Music History

In 1949, the Cincinnati label King Records released two versions of this tune: a twangy country version, and a screaming jump blues number by saxophonist Bull Moose Jackson. In the process, they produced one of the skeleton keys to rock …

A little song that started an earthquake, this 1960 gem carried the seeds of reggae and ska music, and gave wider audience to a fledgling religious movement called Rastafarianism.

All the Good Songs is a brand new series where I’ll break down a series of songs and the impact they’ve had on music, and on my own life. Read the introduction here.