Rosco Gordon
Rosco Gordon was best known for being one of the progenitors of a slightly shambolic, loping style of piano shuffle called "Rosco's Rhythm." The basic elements of this sound were further developed after Jamaican musicians got a hold of 45s Gordon recorded in the early '50s -- which were not available to Jamaicans until 1959 -- and created ska, which took its name for the sound of this particular shuffle as it sounded being played on an electric guitar (ska-ska-ska).
No less an authority than Chris Blackwell -- he was the founder/president of Island Records who produced Bob Marley, the Wailers, and Peter Tosh, to name a few -- has cited Gordon's importance to reggae and ska music and championed the sound he helped create.
Gordon had originally been a member of the famed Beale Streeters, a Memphis, TN-based group that also featured the considerable talents of Johnny Ace, B.B. King, and Bobby "Blue" Bland, in the late '40s. They were scouted by none other than Ike Turner for Modern Records, who recorded the Beale Streeters' first single in 1951.
Gordon was soon recording sides for Sam Phillips and his Sun Records label. Phillips later sold the master of Gordon's own "Bootin'" to two competing labels, Chess and RPM, both of whom released it as a single. This "mix-up" did not, however, prevent the song from hitting number one on the R&B chart in 1952.
The follow-up to "Bootin'," called "No More Doggin'," was the first song to feature the now-familiar shuffle rhythm of Gordon's design, with a strong accent on the off-beat that repeated the oft-monotonous guitar phrasing. Though Gordon had recorded the song in the living room of a friend's home, in fact, the sound was fully developed and unique for its time. On July 11, 2002, Gordon died of a heart attack at his home in Queens, New York. He was 74.
© Bryan Thomas /TiVo
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Just A Little Bit
Blues - Released by Vee-Jay Records on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Sun Records Originals: Just Love Me Baby
R&B - Released by Sun Records on 31 Mar 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Memphis, Tennessee
Blues - Released by Stony Plain Records on 31 Oct 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bootin': The Best of the Rpm Years
Blues - Released by ACE RECORDS on 29 Jun 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Piano Blues On Fire
Blues - Released by Brownbeats Records on 1 May 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bootin' (The Best of RPM Years)
Blues - Released by Fuel Records on 17 Sep 2001
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Just a Little Bit Plus All the Singles As & BS, 1951 - 1961
Blues - Released by Jasmine Records on 12 May 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Just Love Me Baby / Weeping Blues
Rock - Released by Sun Records on 1 Jan 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let's Get High
Blues - Released by Charly Records on 26 May 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shoobie Oobie / Cheese and Crackers
Rock - Released by Sun Records on 1 Jan 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Chicken / Love for You Baby
Rock - Released by Sun Records on 1 Jan 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rosco Gordon's Weeping Blues
Blues - Released by Charly Records on 25 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anthology: The Definitive Collection (Remastered)
Blues - Released by Master Tape Records on 25 Sep 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Rosco Rocks Again
Blues - Released by JSP Records on 14 Jul 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let's Get High (B)
Blues - Released by JSP Records on 26 May 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let's Get High (A)
Blues - Released by JSP Records on 26 May 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
No More Doggin'
Pop - Released by Black Sheep Music on 13 Aug 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo