Which 1951 song by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats is often cited as an early rock and roll record? The answer is “Rocket 88.” Recorded in Memphis in March 1951, it fused jump blues energy, a forceful rhythm, saxophone, piano, and distorted electric guitar in a sound later associated with rock and roll.
The credit is misleading: Jackie Brenston sang the lead, but the backing musicians were actually Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm. Sam Phillips recorded the session at the Memphis Recording Service, later known as Sun Studio, and licensed it to Chess Records. The label issued it under “Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats,” rather than Ike Turner’s band name.
The song reached No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart and became famous for Willie Kizart’s rough, distorted guitar tone, reportedly caused by a damaged amplifier. Historians still debate the title of “first rock-and-roll record”; candidates include earlier recordings by Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Roy Brown, and Goree Carter. “Rocket 88” remains the standard quiz answer because its style and influence are so frequently cited.