Choo Choo Ch' Boogie

This became one of the biggest hits of the jump blues era. The lyrics follow a hobo riding the rails looking for work after World War II. The rhythm section famously mimics the chugging sound of a locomotive: a staple motif in the blues tradition. Though written by country music songwriters and Decca producer Milt Gabler, Jordan attacks the 12-bar blues progression with his Tympany Five's trademark swing, proving that the rhythm of the American railroad was a universal musical language shared across genre lines.