TCK
Well-known member
<TCK> I guess I should preface this by saying that if there were no long and protracted conversations to be had about music, than the need for Musicologists and even music enthusiasts would not be great. This is a very special song- one I don’t do justice, but had to play on that merit alone.
Originally recorded in March of 1951 and engineered by Sam Phillips at Sun Records, the record is credited to “Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats”…No such thing. It is really Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm, the band for whom Brenston was the saxophone player.
Now I know that Ike Turner turned out to be a jerk, but he wrote and arranged a song at 19 years old that blended everything he could hear in jump blues, boogie woogie, swing and country into a sound that many believe was being heard for the first time. Of course the story has LONG been perpetuated by SUN (as their “birthplace of Rock and Roll slogan”) but it really is a special record.
Of course there are lots of other songs that have characteristics like this one. In fact, there are two are three that clearly directly influenced it…but this was it.
Incidentally it is also the first time “fuzz tone” or distorted guitar was ever heard on a record. The funny story about it is that the amplifier for the guitar player on the record (Ike was playing Piano at the time- Willie Kizart was guitar) had tied his amp to the top of the car, and it fell off. Of course, history is blurry here, but this is my favorite story. The damage caused the tone in the original and Sam liked it, so he used it.
Anyway- Rocket 88. A very special Rock and Roll song…played on the Ukulele by a hack.</TCK>
Originally recorded in March of 1951 and engineered by Sam Phillips at Sun Records, the record is credited to “Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats”…No such thing. It is really Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm, the band for whom Brenston was the saxophone player.
Now I know that Ike Turner turned out to be a jerk, but he wrote and arranged a song at 19 years old that blended everything he could hear in jump blues, boogie woogie, swing and country into a sound that many believe was being heard for the first time. Of course the story has LONG been perpetuated by SUN (as their “birthplace of Rock and Roll slogan”) but it really is a special record.
Of course there are lots of other songs that have characteristics like this one. In fact, there are two are three that clearly directly influenced it…but this was it.
Incidentally it is also the first time “fuzz tone” or distorted guitar was ever heard on a record. The funny story about it is that the amplifier for the guitar player on the record (Ike was playing Piano at the time- Willie Kizart was guitar) had tied his amp to the top of the car, and it fell off. Of course, history is blurry here, but this is my favorite story. The damage caused the tone in the original and Sam liked it, so he used it.
Anyway- Rocket 88. A very special Rock and Roll song…played on the Ukulele by a hack.</TCK>
