Mystery Train

Recorded by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Herman "Junior" Parker's "Mystery Train" is a haunting, atmospheric collision of blues and country. Parker, leading the Blue Flames, sang a dark, localized variation of the traditional "Worried Man Blues," accompanied by his own mournful harmonica. The track is anchored by guitarist Floyd Murphy, who played a driving, cyclical riff that perfectly mimicked the clacking wheels of a midnight locomotive. The spooky, rhythmic recording was a moderate R&B hit, but it achieved immortality two years later when a young Elvis Presley radically sped it up, turning the ghostly lament into a rockabilly milestone.