Another great jump artist and songwriter was Roy Brown. His most famous song was performed in 1948 by Wynonie Harris and if it is not a rock 'n' roll song, it has certainly left a mark on that genre--"Good Rockin' Tonight":
Good Rockin' Tonight by Wynonie Harris (1948) - YouTube
Oddly, when Brown wrote the song and tried to give to Harris, Harris turned him away. So Roy offered it to Cecil Gant. Gant loved it but didn't feel it was for him so Gant called the president of King Records and made Roy sing it to him over the phone. Roy was immediately offered a contract and became one of the top R&B acts of the pre-rock 'n'roll period. Only then did Harris decide to record the song and it promptly shot to #1 and is today the only song Harris is remembered for.
Roy didn't get his fair share of the royalties for his songs not surprisingly was forced to supplement his income selling encyclopedias door-to-door and did time for tax evasion. He did win a lawsuit over royalties but that probably worked more against him than anything as Nick Tosches believed that the industry blacklisted him as a result. Roy's fortunes came and went but by 1970 he had another hit album. He continued to perform and once did a show where Paul McCartney sat in the front row with his mouth hanging open in amazement. Roy Brown died of a heart attack at age 55 in 1981.
"Big Town" 1951:
Big Town - Roy Brown - YouTube
If Roy Brown only released this next number and did nothing else, he still deserves to go down in rock 'n' roll history. The jumpiest jump blues EVER from 1950--"Butcher Pete" (both A and B sides):
Roy Brown - Butcher Pete (Full Version) + Lyrics! - YouTube