Word: rocketted
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...speed--the ship was no longer flying toward the planet but falling toward it, on a high-speed trajectory that could send it skimming past Saturn and back out into space. If the ship was going to enter a stable orbit, it would have to fire its little braking rocket for 96 min., until it reached the right speed and position to dart upward through a gap in Saturn's rings and begin circling the giant world. But when it comes to the dense rivers of ice and rubble that form the planet's rings, the word...
...Phillips would discover in the wake of Rocket 88, Elvis Presley, was one of a long line of people that helped shaped rock. Memphis Minnie, Louis Jordan, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and many others also played important roles. One of Presley's most significant contributions was this: he was able to make more of a commercial impact in rock than the black performers who pioneered the field. In fact, before he signed Presley, Phillips famously declared that "If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound...
...some of the black musicians that helped lay the foundation for rock were poorly compensated for their breakthrough work. Crudup's 1946 version of That's All Right wasn't a hit and he eventually returned to an occupation where his efforts were better rewarded - farm work. Turner's Rocket 88 was a No. 1 smash but Turner later claimed in his autobiography, Takin' Back My Name, that he was only paid $20 for his contributions...
...Turner is probably best known for his collaborations (most famously with wife Tina) and his clashes (again, with Tina, as portrayed in the 1993 movie that was made about their stormy marriage and breakup, What's Love Got to Do With It). Rocket 88 was a product of Turner's collaborative side. The song explored the major sonic themes that Presley would revisit years later on That's All Right and then some - Rocket 88 was brash and it was sexy; it took elements of the blues, hammered them with rhythm and attitude and electric guitar, and reimagined black music...
...Turner wasn't the lead vocalist on Rocket 88 - his saxophone player, Jackie Brenston was - and the record was released under Brenston's name. Exactly who wrote the song, Brenston or Turner along with the band, is a matter of dispute (Turner has said his name was left off because he had another record coming out). The only thing that's certain is that it took many people to create the song, including the canny, visionary producer Phillips...