RARE ROCKABILLY Hank Mizell Jungle Rock / When I’m In Your Arms King 1959 G+

$

75

Original King 45-5236 7-inch 45 RPM by Hank Mizell, pairing his immortal rockabilly cult favorite “Jungle Rock” with “When I’m In Your Arms,” credited to Hank Mizell and guitarist Jim Bobo.

A-Side: Jungle Rock

B-Side: When I’m In Your Arms

Original King release: August 24, 1959. The song itself was first issued on the tiny Eko label in 1958, then picked up and reissued by King the following year.

🔍 Catalog & Matrix Information

Label: King Records

Catalog Number: 45-5236

“Jungle Rock” matrix: 45-K4299

The visible dead wax in your photo also shows the K4299 matrix designation.

“When I’m In Your Arms” is associated with the King pairing and was originally recorded with Jim Bobo. The earlier Eko issue is documented with matrix JO8W-1141 for that side.

🎸 Why This Record Matters

This is not just another obscure rockabilly 45. “Jungle Rock” became one of the strangest sleeper hits in rock & roll history.

The record initially went nowhere commercially in America. Then, nearly two decades later, it was rediscovered in Europe and became a major hit in 1976, reaching #3 in the UK and becoming a significant chart record in continental Europe.

That delayed explosion turned Hank Mizell into one of rockabilly’s great rediscovery stories.

Musically, the record is pure primitive rockabilly: pounding rhythm, wild novelty imagery, country phrasing and that slightly dangerous garage-like looseness collectors prize in late-1950s independent rock & roll.

The songwriting credits on Jungle Rock include Hank Mizell, Jim Bobo, Bill Collins and Ralph Simonton.

👑 King Records Pedigree

King Records of Cincinnati is one of the most collectible independent labels in American music history, with a catalog spanning country, R&B, blues, gospel, soul and early rock & roll.

A King pressing of a title this strongly associated with the rockabilly revival carries substantially more collector cachet than a later European reissue.

🏆 Detroit Crate-Digger Provenance

This copy absolutely shows the telltale preservation methods from the collection.

The original labels are heavily worn and partially protected/reconstructed with tape, particularly around the center hole and across portions of the paper label. That kind of intervention appears throughout this private archive, where vulnerable label areas were often reinforced in order to keep playable records in circulation.

It comes from the private collection of a legendary Detroit crate-digger and one-time DJ, whose collection was built around finding and preserving unusual American music long before many of these records became recognized collector pieces.

A genuine “piece of rock history from an epic collection of rare 45’s, filled with dj copies and promos of early northern soul, doo-woo, rockabilly, detroit garage and psyche rock.”

And in this case, the phrase is almost literal: “Jungle Rock” is exactly the kind of cult rockabilly artifact that belongs at the center of such a collection.

Condition — G+ / VG- Vinyl, Poor Labels

Vinyl: visually approximately G+ to VG-. Numerous surface marks, scuffs and scratches are visible, but the playing surface still appears intact with no obvious catastrophic break or missing edge section.

Labels: Poor / heavily damaged. Both original King labels show major paper loss, abrasion, staining and extensive tape reinforcement, including large taped sections around the center hole. Much of the important artist/title information remains readable, but these are clearly distressed labels.

Because the label condition is severe, I would be very transparent in the listing and let the rarity and history do the selling.

If this plays through without skipping, especially if Jungle Rock comes through loud and punchy, that would materially improve the listing.