Jimmy Preston (b. rural Pennsylvania, Aug. 13, 1913) grew up in Philadelphia. He was saxophonically motivated by Louis Jordan. He first hit the charts with his Prestonians in April, 1949, with "Hucklebuck Daddy," and followed that with "Rock The Joint," recorded in May of that year, which was his second of three hits. In 1950 he waxed "Rock With It Baby" and "Roll, Roll, Roll." He left secular music for the ministry in 1952.
"Rock The Joint" lasted 2 weeks on Billboard's R&B charts in 1949, reaching # 6. Jimmy Preston, vocals and alto sax; Danny Turner, tenor sax; Harry "Fats" Crafton, guitar, with studio band. This is one of the true classics in the history of rock and roll, the original version of a song that would be covered by many. This recording is one of the first true rockers in history and a real classic. See also the Chris Powell and Jimmy Cavallo pages on this website for their versions of this song, done in 1949 and 1951, respectively. In 1952, Bill Haley did a version, though Haley would not become widely known for three more years.
- Rock The Joint, 1949 (first minute)
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