Rocket 88
"
Rocket 88" is a
rhythm and blues song from 1951. It is claimed by
Sam Phillips â€" owner of
Sun Records, and pioneer
rock and roll record producer â€" to be the "
first rock and roll song".
The record was credited to "
Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats", but the band did not actually exist. The song was written by
Ike Turner at the Riverside Hotel in
Clarksdale, Mississippi and recorded by him with his band, the
Kings of Rhythm.
Jackie Brenston (1930-1979) was a saxophonist with Turner who also sang the vocal on "Rocket 88", a hymn of praise to the joys of the
Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" automobile (see:
Oldsmobile 88), which had just been introduced in 1949. An alternate explanation maintains that Branston, an accomplished pianist, wrote the song to showcase his skill, hence the "88" (the number of keys on a standard
piano). Brenston was given author credit rather than Turner; it is now agreed that Brenston's contribution was overstated for financial reasons.
Working from the raw material of
jump blues and
swing combo music, Turner made it even rawer, starting with a strongly stated
back beat, and superimposing Brenston's enthusiastic vocals and tenor saxophone solos by "Raymond" and Brenston. The song also features one of the first examples of distorted, or
fuzz guitar ever recorded. Reportedly, a speaker was damaged on
Highway 61 when the band was driving from
Mississippi to
Memphis, Tennessee but Phillips liked the sound and used it.
"Rocket 88" is the prototype for hundreds of other rock and roll records in musical style and lineup, not to mention its lyrical theme, in which an automobile serves as a metaphor for romantic prowess.
The claim that "Rocket 88" was the first rock and roll record is perhaps overstated, but it was the second-biggest
rhythm and blues single of 1951 and much more influential than some other "first" claimants.
"Rocket 88" was successfully covered by the
country music group
Bill Haley and the Saddlemen at a recording session on June 14, 1951[
1]. Haley's recording was a regional hit in the northeast United States, and started Haley along the musical road which led to his own impact on popular music with "
Rock Around the Clock" in 1954. Those who subscribe to the definition of rock and roll as the melding of country music with rhythm and blues believe that it is Haley's version of the song, not the Turner/Brenston original, that is the first rock and roll record.
Turner's piano introduction was copied note for note by
Little Richard on his "
Good Golly Miss Molly" several years after that.
The song was also featured in the 1984 film
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
Buckaroo Banzai and his band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, perform the song in a concert early in the movie although the track was actually recorded by
Billy Vera and the Beaters.
Brenston left Turner's band after the record's success and released several more singles between 1951 and 1953, but they were minor variations of the original and had little success. Brenston rejoined Turner's band as a saxophonist in 1957 and continued with him until 1965. He died in 1979.
*
Brenston Biography
