A contender for the
title of
first rock ‘n’ roll record—or
at least one that paved the way to rock, “Good Rocking Tonight”
was
a product of
Cosimo
Matassa’s legendary New Orleans studio where
blues shouter Roy Brown
and Bob Ogden’s Orchestra
recorded in July 1947.
DeLuxe Records released it as a single
with some
success
but
it was
a cover version by
Wynonie Harris on the King label that went to No. 1 on the R&B—or, as it was known then, “Race Music”—charts in 1948.
Brown was still able to make it part of his trademark jump blues sound and generated more sales with
lively
followups
such as “Rockin’ at Midnight.” Elvis
Presley’s 1954 Sun version
introduced new listeners to the song, which has been
since
recorded by many blues, R&B and rock singers.
A contender for the
title of
first rock ‘n’ roll record—or
at least one that paved the way to rock, “Good Rocking Tonight”
was
a product of
Cosimo
Matassa’s legendary New Orleans studio where
blues shouter Roy Brown
and Bob Ogden’s Orchestra
recorded in July 1947.
DeLuxe Records released it as a single
with some
success
but
it was
a cover version by
Wynonie Harris on the King label that went to No. 1 on the R&B—or, as it was known then, “Race Music”—charts in 1948.
Brown was still able to make it part of his trademark jump blues sound and generated more sales with
lively
followups
such as “Rockin’ at Midnight.” Elvis
Presley’s 1954 Sun version
introduced new listeners to the song, which has been
since
recorded by many blues, R&B and rock singers.
