Which 1951 song by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats was a 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Singles inductee? The answer is “Rocket 88.”
“Rocket 88” was recorded in 1951 by Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, a billing that concealed the central role of Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. The song was recorded at Sam Phillips’s Memphis Recording Service and released by Chess Records.
Its pounding rhythm, blues structure, automobile imagery and distorted electric-guitar sound made it a landmark in the emergence of rock and roll. The recording is often called one of the first rock-and-roll records, although historians debate which song deserves the singular “first” title.
In 2018, the Rock Hall introduced its Singles category and inducted six influential recordings, including “Rocket 88,” “Rumble,” “The Twist,” “Louie Louie,” “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and “Born to Be Wild.” The title is also commonly styled “Rocket ‘88.’”