A Session in Need of a Song
December 21, 1963. At Rudy Van Gelder’s legendary studio in New Jersey, Lee Morgan was wrapping up a recording session for Blue Note Records. The session was solid, featuring a top-tier band with Joe Henderson on tenor sax and Barry Harris on piano. But
there was a problem: they were short one song to complete the album. Morgan, a prodigious talent who had played with Dizzy Gillespie as a teen, was coming off a difficult period in his life and was just getting his career back on track. The pressure was on, but inspiration wasn't striking. The band was ready, the clock was ticking, and Morgan had nothing.
The Riff from the Washroom
According to bassist Bob Cranshaw, Morgan excused himself and went into the studio’s washroom. Ten minutes passed, then twenty. Just as the other musicians began to wonder what was happening, Morgan emerged with a piece of sheet music. What he had scribbled down wasn't the complex, fiery hard bop he was known for. Instead, it was a simple, bluesy, 24-bar riff with an infectious, danceable rhythm—a boogaloo beat. Reportedly written in that short break, it was a last-ditch effort to fill the remaining tape. He called it "The Sidewinder."
An Artist's Self-Doubt
Despite the tune’s undeniable groove, Morgan was unimpressed. As an artist steeped in the sophisticated language of hard bop, he viewed the simple, catchy melody as commercial filler, not serious art. It was this artistic dissatisfaction that led to his famous, near-fateful declaration. He considered the track a dashed-off novelty and was ready to scrap it, to literally throw the master tape away. For Morgan, it lacked the improvisational fire and intricate structure that he valued in his work. He couldn't see past its simplicity to the power it held.
From Studio Floor to Jukebox Smash
Fortunately, Blue Note founder Alfred Lion heard something else entirely. Lion recognized the track’s immense crossover potential. Blue Note initially pressed only 4,000 copies of the album, but they sold out in a matter of days. Radio stations and jukeboxes picked up on the title track's infectious groove. Soon, "The Sidewinder" was climbing the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 81 in January 1965—an almost unheard-of feat for a jazz instrumental. The song became a cultural phenomenon, even getting used in a Chrysler TV ad. The track Morgan almost threw away had become a runaway hit.
The Hit That Changed Everything
The success of "The Sidewinder" was monumental. It became Blue Note's best-selling album ever, single-handedly saving the label from near bankruptcy. It established the funky, accessible soul-jazz sound as a commercial force, a formula Blue Note and other labels would try to replicate for years. For Morgan, the song he once dismissed became his signature tune and biggest hit, providing financial stability and jumpstarting a new phase of his career. While it defined him in the public eye, it also created a new kind of pressure to produce another hit just like it. Yet, its legacy is undeniable, a masterpiece of groove and accessibility that brought jazz to a massive new audience and was eventually inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.
