ROCK THE JOINT (Jimmy Preston)
“Rock the Joint”, also known as “We’re Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight”, is a boogie song recorded by various proto-rock and roll singers, notably Jimmy Preston, and early rock and roll singers, most notably Bill Haley. Preston’s version has been cited as a contender for being “the first rock and roll record”, and Haley’s is widely considered the first rockabilly record. (More from Wikipedia)
Now, Ike Turner’s “Rocket 88” is named by many rock critics and music historians as “the first rock and roll record”; what’s more, “Rocket 88” as recorded by Bill Haley and the Saddlemen is one of the very earliest recordings in what would later become known as “rockabilly”, the musical style pioneered by Elvis Presley and others. The Saddlemen’s follow-up single, “Rock the Joint” is yet another contender for the first rock record, that is, the version of “Rock the Joint” as performed in 1949 by Jimmy Preston.
(June 2013/1)
