James Alfred Smith Preston (August 18, 1913 – December 17, 1984), was an American R&B bandleader, alto saxophonist,

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

mer and singer who made an important contribution to early rock and roll.

Career

Preston was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, and formed his own group in 1945. His first R&B top ten hit was with "Hucklebuck Daddy" in 1949, recorded for Philadelphia's Gotham Records. His main claim to fame was to record, as Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians, the original version of "

Rock the Joint "Rock the Joint", also known as "We're Gonna Rock This Joint Tonight", is a 1949 boogie song recorded by various proto- rock and roll singers, notably Jimmy Preston and early rock and roll singers, most notably Bill Haley in 1952. Preston's ver ...

" for Gotham in 1949. The sax breaks on "Rock the Joint" were the work of tenor player Danny Turner (1920–1995). "Rock the Joint" was re-recorded by Jimmy Cavallo in 1951, and Bill Haley and the Saddlemen in 1952. In 1950, tenor saxophone player

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launch ...

and pianist Billy Gaines were added to his new line-up and recorded songs like "Early Morning Blues" and "Hayride".J C Marion, "Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians"
. Retrieved September 29, 2016 Preston moved to Derby Records and had a final R&B hit with a cover of Louis Prima’s "Oh Babe". Preston gave up playing music in 1952, but as Reverend Dr. James S. Preston, he founded the Victory Baptist Church in 1962. He died in Philadelphia in 1984, aged 71.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Jimmy American rock musicians Musicians from Philadelphia Rhythm and blues saxophonists 1913 births 1984 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century saxophonists Rock and roll musicians 20th-century African-American musicians