Image – wikipedia
I know; when you think cars and music, chances are your mind flashes images of Corvettes, GTOs, and Mustangs, not your (Great-Grand)Father’s Oldsmobile…..
But when the ‘Rocket 88’ came out, it was the 409 of its day. It sent many a heart a flutter with its promise of more bang for the buck, and some of those hearts also could belt out a mean cord or two.
Image – CdUniverse.com
Among them was a young man from Clarksdale, Mississippi. In 1951, he and his band, The Kings Of Rhythm, loaded up a car whose make and model has been lost to history and headed for the Memphis Recording Service at 706 Union Avenue to show its owner, Sam Phillips, what they had cooked up.
Only there was a problem with the amp. Popular legend has it falling off the roof on the way there, but Ike always claimed that rain seeping in did the damage, which sounds more likely to me. They didn’t have the money to buy a new one, so they stuffed the case with newspapers to mitigate the damage.
Image – targina.net
Mr. Phillips liked what he heard, probably telling them “hell, folks would buy that,” and remarking how the broken speaker gave that raw sound he liked. The record was soon released on the Chess Label in Chicago under the name Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (Jackie being the vocalist and saxophone player) to avoid a legal issue, and the result is now regarded by most as the first rock-n-roll record.
And times being what they were, a tamer copy (with an intact amp) soon appeared, but times were changing, as two years later, a teenager named Elvis Presley walked in the door at 706 Union and told Marion Keisker, the receptionist, that he “didn’t sound like nobody.”
Sweet looking car. I’ve always liked GM cars built between 1949 and 1954.
I love it! When is the last time there was a popular song about any car. “Littlle Corolla Coupe”? Na. And somehow the lyrics “she’ll have fun, fun, fun ’til daddy takes the Enclave away” just doesn’t do it.
Olds was always an interesting GM division. From the first Hydra-Matic in 1940 through the Rocket V-8’s in the ’50’s to the FWD Tornado of the ’60’s, they were GM’s technology leader and not afraid to experiment. Although the ’70’s Cutlasses were extremely popular, they seemed to have lost their edge a bit by the end of that decade. Then, corporate neglect and a gradual morphing into generic blandness before finally fading away. Sad. Olds deserved better.
I agree. Songs about Rocket 88, T-Birds, Little GTOs and Nash Ramblers (Beep! Beep!) and Road Runners (Beep! Beep!) 🙂
CC effect strikes again! Just been listening to Dropkick Murphy’s Night on the Town which features an uninsured 88 in the lyrics.Thanks for another great read Jana,cars and music are 2 of my main interests
HA! I like Irish punk anyway, but I cant get enough Dropkick this time of year. Ive been frantically looking for ‘signed and sealed in blood’ since ‘Rose Tattoo’ is such a badass song!
Signed and Sealed in blood is awesome.You won’t be disappointed
The Romancers – She Took My Oldsmobile:
And a cover version by The Oldsmobiles:
How about “455 Rocket” Kathy Mattea? (sorry no YouTube access here at work).
Lots of great songs about cars.
Heck even “My Merry Oldsmobile” if you want to look at Oldsmobile’s influence on music.
Although Cadillac is likely the make most memorialized in song.
http://youtu.be/kQZV6q00sUc
Love this one! Nice selection of Oldsmobiles. It helps that two ’61s are shown; my aunt had one. I still have a promo model of a ’63 88 convertible.
I’m studying the top photo, and wondering: How many Pontiacs came from the factory or dealer all dolled-up like that?
I hate over-restored cars – it looks silly. I’m surprised it’s actually being driven! Trailer-queen model, at best.
I totally agree. I don’t mind restored cars, but not if it’s so dolled up like that, you don’t want to drive it, for fear of getting pitted, scratched, etc. You want to be able to enjoy driving the car or truck, not just admire the car from behind a barrier.
More pictures of it, being driven and enjoying at a show:
http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/de9336/Timeline
We could even go back farther . . . The Jean Goldkette band was probably the best of the big jazz bands of the 1920s, certainly of the white bands in those segregated days. If you can make it to the end, there is a sparkling cornet solo by a young Bix Beiderbecke, then at the peak of his abilities.
“In My Merry Oldsmobile” was penned in 1902 . . . .
Chuck Berry’s “Jaguar and the Thunderbird” (1960) and “My Mustang Ford” (1966) lesser known pieces of his work, but automotive thrillers indeed.
Cadillacs are the common song choice in Rhythm n’ Blues and early Rock and Roll; “No Money Down” by Chuck Berry is a killer!! As is Dick Dale’s “The Scavenger” (about a 426 Max Wedge Mopar) . . . .
It is interesting how few car songs predate the rock and roll era.
There are lots of great car songs:
“Maybelline” by Chuck Berry
“Hot Rod Lincoln”, by Commander Cody (has been recorded numerous times)
“Pink Cadillac” by Bruce Springsteen
“Long May You Run” by Neil Young
“Mercedes Benz” by Janis Joplin
“Highway Star” by Deep Purple
“Low Rider” by War
A whole bunch of songs by the Beach Boys.
I see that I’m going to need to make a couple of mix CD’s before next month’s vacation trip.
Try “I’m in Love With My Car” by Queen.
“Told my girl I had to forget her,
Rather buy me a new carburetor”
Sorry. When I think of Olds 88 I think of the 1950 Olds that I had in partnership with another sailor in San Diego in 1964. Another guy had a “roaring Hudson” so we did have a few contests. Winner depended on who was driving mostly.
That v8 was a winner in my memory and the trannie worked pretty good. If there were any differences between it and the original 1949 I don’t know what they were. When we returned from a SE Asia cruise we sold the Olds and he bought a 64 1/2 Mustang. In a few months I was in Canada and driving my first new car (66 vw). I know about Ike but don’t really know if I ever heard the song.
Haven’t seen one in just forever.
Lee: I hadn’t heard of either until I started doing research for My Elvis novel. Yes, I worked it(and Ike) in.
Rock and Roll evolved, Therefore, I don’t believe there is actually one first Rock and Roll record. So while you’re right that “Rocket 88” is considered the first Rock and Roll record by some, other artists are in contention as well, including Jimmy Preston’s “Rock The Joint,” and Goree Carter’s ” Rock a While,” Even Bill Haley gets credit from some, but I think “Rock around the Clock” came way too late to be a contender.
The car song that drives me nuts came a little later, in 1964, “Deadman’s Curve.” In it, Jan and Dean try to have us believe that a Jag E Type challenged a Stingray to a drag race, and the Vette driver suggested having a road race instead. Assuming that both cars were stock and not race prepared, In real life, as opposed to in the song, that scenario would have left the Jag with a blown tranny in a drag race and the Corvette in the weeds, from road racing the Jag.
Deadman’s Curve actually did exist, at one time. It was the North Wittier Drive curve, just past the intersection of North Wittier Drive and Sunset Boulevard. Traffic engineers finally smoothed it out after Mel Blanc (yes, THAT Mel Blanc) was injured in a wreck at the curve about a decade after the song’s release.
Which gives me pause, because, had Mel Blanc been a bit more unlucky, the headlines could have read, “Bugs Bunny Dies at Deadman’s Curve.” Wouldn’t that have been a pop-culture mashup!
Here’s the Google Map of the route of the race: https://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=sunset+%26+vine,+los+angeles,+ca&daddr=34.07918,-118.429441&mrsp=1&sz=15&mra=dme&sll=34.079216,-118.422446&sspn=0.01301,0.029182&ie=UTF8&ll=34.086644,-118.380947&spn=0.052034,0.11673&z=13&om=1
It wasn’t a short race, closer to seven miles until the crash.
Yes, the crown of the ‘first’ rock record has many claimants, and seeing how it evolved as mixture of Country(Hillbilly) , Blues, and Gospel – I wouldn’t make a guess, although I’m partial to some of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s work.
Deadman’s curve is probably my favorite car song, although I like the Blink 182 remix which I think comes from spending too many good times in Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga:
http://youtu.be/-U0nvjiHHf4
Rocket 88 is justifiably the acknowledged catalyst for RnR, but history is never so clear cut so I have to agree with Sgtyukon that it was an evolving thing. Louis Jordan was toying with similar structures out of the 40s, but Ike’s fingerprints were on so many seminal moments. And Tina unfortunately.
Speaking of Oldsmobiles and music, a mate gave me this single. One day I’ll find a turntable that converts music to zeroes and ones for the benefit of the CC community.
Side 1 has highlights such as ‘The unmuffled roar of the Toronado on the dynomometer’, Side 2 takes us through big band, country and swooning strings. It’s not on Youtube, sorry all.
Thank you for sharing this story. It is nice to see an Oldsmobile story and the fact many wish Oldsmobile was still here and that it deserved better. I also liked the songs people found on You Tube too. I have heard them too. I know this may not interest many, Public Enemy did a song by Oldsmobile Ninety Eight.
Thank you for all sharing..
I know; when you think cars and music, chances are your mind flashes images of Corvettes, GTOs, and Mustangs…
Well, not Volvos, anyway.
Although, to be fair, part of the problem might be that nothing rhymes with Volvo.
I got me a Volvo One Forty Five
Does away with speedin’, overtakin’, layin’ rubber
And all the other revhead jive
A photo was supposed to be attached, but it’s just refusing to upload. It’s a poster of a Stingray with the words, “They don’t write songs about Volvos.”
While googling for attached pic of British guitarist Chris Spedding’s first solo album, I also found this 2009 Telegraph feature on classic cars on album covers. It’s in two galleries of 25 photos each:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/caraccessories/6644184/Classic-cars-on-music-album-covers.html
Spedding and his UK-plated Olds clock in at an impressive #4.
And its STILL making its mark!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3kwC9VtfxM
Clutch has been one of if not my absolute favorite band for around 10 years or so. They’ve supplanted Alice in Chains and even Led Zeppelin (although Led Zep is still THE granddaddy of all metal, IMHO). Their lyrics are laced with gearhead references and they often take a piece of old time rock n roll/blues/soul/funk and base their own material around it, using it as a ‘seed’, if you will.
First time I heard Crucial Velocity, I had a strong suspicion it was a reference to the Olds, but I never knew this song went back to Ike Turner. Nice find!
Yep, I was going to post this, too. Clutch has been my favorite band since I discovered them back in 1998.
How about some ZZ Top?
She Loves My Automobile
Manic Mechanic (featuring a “solo” by the inimitable Hamtramck Hummingbird)
Amiee Mann has some sweet/sad songs about driving like ” Driving Sideways” and “Driving With One Hand On The Wheel” but they are not really about a specific car.
I think she is a cleaning lady near Paul Niedermeyer’s place nowadays.
Fu Manchu is another band with total gearhead wankage. All of their songs are about muscle cars, vans, hotrods, surfing, skateboarding, booze, drugs and babes. Gotta love it!
What could you write a song about now? Nuttin’, that’s what!