Jimmy McCracklin

Keyboard player, singer and hit songwriter McCracklin has been recording since 1945. His early recordings were of a Jump Blues/proto R&B hybrid, similar to a lot of music bubbling up in the days just preceding rock 'n' roll. He hit the Top-10 R&B and Pop charts in 1956 with "The Walk." Though he has charted numerous times throughout his career, his biggest hit came in the '60s covering the song "Tramp," first recorded by Rufus and Carla Thomas for the Stax label and later by many other artists, including rappers Salt-N-Pepa. Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about McCracklin is the way his career has segued effortlessly from the '40s into the next millennium.