Two years before Jerry Lee Lewis recorded Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, Big Maybelle laid down a version produced by a young Quincy Jones that established the song's rhythmic and attitude blueprint. This episode explores the life of Mabel Louise Smith, born in Jackson, Tennessee, in 1924, who started singing gospel in church, made her professional debut at age 12 with Dave Clark's Memphis Band, and spent years touring with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm and the orchestras of Christine Chatman and Tiny Bradshaw.

We look at why her 1947 solo debut for King Records under her own name fell flat, and how producer Fred Mendelsohn's 1952 rebrand at OKeh Records unlocked her career with Gabbin' Blues, Way Back Home, and My Country Man. The episode follows her through Candy on Savoy Records, the 1957 Apollo Theater and 1958 Newport Jazz Fes ...