Night Time Is the Right Time

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (August 2007)

"Night Time Is the Right Time" is a blues song written and originally recorded by Nappy Brown in 1954, although Nappy Brown claimed to have gotten the song from an old Cecil Gant tune^[1]. A hit version of the song recorded by Ray Charles was released as a single in late 1958. It was also featured on the album Ray Charles at Newport and The Genius Sings the Blues. Charles was helped in the song by lead Raelette Margie Hendricks, who sang a raspy and demanding vocal to Charles' own raspy baritone and wails. The song made a modest appearance on the pop singles chart, peaking a number ninety-five, while making a more impressive showing on the R&B singles chart at number five.

"The Night Time (Is the Right Time)" took on a life of its own more than 25 years later when cast members who played Bill Cosby's Huxtable family of The Cosby Show lip-synched the song to help celebrate Cliff Huxtable's parents' 49th wedding anniversary in 1985 and helped the show become a huge ratings winner.

[edit] Cover versions

This song was also notably covered by Creedence Clearwater Revival in their studio album Green River (1969), and in their live album The Concert (1980).

In 2005 Joss Stone recorded a cover version for a Gap commercial directed by Peter Lindbergh. [1]

Also this song was covered by Eddie Boyd & His Blues Band in 1967.

Tina Turner had a remarkable cover of this song in 1978.

The Rolling Stones have been playing it frequently on their A Bigger Bang Tour of 2005 and 2007.

In Canada, the song is used on one of the TD Bank commercials to show that they stay open later.

It is covered by The Sonics, a garage rock band, on their album Here Are the Sonics!!!

Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla Thomas also recorded duet a version of the song which was released on Stax.

Lulu recorded her version on her first UK album Something To Shout About on Decca Records in 1965.

James Brown recorded an up-tempo funk version of the song in 1983 and it was the third notable R&B chart entry peaking at number seventy-three on the chart.