and "Nip Sip" for the Clovers. [4]
In 1961 "One Mint Julep" finally reached a mass audience when Ray Charles's organ-and-big-band instrumental version reached No. 1 on the R&B charts, and also reached No. 8 on the pop chart. [3]