Episode 2: “Roll ‘Em Pete” by Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson
A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
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Rollin' Pete, 'Boogie Boogie'
Pete Johnson was a Boogie Boogie player, yet another of the musical streams which fed into early rock and roll. Rollin' Pete is still a hugely important record in ways that are more important than whether it has a back beat on it. The bassline would have eight notes in a typical bar, and eight to the bar was another term some used for BoogieBoogie at that time. Listen to Paintops Boogieboogie by Paintop Smith, the first real Boogie record from 1928.
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