"Rocket "88"" | ||||
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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) |
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Producer(s) | Sam Phillips | |||
Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats singles chronology | ||||
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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]