Leave My Kitten Alone: another question

I was just watching a documentary on the legendary Solomon Burke, and in it
he say's that he wrote a song called 'Leave My Tagger(sp?) Alone', and they
played a bit of it, and it basically sounded exactly the same as Leave My
Kitten Alone.

Did Solomon Burke write 'Leave My Kitten Alone'? or was it another song
which sounds exactly the same - looking on the credits for the song, it says
John/Turner/McDougal - who are these song writers, I can't find any
information on them at all??

saki...

They're Little Willie John, Titus Turner, and James McDougal. Little Willie
John is the best known, having a brief but intense career as an R&B singer
("Fever", "Need Your Love So Bad").

Turner was an R&B composer from the early to mid-1950s (Little Willie
John's first release was a version of Turner's 1955 composition "All Around
the World").

I can't find out any information on James McDougal at all. Perhaps someone
else can help with this one.

Yourself...

Hmm, so did:

a) Burke lie about writing Leave My Tagger(sp?)/Kitten Alone
b) John/Turner/McDougal lie about writing Leave My Kitten Alone
c) Burke used a McDougal pseudonym
d) They are two different songs in which case
i) Did John/Turner/McDougal plagiarise Burke
ii) Did Burke plagiarise John/Turner/McDougal
e) None of the above
f) g

The plot thickens...

saki...

Doesn't sound like a plot to me, but you don't have all the information
you need to make a determination. Do you have definitive
recording/release dates on the two songs you say resemble each other? I
haven't heard the Burke recording so I don't know how alike they are.
"Kitten" was released in 1959.

Could be that Burke's version (if it followed "Kitten") was a response or
a tribute to it rather than a plagiarism per se. But you'll have to look
at the dates to figure that out.

Yourself...

Ok, I've been completely wrong, I admit. I managed to track down a copy of
the documentary, and the answer is e) None of the above.
Burke actually says "I did a record called 'My Little Ring' that I wrote,
and 'Leave My Tagger(sp?) alone'". He doesn't actually say he wrote it.
Sorry about that.

So it looks like it was a cover, as 'My Little Ring' was released in 1960,
and I assume Burke's 'Leave My Kitten Alone' was released the same sort of
time. What confused me was that Burke referred to it as 'Leave My
Tagger(sp?) Alone', and actually sings that lyric in the song (at least
once).

I'd love to track down a copy of Burke's version. I wonder which version

saki...

Probably Little Willie John, although Johnny Preston charted with it too in
1961.

"Kitten" was also recorded in 1964 by another British group called the
First Gear, produced by Shel Talmy on Pye Records. The lead guitarist on
that session was a fellow called Jimmy Page, whom we know from another
famous band.

the Beatles knew?

Eric Ramon...

Burke is listed as having recorded Kitten and I'm wondering if he said
"Tiger".

Yourself...

Hmm, that's a good guess. I will listen to the documentary again, but I'm
pretty sure it wasn't Tiger. He sings it on the record - if only the song
appeared on one of his greatest hits albums. I can't find the song
available for purchase anywhere.

Yourself...

It's on this compilation here:

but it's no longer available :(

Chris Jepson...

In a Southern accent, "tiger" would be pronounced sort of like "togger"
and it might even come out sounding more like "tagger".

Chris Jepson