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| "Rocket "88"" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats | ||||
| B-side | "Come Back Where You Belong" | |||
| Released | March 1951[1] | |||
| Recorded | March 3 or 5, 1951 | |||
| Studio | Memphis Recording Service (Memphis) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:48 | |||
| Label | Chess | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Sam Phillips | |||
| Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Rocket 88" (originally stylized as Rocket "88") is a song that was first recorded in Memphis, Tennessee, in March 1951. The recording was credited to "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats"; while Brenston did provide the vocals, the band was actually Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. The single reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart.
Many music writers acknowledge its importance in the development of rock and roll music, with several considering it to be the first rock and roll record.[5] In 2017, the Mississippi Blues Trail dedicated its 200th marker to "Rocket 88" as an influential record.[6] The song was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1991,[7] the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998,[8] the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018,[9] and the National Recording Registry in 2024.[10]
- ^ Sims, Lydel (March 28, 1951). "Rocket Becomes Flying Disc, Spins Toward Record Glory". The Commercial Appeal. p. 1.
- ^ Petersen 2011, p. 156.
- ^ Hall, Mitchell K. (2005). Crossroads: American Popular Culture and the Vietnam Generation. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780742544444.
- ^ Bergsman, Steve (2 July 2019). I Put a Spell on You: The Bizarre Life of Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Feral House. ISBN 9781627310918.
- ^ "When was rock'n'roll really born?". The Guardian. April 16, 2004.
- ^ "Mississippi Blues Trail Reaches 200th Marker with 'Rocket 88'". Mississippi Development Authority. November 9, 2017. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ O'Neal, Jim (November 10, 2016). "Hall of Fame Inductees: Rocket '88' – Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats (Chess, 1951)". The Blues Foundation. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame". The Recording Academy Grammy Awards. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ 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. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Notorious B.I.G., The Chicks, Green Day & More Selected for National Recording Registry (Full List)". Billboard. 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2024-04-16.