The Kings of Rhythm | |
|---|---|
 Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm (1956). Back: Jackie Brenston, Raymond Hill, Eddie Jones, Fred Sample, Billy Gayles. Front: Jesse Knight Jr., Ike Turner, and Eugene Washington | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
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| Origin | Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | late 1940s–1976, 1986-1987, 2001-present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoff of | The Tophatters |
| Members |
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| Past members | Ike Turner Jackie Brenston Willie Kizart Raymond Hill Willie "Bad Boy" Sims Johnny O'Neal Eugene Washington Billy Gayles Clayton Love Ernest Lane Jesse Knight Jr. Bonnie Turner Annie Mae Wilson Jimi Hendrix Leon Blue Mack Johnson Clifford Solomon Billy Preston Jackie Clark Warren Dawson Mark Landon Soko Richardson See members section for others |
Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has undergone considerable line-up changes over time.
The group was an offshoot of a large big band ensemble called the Tophatters. By the late 1940s, Turner had renamed this group the Kings of Rhythm. Their early stage performances consisted largely of covers of popular jukebox hits of the day.[1] In 1951, Turner and his Kings of Rhythm recorded the song "Rocket 88" (credited to Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), which is a contender for the first rock and roll record. The song is inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Singles.[2][3]
In the 1960s, the Kings of Rhythm became the band for the "Ike & Tina Turner Revue". For a few years in the early 1970s they were renamed the Family Vibes, and released two albums under that name. After the disbanding of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1976, Turner revived the Kings of Rhythm in 2001 and released the Grammy-nominated album Here And Now. The Kings of Rhythm backed Turner on his Grammy-winning album Risin' with the Blues (2006).[4] After Turner died in 2007, the band for some time was under the leadership of pianist Ernest Lane, who was a childhood friend of Turner's. The Kings of Rhythm continue to perform with vocalist Earl Thomas.[5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. October 18, 2010.
- ^ Graff, Gary (April 18, 2018). "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Songs for the First Time, Including 'Born to Be Wild' & 'Louie Louie'". Billboard.
- ^ "Ike Turner". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. November 23, 2020.
- ^ "Earl Thomas". San Diego Reader.