Jackie Brenston

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Jackie Brenston (born August 14, 1927 , August 24, 1927 , August 24, 1928 or August 15, 1930 in Clarksdale , Mississippi , † December 15, 1979 in Memphis , Tennessee ) was an American rhythm and blues musician . His only hit was Rocket "88" . It is considered one of the earliest rock and roll recordings.

life and career

Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88

Jackie Brenston was born in Clarksdale, a small town in the Mississippi Delta. His mother was Ethel Brenston. The information about his date of birth are contradicting. On Brenston's grave slab, August 24, 1928 is noted, while an obituary from his hometown cites August 15, 1930. Brenston himself stated in an interview in 1974 that he was born on August 24, 1927. Finally, another source gives August 14, 1927. It is mostly assumed that Brenston, who was considered undisciplined in his youth, brought his date of birth forward so that he could join the US Army in the penultimate year of the war . A source says this was done with the approval of his overwhelmed mother.

In December 1946, Brenston was released from military service. In 1947 he learned to play the saxophone from his friend Jesse Flowers . He played in Ike Turner's band , the "Kings Of Rhythm". On March 3 or 5, 1951, they recorded Rocket 88 with the Memphis Recording Service , the forerunner of Sun Records . Turner had written the piece, but Brenston was named as the author. And although it was recorded by the "Kings Of Rhythm", it was released under the name "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats" on Chess Records # 1458. "Rocket 88" was a name for the Oldsmobile 88 automobile .

Rocket 88 was first on the R&B charts for five weeks after its release in April 1951 and developed into the recognized prototype of numerous future rock 'n' roll titles. Bill Haley also recorded the piece - some refer to this version as the first rock 'n' roll recording - Little Richard used the piano intro unchanged for his hit Good Golly Miss Molly .

Brenston could n't replicate the success of Rocket 88 . After attempting a solo career, he played in the band of Lowell Fulson , later again with Ike Turner. In the 1960s he became increasingly addicted to alcohol. He died of a heart attack.

Discography

The discography only lists the releases with Brenston as the singer.

  • 1951 - Rocket 88 / Come Back Where You Belong , Chess 1458 (with the Delta Cats)
  • 1951 - My Real Gone Rocket / Tuckered Out , Chess 1469 (with the Delta Cats)
  • 1951 - Independent Woman / Juiced , Chess 1472 (with the Delta Cats)
  • 1952 - Hi Ho Baby / Leo The Louse , Chess 1496 (with Edna McCrane)
  • 1956 - What Can It Be / Gonna Wait For My Chance , Federal 12283 (with Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm)
  • 1956 - The Mistreater / Much Later , Federal 12291 (with Ike Turner's Kings Of Rhythm)

literature

  • Colin Escott, Martin Hawkins: Good Rockin 'Tonight. Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll . St. Martin's Press, New York City 1991, ISBN 0-312-05439-4 , pp. 24-29.
  • Edward Komara, Peter Lee: The Blues Encyclopedia , Routledge, 2004, ISBN 9781135958329 .
  • Nick Tosches: Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll . Da Capo Press, New York 1999 (1984), ISBN 0-306-80891-9 .
  • Nick Talevski: Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door Omnibus Press, 2010, ISBN 9780857121172 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Brenston's biography on www.mtzionmemorialfund.org (accessed March 23, 2017).
  2. ↑ Nick Talevski: Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door Omnibus Press, 2010, ISBN 9780857121172 , p. 51.
  3. ↑ Nick Tosches: Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll . Da Capo Press, New York 1999 (1984), ISBN 0-306-80891-9 , p. 140.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel: The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits . New York, NY: Billboard Books, 2006, p. 61
personal data
SURNAME Brenston, Jackie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American R&B musician
DATE OF BIRTH August 15, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Clarksdale , Mississippi
DATE OF DEATH 15th December 1979
Place of death Memphis , Tennessee