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Thee Sacred Souls - Trade of Hearts

The most widely held belief is that the first rock 'n roll single was 1951's Rocket 88, written by Ike Turner, sung by Jackie Brenston, the saxophone player from Turner's backing band The Kings of Rhythm, and recorded by Sam Phillips, who later went on to found Sun records and discover Elvis Presley. I've had this argument with many many people over the years, but when people talk about rock 'n roll, my own personal view would be Rocket 88.

Some, however, feel that Rocket 88's reputation may have more to do with Sam Phillips's vociferous later claims he had discovered rock 'n roll long before he discovered Elvis than with its actual sound. Despite featuring a distorted guitar and a lyric which, in true rock 'n roll style, conflates the power of the singer's car with his virility, it apparently lacks those all important snare accents.

But if the flow of information and number of available recordings has increased over the years, then the number of people with first-hand memories of the postwar rhythm and blues scene has dwindled to almost nothing.


Thee Sacred Souls - Trade of Hearts
  • Produced by: Bosco Mann
  • Released on: Feb 25, 2022
  • Genre: Funk, Soul

"Thee Sacred Souls's first club dates led to a record deal with the revered Daptone label, their first singles racked up more than ten million streams in a year and garnered attention from Billboard."

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