Bob Wills, the king of Texas dance halls, reshaped the old Southern folk tune "Ida Red" into a loping 2-beat dance number in this 1938 recording. Its plain chord changes, easy stride, and friendly story-song became the "song shape" that early rock and roll would inherit.
Chuck Berry lifted the skeleton of "Ida Red" wholesale and relaunched it under a new title in 1955. Chess Records — wary of copyright trouble — urged him to rewrite the lyrics and title, and "Maybellene" was born.
The same folk skeleton runs from the Western swing dance tune "Ida Red" to the electric-guitar-driven rock and roll of "Maybellene."