Rockabilly’s “mystery train” helped put Elvis on the map, but Junior Parker recorded it first.

The song “Mystery Train” has become one of the most iconic classics of the rockabilly genre and indeed all of rock and roll. The song has it all: a great vibe that invokes the mood, wonderful bass work by Bill Black, one of the most perfect guitar parts ever recorded courtesy of Scotty Moore, and of course the flawless, raw and Elvis’ powerful vocal delivery. . And the song itself is one of those rare gems that stands strong on its own, separate from the performance. But even though Elvis and the boys own this song with its amazing performance, Elvis didn’t write it. So where do they come from? Well, what get to the roots of rockabilly!

Elvis recorded the song in the late summer of 1955. It was already rising and rising rapidly. The song was recorded at the legendary Memphis Recording Service studios on Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee. It was originally released on the equally legendary Sun Records label as the B-side of the song that really put Elvis on the national map: the number one country hit “I Forgot to Remember to Forget.” Even as a B-side, “Mystery Train” reached number 11.

However, this was not the first release the song had seen. The song had been written in 1953 by bluesman Junior Parker. The owner of the Studio and Sun Record label, Sam Phillips, is credited as a co-author, but it’s often hard to tell from songs written in those days if someone other than the musician credited with actually helped write the song. or if they were credited as part of the album. deal or other arrangements. In any case, Parker’s original recording was released, also on Sun Records, in 1953.

Parker’s version is sped up and in its own right it’s just as good as Elvis’s. In it you can really hear how the blues influenced early rockabilly musicians. Elvis clearly borrowed a lot from these blues musicians, as well as from the rhythmic and blues music that he had listened to so much growing up. He took that influence and mixed it with his country roots to become the driving force behind rockabilly music and, indeed, all of rock and roll.

In my opinion, Elvis’s version of “Mystery Train” is the perfect embodiment of Sun Records’ rockabilly sound. If someone needed the best example of rockabilly, “Mystery Train” would be one of the songs that would point them out as well. It totally exemplifies the fusion of blues and country music that morphed into rockabilly music. Although the world of country music, by all appearances, seemed to have had the biggest impact on rockabilly music, this song proves that it never would have happened without great blues and rhythm and blues songs and artists.

And on top of all that, it’s a train song and what could be more rockabilly than that?