You also have to bear in mind that the phenomenon of the disco was way off in the future. Much longer than, say, four years would now. The gap between 19/58 when the rock & roll phenomenon took off was a long, long period. There were local record stores run by black American people – often couples – who would sell black music. It was certainly true that until the mid-’70s, at least, black American record buyers covered the full age spectrum. That came later with marketing and so on. It isn’t – or wasn’t – focused on this teenage phenomenon. This song – “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” – it was about adult passions, and adult interactions, I think, are a significant part of black American music.
The first impact of hearing the Ruth Brown record that day was just how adult the music was compared to the pop music of that era, which was Doris Day and Frankie Laine. I thought, “I’ve been into this for years.” I noticed in America that white artists were covering black artists’ songs. When the rock & roll phenomenon came about – I think it was at its height in 1957 in Britain – to me it was all old hat.
