Hearts of Stone

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The Jewels

About Hearts of Stone

"Hearts of Stone" is an American R&B song. It was written by Eddie Ray and Rudy Jackson, a member of the San Bernardino, California-based rhythm and blues vocal group the Jewels (no relation to the female group The Jewels from Washington, DC) which first recorded it for the R&B label in 1954. The Jewels began as a gospel group, then became the Marbles, recording for the Lucky label out of Los Angeles. According to Johnny Torrence, leader of the Marbles/Jewels, it was taken from a song they recorded in their gospel days. "Hearts of Stone" was covered and taken to the charts by East Coast R&B vocal group the Charms, causing the story of the Jewels' involvement to be ignored by various writers and DJs who assume the Charms' cover was the original. The Charms' version of the song went to number one on the R&B Best Sellers and number fifteen on the pop charts. A different song, also with the name "Hearts of Stone", was written by Bruce Springsteen and recorded during the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions (appears on the anthology box set Tracks). It was recorded and released by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes on their 1978 album Hearts of Stone. 


Year:
2014
70 

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The Jewels

The Jewels (initially The Impalas, later The Four Jewels) were a girl group from Washington, D.C. The group began singing as The Impalas in 1961; its members had attended Roosevelt High School and sang in Trinity AME Zion Church. Early on the group began performing in Bo Diddley's basement, and Diddley recorded their debut single "I Need You So Much", which was released on Checker Records. The record never caught on, and in 1962 producer Bob Lee changed the group's name to The Four Jewels. The single "Loaded with Goodies" next appeared on Start Records, a local D.C. label, followed by Chess single "That's What They Put Erasers on Pencils For". They also sang backup vocals for member Grace Ruffin's cousin, Billy Stewart. Carrie Mingo left the group around 1963… more »

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11 facts about this song

Genre Classification
"Hearts of Stone" is a rhythm and blues song, which was largely influential to the rock and roll genre.
Songwriters
The song was penned by Rudy Jackson and Eddie Ray.
Original Release
The song was originally released by The Jewels in 1954. However, it did not gain significant popularity when released by this group.
Successful Version
The song achieved its highest popularity when it was performed by The Charms and released later in the same year of 1954.
Chart Performance
The version by The Charms was outstandingly successful, reaching No.1 on the Billboard R&B Best Sellers chart and No.15 on the Billboard pop chart.
Significance
"Hearts of Stone" is considered one of the foundational recordings underlying the breakthrough of rock and roll into mainstream popularity.
Cover Performances
Following its success, the song was covered by a number of artists including Elvis Presley, The Fontane Sisters, and Red Foley.
Award Recognition
In its time, "Hearts of Stone" won the Cash Box award for Best Rhythm & Blues Record of the Year.
Label Classification
The songs were released under many labels including Rhythm, De Luxe, and King records.
Subsequent Releases
Along with "Two Hearts", it was one of The Charms' biggest hits when it was released again as a single in 1955.
Style Influence
The song inspired a shift in music style from the smooth renditions of pop songs to the gritty, rhythm-and-blues-infused style that came to characterize rock and roll.

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