*Going Back Home To The Blues- The Early Ike Turner

Click On Title To Link To YouTube's Film Clip Of Ike Turner And His Kings Of Rhythms Performing "Thinking Black" From 1969.

CD Review

Here is a little taste of Ike Turner's early work. Some of the comments used here have been used in other reviews of the late Ike Turner's work.

Blues King Plus, Ike Turner, Capitol Records, 2003

I have mentioned the recently departed Ike Turner’s rough and tumble drug-induced later lifestyle and his problems with ex-wife Tina Turner elsewhere in this space so there is no need to repeat that here. I have also mentioned Ike’s key role as ‘talent spotter’ in the 1950’s for Chess Records (and Sun Records' Sam Phillips, I believe) and his pivotal role in the early move from R&B to rock & roll with the super-classic hit “Rocket 88”. Thus, his place in musical history (with the appropriate asterisks) is secure. And should be.

This early effort "Blues King Plus" like a late Turner effort “Risin’ with the Blues” (2006) is a place where Ike goes out in front and does many of the lead vocals, some successfully, some not. The instrumental work is excellent, as is to be expected on a Turner platter. But, to be honest, not all of the vocals made me want to jump, which I assume was Ike’s intention here since some of the works are tributes to those like Louis Jordan who influenced the young Ike Turner. That said, his versions of “Trouble And Heartache ”, " You're Driving Me Insane" and a jumping "Looking For My Baby" are , as is “Night Howler" and "Cubano Jump". We part company, however, on “Early Times", "The World Is Yours" and a couple of others where his voice cannot carry the song.

You know what, go out and get some early Ike and the Rhythm Kings. Then you will be sure to get what Ike was all about and why he has a secure place in musical history. And remember that seminal “Rocket 88”. I went crazy when I listened to it recently after not hearing it for a long time.

*******

Songfacts:

In 1991, after a great deal of debate, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognized this as the first Rock and Roll song ever recorded. Turner was in jail at the time for cocaine possession, so his daughter accepted the award.

The song is about a car. The Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" just came out and was the fastest car on the road at the time. It was advertised as having a V-8 "Rocket" engine.

This was produced by Sam Phillips, who formed Sun Records in 1954. Phillips discovered Elvis in 1955.

Jackie Brenston, who was a member of Ike Turner's Rhythm Kings, sang lead. The single was credited to "Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats" because Phillips wanted to release a different record credited to Turner.

This was a #1 R&B hit. There were no rock charts at the time.

Turner and his band were playing black clubs in the American South when B.B. King set up a recording session for them in Memphis with Phillips. They wrote most of this on the way to the session.

On the drive to the session, the band's amplifier fell out of the car and broke the woofer. Turner shoved paper in it at the studio to cover the problem, which ended up providing a more distinct sound. The sounds that came from the damaged amp resulted in this being cited as one of the first songs to feature guitar distortion.

Brenston was credited with writing this, although he admitted he stole the idea from a 1947 song called "Cadillac Boogie."

General Motors gave Brenston a Rocket 88 to thank him for the publicity this generated for the car.

Brenston did not handle success well. He quickly spent the money he made from this, became an alcoholic, went broke, and died in 1979.

Turner played piano on this. It was a huge influence on Little Richard, who used the piano intro on his 1958 hit, "Good Golly Miss Molly."

There were other songs recorded before this that could be considered Rock and Roll, but this was unique in that it appealed to a white audience.

Turner recorded a new version of this in 2000.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine (issue 93) in 1971, Ike Turner recalled how despite this being a local hit, he made little from it: "Some dude at the record company beat me, and I only got $40 for writing, producing, and recording it. And the lead singer (Jackie Brenston) took the band from me and went on his own."

Rocket '88 lyrics

You may have heard of jalopies,
You heard the noise they make,
Let me introduce you to my Rocket '88.
Yes it's great, just won't wait,
Everybody likes my Rocket '88.
Gals will ride in style,
Movin' all along.(Guitar solo, leading into steel guitar solo.)
V-8 motor and this modern design,
My convertible top and the gals don't mind
Sportin' with me, ridin' all around town for joy.(
Spoken) -- Blow your horn, Rocket, blow your horn!(Horn sound effect leading into guitar solo.)
Step in my Rocket and-a don't be late,
We're pullin' out about a half-past-eight.
Goin' on the corner and-a havin' some fun,T
akin' my Rocket on a long, hot run.
Ooh, goin' out,Oozin' and cruisin' along.(Guitar solo.)
Now that you've ridden in my Rocket '88,
I'll be around every night about eight.
You know it's great, don't be late,Everybody likes my Rocket '88.
Gals will ride in style,
Movin' all along.(Fade out, ending with sound effect of a car driving away.)
Labels: chess records, drugs and rock and roll, ike turner,

*A Taste Of The Later Career Of R&B's Ike Turner

Click On To Title To Link To YouTube's Film Clip Of Bill Haley Performing Ike Turner's "Rocket 88". Wow!

CD Review

Here is a little taste of Ike Turner's later work.

Risin’ With The Blues, Ike Turner, Zoho Roots, 2006

I have mentioned the recently departed Ike Turner’s rough and tumble drug-induced later lifestyle and his problems with ex-wife Tina Turner elsewhere in this space so there is no need to repeat that here. I have also mentioned Ike’s key role as ‘talent spotter’ in the 1950’s for Chess Records (and Sun Records' Sam Phillips, I believe) and his pivotal role in the early move from R&B to rock & roll with the super-classic hit “Rocket 88”. Thus, his place in musical history (with the appropriate asterisks) is secure. And should be.

“Risin’ with the Blues” is a late effort (2006) where Ike goes out in front and does many of the lead vocals, some successfully, some not. The instrumental work is excellent, as is to be expected on a Turner platter. But, to be honest, not all of the vocals made me want to jump, which I assume was Ike’s intention here since some of the works are tributes to those like Louis Jordan who influenced the young Ike Turner. That said, his version of “Eighteen Long Years” (usually five in most versions but the number is used as a dig at Tina) is fine, as is “Big Fat Mama” and “Rockin’ Blues”. We part company, however, on “Jesus Loves Me” his musical retort to Tina’s charges in her book and in the movie.

You know what, go out and get some early Ike and the Rhythm Kings. Then you will be sure to get what Ike was all about and why he has a secure place in musical history. And remember that seminal “Rocket 88”. I went crazy when I listened to it recently after not hearing it for a long time.

*******

Songfacts:

In 1991, after a great deal of debate, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognized this as the first Rock and Roll song ever recorded. Turner was in jail at the time for cocaine possession, so his daughter accepted the award.

The song is about a car. The Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" just came out and was the fastest car on the road at the time. It was advertised as having a V-8 "Rocket" engine.

This was produced by Sam Phillips, who formed Sun Records in 1954. Phillips discovered Elvis in 1955.

Jackie Brenston, who was a member of Ike Turner's Rhythm Kings, sang lead. The single was credited to "Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats" because Phillips wanted to release a different record credited to Turner.

This was a #1 R&B hit. There were no rock charts at the time.

Turner and his band were playing black clubs in the American South when B.B. King set up a recording session for them in Memphis with Phillips. They wrote most of this on the way to the session.

On the drive to the session, the band's amplifier fell out of the car and broke the woofer. Turner shoved paper in it at the studio to cover the problem, which ended up providing a more distinct sound. The sounds that came from the damaged amp resulted in this being cited as one of the first songs to feature guitar distortion.

Brenston was credited with writing this, although he admitted he stole the idea from a 1947 song called "Cadillac Boogie."

General Motors gave Brenston a Rocket 88 to thank him for the publicity this generated for the car.

Brenston did not handle success well. He quickly spent the money he made from this, became an alcoholic, went broke, and died in 1979.

Turner played piano on this. It was a huge influence on Little Richard, who used the piano intro on his 1958 hit, "Good Golly Miss Molly."

There were other songs recorded before this that could be considered Rock and Roll, but this was unique in that it appealed to a white audience.

Turner recorded a new version of this in 2000.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine (issue 93) in 1971, Ike Turner recalled how despite this being a local hit, he made little from it: "Some dude at the record company beat me, and I only got $40 for writing, producing, and recording it. And the lead singer (Jackie Brenston) took the band from me and went on his own."

Rocket '88 lyrics

You may have heard of jalopies,
You heard the noise they make,
Let me introduce you to my Rocket '88.
Yes it's great, just won't wait,
Everybody likes my Rocket '88.
Gals will ride in style,
Movin' all along.(Guitar solo, leading into steel guitar solo.)
V-8 motor and this modern design,
My convertible top and the gals don't mind
Sportin' with me, ridin' all around town for joy.(
Spoken) -- Blow your horn, Rocket, blow your horn!(Horn sound effect leading into guitar solo.)
Step in my Rocket and-a don't be late,
We're pullin' out about a half-past-eight.
Goin' on the corner and-a havin' some fun,T
akin' my Rocket on a long, hot run.
Ooh, goin' out,Oozin' and cruisin' along.(Guitar solo.)
Now that you've ridden in my Rocket '88,
I'll be around every night about eight.
You know it's great, don't be late,Everybody likes my Rocket '88.
Gals will ride in style,
Movin' all along.(Fade out, ending with sound effect of a car driving away.)

*An Appreciation of R & B's Ike Turner

Click On Title To Link To YouTube's Film Clip Of Ike Turner And His Kings of Rhythm In A 1959 Rock Out.

CD REVIEW

The Sun Sessions By Ike Turner and His Kings of Rhythms, Ike Turner, Sun Records, 1959

Needless to say the late Ike Turner’s reputation as a performer has suffered from the revelations about his sexual abuse of the currently still performing Tina Turner (and still wowing audiences with her raucous soulful energies). Tina's revelations in her biography and through the movie "What's Love Got To Do With It" have all but erased any popular knowledge of Ike's seminal role in the R&B aspect of the creation of Rock 'n' Roll in the early 1950's. While one needs to pay due respect to political correctness in this matter and all one's sympathies are with Tina it is nevertheless necessary to pay homage to Ike's pivotal role in that development, warts and all.

One needs to start from Ike's work on 1951's "Rocket 88" (often considered the first rock 'n' roll record although readers of this space know that my preferred candidate is Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll"), to his piano backings for Little Milton and Junior Parker and his twangy, pre-funk heavy guitar playing throughout the 50s (for Loma, among others). Turner was there, contributing ideas and stretching existing sounds into the new cosmos (and new white teenage music market). However, we all know it always has to get back to that Sun studio in Memphis (and the pervasive Sam Phillips). Right? But where is that classic "Rocket 88" here? Although it is readily available elsewhere it should be in this compilation. I went crazy recently when I heard it for the first time in a long time. That was a time when men and women played hard-driving R&B for keeps.


As others have pointed out and I am beholding to here for the remaining comments as a recording artist Turner hopped around quite a bit, recording for (or having his recordings leased to) a variety of labels throughout the 50s, including RPM, Modern, Chess and Sun. His nomadic wanderings make a label-centric compilation such as this more like a snapshot than a coherent view of his pre-Ike & Tina work. Even the liner notes (from Bill Dahl) have a difficult time providing context for these tracks without alluding to coincidental tracks (on other labels) that aren't here.
Of the actual Sun-cut tracks, there are many stand-outs, including several that weren't released at the time of their waxing. Billy "The Kid" Emerson vocalizes on several of the disc's highlights, including his Sun debut, the tremelo-and-blues "No Teasing Around." Here he mixes R & B crooning (of the sort peaking with Specialty artists like Percy Mayfield and Joe Liggins) with a bit of the rockabilly swagger that would soon flourish. His follow-up, "The Woodchuck," features a lyric that riffs on the childhood rhyme, and is powered by a generous helping of Turner's stinging guitar.

After leaving Memphis and cutting sides for Federal in '56 and '57, Turner self-produced recordings in St. Louis in 1958 and sold them to Sun. New lead vocalist Tommy Hodge had great style, and the Louis Jourdan-like jump-blues of "I'm Gonna Forget About You Baby (Matchbox)" is very catchy. Carlson Oliver's rocking sax solo is a real standout, and Turner's whammy bar gets a full workout on "How Long Will It Last."

Note: Many of the songs by the various artists featured here have been placed on other Sun-related compilations, especially the work of Billy Emerson. However, it is nice to have Ike's early Sun work in one place except that mandatory "Rocket 88".