The Kingsmen
Source Poll/Survey Year Rank
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Singles 2018 None
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll 1995 None
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Grammy Hall of Fame 1999 None
National Public Radio The 300 Most Important American Records of the 20th Century 1999 None
The Wire Magazine The 100 Most Important Records Ever Made 1992 None
Mojo Magazine Ultimate Jukebox : The 100 Singles You Must Own 2003 # 1
Paste Magazine The 50 Best Garage Rock Songs of All Time 2014 # 3
Rolling Stone 40 Songs That Changed The World 2007 # 5
All Time Top 1000 Albums , Colin Larkin The All-Time Top 100 Singles 2000 # 6
VH1 100 Greatest Songs of Rock and Roll 2007 # 11
The Heart of Rock and Soul , Dave Marsh The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made 1989 # 11
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Singles of the Last 25 Years 1989 # 18
VH1 100 Greatest Dance Songs 2000 # 27
Mojo Magazine 100 Greatest Singles of All Time 1997 # 51
Rolling Stone The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2004 # 54
NEA and RIAA Songs of the Century 1999 # 57
Mojo Magazine Big Bangs : 100 Records That Changed The World 2007 # 70
Pitchfork Magazine The 200 Best Songs of the 1960s 2006 # 154
NME Magazine The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time 2014 # 157
WCBS-FM Top 1001 Songs of the Century 2005 # 184
`` Louie Louie ''
In 1962 , while playing a gig at the Pypo Club in Seaside , Oregon , then managed by Al Dardis , the band noticed Rockin ' Robin Roberts 's version of `` Louie Louie '' being played on the jukebox for hours on end . The entire club would get up and dance . [ 5 ] Ely convinced the Kingsmen to learn the song , which they played at dances to a great crowd response . [ 6 ] Unknown to him , he changed the beat because he misheard it on a jukebox . [ 7 ] Ken Chase , host of radio station KISN , formed his own club to capitalize on these dance crazes . [ 8 ] Dubbed the `` Chase '' , the Kingsmen became the club 's house band and Ken Chase became the band 's manager . On April 5 , 1963 , Chase booked the band an hour-long session at the local Northwestern Inc. studio for the following day . [ 9 ] The band had just played a 90-minute `` Louie Louie '' marathon . [ 10 ] Despite the band 's annoyance at having so little time to prepare , on April 6 at 10 am the Kingsmen walked into the three-microphone recording studio . To sound like a live performance , Ely was forced to lean back and sing to a microphone suspended from the ceiling . `` It was more yelling than singing , '' Ely said , `` 'cause I was trying to be heard over all the instruments . `` [ 9 ] In addition , he was wearing braces at the time of the performance , further compounding his infamously slurred words . [ 11 ] Ely sang the beginning of the third verse several bars too early , but realized his mistake and waited for the rest of the band to catch up . In what was thought to be a warm-up , the song was recorded in its first and only take . The Kingsmen were not proud of the version , but their manager liked the rawness of their cover . [ 12 ] The B-side was `` Haunted Castle '' , composed by Ely and Don Gallucci , the new keyboardist . [ 13 ] However , Lynn Easton was credited on both the Jerden and Wand releases . The entire session cost $ 50 , and the band split the cost . [ 12 ] `` Louie Louie '' was kept from the top spot on the charts in late 1963 and early 1964 by the Singing Nun and Bobby Vinton , who monopolized the No . 1 slot for four weeks apiece . The Kingsmen single reached No . 1 on the Cashbox chart and No . 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart . Additionally it reached No . 1 on the CHUM Canada chart and in the UK it reached No . 26 on the Record Retailer chart . It sold over one million copies , and was awarded a gold disc . [ 14 ] Wand issued a re-release in 1966 as `` Louie Louie 64-65-66 '' and it re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No . 97 . The band attracted nationwide attention when `` Louie Louie '' was banned by the governor of Indiana , Matthew E. Welsh , also attracting the attention of the FBI because of alleged indecent lyrics in their version of the song . The lyrics were , in fact , innocent , but Ely 's baffling enunciation permitted teenage fans and concerned parents alike to imagine the most scandalous obscenities . All of this attention only made the song more popular . In April 1966 `` Louie Louie '' was reissued and once again hit the music charts , reaching No . 65 on the Cashbox chart and No . 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart . In 1985 , Ross Shafer , host and a writer-performer of the late-night comedy series Almost Live ! on the Seattle TV station KING , spearheaded an effort to have `` Louie Louie '' replace `` Washington , My Home '' by Helen Davis as Washington 's official state song . [ 15 ] Picking up on this initially prankish effort , Whatcom County Councilman Craig Cole introduced Resolution No . 85-12 in the state legislature , citing the need for a `` contemporary theme song that can be used to engender a sense of pride and community , and in the enhancement of tourism and economic development '' . His resolution also called for the creation of a new `` Louie Louie County '' . While the House did not pass it , the Senate 's Resolution 1985-37 declared April 12 , 1985 , `` Louie Louie Day '' . A crowd of 4,000 , estimated by press reports , convened at the state capitol that day for speeches , singalongs , and performances by the Wailers , the Kingsmen , and Paul Revere and the Raiders . Two days later , a Seattle event commemorated the occasion with the premiere performance of a new , Washington-centric version of the song written by composer Berry . [ 16 ] Over the years the Kingsmen 's version of `` Louie Louie '' has been recognized by organizations and publications worldwide for its influence on the history of rock and roll . Rankings and recognition in major publications and surveys are shown in the table below .
The Kingsmen are a 1960s garage rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. Their 1963 recording of Richard Berry's Louie Louie held the No. 2 spot on the Billboard charts for six weeks and has become an enduring classic. In total, the Kingsmen charted 11 single releases from 1963 to 1968 and five consecutive albums from 1963 to 1966. Their first album, The Kingsmen in Person, remained on the Billboard Top LPs chart for 131 weeks from January 1964 to August 1966. Their early albums were released internationally in Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Mexico, South Africa, and Taiwan.