If you close your eyes and think of that slinky, swampy guitar riff, you probably see John Fogerty’s flannel shirt or maybe a grainy clip of The Rolling Stones. But honestly, they were just borrowing the vibe. The real magic—the raw, dangerous, 1957 version of Dale Hawkins Susie Q—was born in a radio station in Shreveport, Louisiana.
It wasn’t just a hit. It was a pivot point.
Most people think of "Susie Q" as a classic rock standard. You’ve heard it in movies about the Vietnam War or played on classic rock radio at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday. But when it first dropped, it was weird. It was neither strictly rockabilly nor pure blues. It was something darker.
The 15-Year-Old Genius Behind the Riff
You can't talk about Dale Hawkins Susie Q without talking about a kid named James Burton. At the time, James was only 15 years old. Think about that for a second. While most kids that age were worrying about algebra, Burton was essentially inventing the DNA of rock guitar.
He didn't just play the part; he basically composed the musical foundation of the track. Burton later told Guitar Player magazine that he’d come up with the lick as an instrumental. Dale Hawkins just slapped some lyrics on top about a girl who "liked the way she walked."
The setup was primitive.
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They recorded the track at the KWKH radio station. No fancy LA studio. No multi-tracking. Just a few mics, a Gretsch amp that Burton didn't even like, and a lot of echoing space.
- Lead Guitar: James Burton (15 years old, playing a Telecaster before he became Elvis’s right-hand man).
- Vocals: Dale Hawkins (with that signature "cowbell" percussion and wild energy).
- The "Swamp" Sound: This wasn't the polished sound of Memphis. It was heavy, humid, and a little bit messy.
Why the Songwriting Credits Look Like a Mess
If you look at the original 45 RPM label for Dale Hawkins Susie Q, you’ll see some names that have absolutely nothing to do with writing the song. This is the part of the music biz that stays kinda "dirty" when you look back at the 50s.
Dale actually wrote it with Robert Chaisson. But to get the record played on the radio, they had to "share" the credit. Stan Lewis (the record shop owner and distributor) and Eleanor Broadwater (the wife of powerful DJ Gene Nobles) got their names on the track.
Why? Because back then, if a DJ’s wife "wrote" the song, that DJ was way more likely to spin it every hour. It was a legalized form of payola. Hawkins reportedly didn't see a dime in real royalties until the mid-1980s.
Is it Rockabilly or Swamp Rock?
Labels are annoying. Everyone wants to put Dale Hawkins in a box. Was he a rockabilly singer? Sorta. But "Susie Q" is generally considered the first real "Swamp Rock" record.
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It has a "drag" to it. Most rockabilly is frantic—think Gene Vincent or early Elvis. It’s all "bop-bop-a-lu-la." But "Susie Q" has this mid-tempo, heavy-bottomed groove. It sounds like it was pulled out of a bayou.
This specific sound is what caught the ear of guys like Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones covered it early on because it had that R&B grit they were obsessed with. Later, Creedence Clearwater Revival turned it into an eight-minute psychedelic jam, but they were really just chasing the ghost of that 1957 Shreveport session.
The Legend of the Dance
The name itself wasn't just a random choice. The "Susie Q" was a 1930s dance craze. It showed up in the Cotton Club Revue in 1936. By the time Hawkins got to it in 1957, it was a piece of slang that felt familiar but cool. It’s got that "Q" at the end which makes it catchy—Dale always claimed he just liked the way the name sounded.
The Technical Wizardry (That Wasn't Supposed to Happen)
James Burton’s guitar work on Dale Hawkins Susie Q is a masterclass in "less is more." He used light-gauge strings (banjo strings, actually) to make those bends easier.
- The Palm Muting: That chugging sound on the low E string.
- The Hybrid Picking: Using a pick and his middle finger at the same time.
- The Tone: Raw, direct-to-tape, with a slapback delay that feels like a haunted hallway.
Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin famously said that this specific riff was what made him want to pick up a guitar. Imagine the entire history of 70s rock being different just because a 15-year-old in Louisiana hadn't tinkered with his Gretsch amp one afternoon.
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What Happened to Dale?
Dale Hawkins never quite hit that height again. He had a few minor hits like "La-Do-Dada," but he eventually moved into the production side of things. He was a "musician's musician." He discovered guitarists like Roy Buchanan and even worked as a DJ and TV host.
He was the cousin of Ronnie Hawkins (the guy who led The Band before Dylan got ahold of them). Music was just in the blood. But Dale was also a survivor—he beat the "one-hit wonder" label by simply being too talented to ignore. He stayed active in the blues and rock scene until he passed away in 2010.
How to Appreciate the Song Today
If you want to actually "get" why this matters, don't listen to the remastered, cleaned-up versions on a cheap phone speaker.
Go find the original mono mix.
Listen for the handclaps. Listen for the way the drums sound like they're being played in the next room over. There’s a "hiss" and a "heat" to the recording that tells the story of 1950s Louisiana better than any textbook could.
Actionable Next Steps
- Listen to the B-side: Find "Don't Treat Me This Way." It’s a straight-up rockabilly heater that shows the range Hawkins had beyond the swampy stuff.
- Compare the Covers: Play the 1957 Dale Hawkins version, then the 1964 Rolling Stones version, then the 1968 CCR version. You’ll hear the song evolve from a bluesy experiment into a stadium anthem.
- Study the Riff: If you play guitar, look up "hybrid picking." It’s the secret sauce that James Burton used to make those notes pop.
- Check the Credits: Next time you see a 50s record, look for names like "Broadwater" or "Lewis." It’s a fun game to spot who was actually a writer and who was just a business partner.
The legacy of Dale Hawkins Susie Q isn't just about a girl with a cool walk. It’s about the moment rock and roll stopped being a novelty and started having teeth.