Who recorded it first
The Train Kept A-Rollin'
Not an Aerosmith original — a 1951 Tiny Bradshaw single on King Records
Classic-rock radio has played Aerosmith’s version so long that most listeners file the song under Aerosmith, who cut it for “Get Your Wings” in 1974. It was first recorded by bandleader Tiny Bradshaw and his orchestra in Cincinnati on 6 October 1951, and issued by King Records that December as a jump-blues single paired with “Knockin’ Blues.” The composition is credited to Bradshaw with Howie Kay and “Lois Mann” — the latter a pen name used by King’s owner Syd Nathan. Bradshaw’s record never reached the national R&B charts; the song only became famous through a chain of later covers.
The record
Who recorded it first
Released Recorded in Cincinnati, Ohio on 6 October 1951 and released by King Records in December 1951 as a two-sided single — on both 10-inch 78 rpm and 7-inch 45 rpm — paired with “Knockin’ Blues.”
Charted Did not chart. Despite five other Bradshaw records reaching the R&B top ten for King, this one never appeared on the national R&B charts, though Billboard’s reviewer praised the vocal in its 23 February 1952 issue.
Hear Tiny Bradshaw’s original jump-blues recording — horns, shuffle rhythm and Red Prysock’s tenor, not a guitar riff in sight www.youtube.com · Auto-generated Art Track on the “Tiny Bradshaw - Topic” channel, description reading “Provided to YouTube by The-Source”, writer credits Bradshaw / Kay / Mann. Runtime 2:48, matching the 2:46 length MusicBrainz gives for the recording on King 45-4497.How the song travelled
Tiny Bradshaw records it in Cincinnati on 6 October 1951; King Records releases it that December — see the original King 45-4497 single ↗.
Johnny Burnette and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio recorded a rockabilly version on 2 July 1956 at Bradley’s Barn in Nashville and Coral released it that September, with Paul Burlison’s deliberately distorted guitar — detailed on Wikipedia ↗.
The Yardbirds record their fuzz-tone arrangement in September 1965 and release it on Epic on 15 November 1965; it becomes the template later bands copy.
Aerosmith release their hard rock version on “Get Your Wings” (Columbia) in March 1974 — the version most listeners now think of as the original.
The composition and its recordings on MusicBrainzKnow more about the original — or think we’ve got it wrong? Add a source →
Fact-check
Setting the record straight
Aerosmith’s 1974 recording is the one most people have heard, and for many listeners it is simply where the song comes from. The paperwork says otherwise.
Aerosmith
Their two-part hard rock version appeared on “Get Your Wings” (Columbia) in March 1974 and became a classic-rock staple. The October 1974 single edit did not chart. They were working from the Yardbirds’ 1965 arrangement, not from scratch.
Tiny Bradshaw and his orchestra
Recorded in Cincinnati on 6 October 1951 and released by King Records that December on 78 and 45 (catalogue 45-4497), paired with “Knockin’ Blues.” A jump-blues record with horns and shuffle rhythm. It did not appear on the national R&B charts.
Tiny Bradshaw, Howie Kay and Lois Mann
“Lois Mann” was a pen name used by King Records owner Syd Nathan — a label-boss share of the publishing rather than a contribution to the song. Bradshaw derived the piece from the earlier “Cow-Cow Boogie” (1942).
Johnny Burnette’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio and The Yardbirds
Burnette’s Coral single of September 1956 carried Paul Burlison’s distorted guitar; the Yardbirds’ Epic release of November 1965 set the fuzz-tone arrangement that Aerosmith and everyone after them followed.
First recorded by Tiny Bradshaw, 6 October 1951, released by King Records in December 1951. Aerosmith’s version is the fourth well-known one.
Context
How a jump-blues B-list single became an Aerosmith song
The song did not travel from Bradshaw to Aerosmith in one leap — it was handed along. Johnny Burnette and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio recorded it on 2 July 1956 in Nashville and Coral released it that September, and guitarist Paul Burlison’s deliberately distorted tone on that record is often cited as one of the first intentional uses of guitar distortion on a rock recording. The Yardbirds cut their version in September 1965 and released it that November on Epic; Jeff Beck’s fuzz-tone arrangement became the template everyone afterwards followed, and Led Zeppelin later used it as a concert opener.
By the time Aerosmith reached it in 1974, the song had been a rock song for eighteen years and a jump-blues record for less than five. The scale of that eclipse is captured by a remark Jeff Beck reported hearing from listeners — that they liked his angle on the Aerosmith tune. If the man whose arrangement Aerosmith were working from got mistaken for the imitator, a 1951 Cincinnati bandleader never stood a chance.
The chain of custody, step by step
- 6 October 1951 — Tiny Bradshaw and his orchestra record the song in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- December 1951 — King Records issues it on 10-inch 78 and 7-inch 45 (catalogue 45-4497), paired with “Knockin’ Blues.” The record does not reach the national R&B charts.
- 23 February 1952 — Billboard’s Rhythm & Blues Record Reviews column praises the vocal on what it calls a rocking novelty.
- September 1956 — Johnny Burnette and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Trio release a rockabilly version on Coral, with Paul Burlison’s distorted guitar.
- September–November 1965 — The Yardbirds record and release their fuzz-tone arrangement on Epic; it becomes the version later bands copy.
- March 1974 — Aerosmith release their two-part hard rock version on “Get Your Wings” (Columbia). A single edit follows in October 1974 and does not chart.
Bradshaw’s record never charted. Neither did anyone else’s — the song outlived the charts entirely.