THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

293-Hank Mizel-Jungle Rock.

1958-It did not chart until it was re-released in 1976, when reaching Number 3.

Best Bit-At 0.10. It took 18 years for this song to become a hit, so it appears that the ‘Jungle Drums’ were communicating very slowly.

Hank Mizel was born William M. Mizel, on November 9th, 1923, in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, he died on December 23rd, 1992, at the age of 69. After joining the United States Army, and serving in the Second World War, Mizel decided to take up singing professionally in a band that included a guitarist called Jim Bobo. Mizel got a job in Montgomery, Alabama, singing regularly on a local radio station, where one of the presenters nicknamed him ‘Hank’ after the Country singer Hank Williams (see also best songs 555.)

In 1958 Mizel and Bobo were approached by a local Country vocalist called Gene Parsons, who had just set up his own record label called ‘Eko Records,’ the duo recorded three songs for the label, including ‘Jungle Rock.’ Although ‘Jungle Rock’ made no impression with the record buying public, it did receive favourable reviews from the Billboard magazine which wrote,’A persistent jungle blues item would make good swingin’ dance fare.’ Some eight months later after the song had come to the attention of an employee at the ‘King Records’ label the song was re-issued, but once again failed to make any real impact. Mizel and Bobo continued playing live together until 1962, until it was no longer financially viable. Mizel was now married, and also had four children to support, and he took the decision to give up music, and become a preacher for the Church of Christ.

In 1971 unbeknown to Mizel, ‘Jungle Rock’ was one of the tracks reissued on a Dutch bootleg compilation Album called ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll, Vol 1,’ it had been issued by the Dutchman Cees Klop who was a collector of rare 1950’s Rock ‘N’ Roll. Some of the early ‘Eko Records’ recordings of ‘Jungle Rock’ has mistakenly credited Jim Bobo with being the songs writer, and Klop took that information, and Bobo was credited as the songs writer on the Album. The Album came to the attention of the British DJ Roy Williams, who started playing ‘Jungle Rock,’ this led to ‘Charly Records’ who specialised in reissuing old songs releasing it in the UK in 1976. The song went on to reach Number 3 in the UK, Number 9 in Sweden,Number 2 in Belgium, and Number 1 in the Netherlands.

Hank Mizel who was now 53 years old had no idea that ‘Jungle Rock’ had become a European hit some 18 years after he first recorded it. The British flagship music programme ‘Top of the Pops,’ had to use their in house dancers ‘Pans People’ to perform the song when it first charted, but Mizel was finally tracked down in Tennessee, and was persuaded to come over to England and perform the song on the show, he also appeared on the Dutch music programme ‘Toppop.’

‘Jungle Rock’ would be Hank Mizel’s only hit, although ‘Charly Records’ reissued another old Mizel song ‘Kangaroo Rock’ in 1976 as the follow up single, which reached Number 59 in the UK. An Album was also hastily put together of Mizel’s old material, and some covers, which was also called ‘Jungle Rock,’ and charted in Sweden where it made Number 36.

‘Oh well the fox grabbed the rabbit and they hit the bunny hug, and all the beasts that fly was a cutting the rug.Oh well the camel was a jitter buggin’ with a kangaroo, and the elephant, the mover with the ring-ding-oo.’