Rosco Gordon (1928-2002) not only placed many a hit on the rhythm & blues charts in the 1950s, he is also remembered as one of rock and roll's founding fathers and a key figure in the formation of Jamaican ska.

Hailed for his unique sense of timing and off-beat shuffle on the 88s, something Phillips called "Rosco's Rhythm," the gifted R&B veteran is now considered a seminal early rock piano player alongside Ike Turner and a few others. Rosco's style also impacted the emerging ska movement of the late 1950s, when Jamaican artist Laurel Aitken gave Island Records its first hit with the Rosco-emulating "Boogie in My Bones." The song sparked a new art form, making Aitken the "godfather of ska," yet his source of inspiration took a less-celebrity-ridden route, settling down in the early '60s in Queens, New York, where he raised a family and bought into a laundry company.

Rosco's 2000 record Memphis, Tennessee, which earned a W.C. Handy Blues Awards nomination, gave him a deserved (albeit short-lived) comeback. Among his last appearances was a historic Sun reunion at the 2002 Handys with B.B. King, Ike Turner and Little Milton and a prominent role in 2003's acclaimed public television series "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues" (he's featured as well on several of its related soundtracks).

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