which was also released by RPM in 1952. Between 1952 and 1959, Gordon released numerous singles on Duke, Sun, Flip, and Vee-Jay Records. His last single to reach the charts was "Just a Little Bit" (No. 2 R&B, No. 64 Pop) in 1960. He was paid $250 for the song which became an R&B standard, covered by the Beatles, Etta James, Elvis Presley, and Jerry Butler. Gordon didn't receive royalties from the millions of copies sold in cover versions, because producer Ralph Bass at King Records stole the song from a demo Rosco sent and had it copyrighted before him. In the late 1950s, Gordon toured internationally, reaching South America and the Caribbean, where his off-beat rhythmic technique influenced the sound of early ska and reggae. In 1962, Gordon quit the music industry and moved to Queens, New York with his new wife, where he purchased a partnership in a laundry business after winning a poker game with a pair of deuces. In 1969, Gordon formed his own label, Bab-Roc, operated from his home, but he did not perform again until 1981. In 1983, he released the album Rosco Rocks Again, recorded live at the 100 Club in London. Following his wife's death in 1984, he returned to touring. In 2000, Gordon teamed up with blues guitarist Duke Robillard to release the album Memphis Tennessee. In 2002, Gordon was invited by the filmmaker Richard Pearce to be included in a documentary film about several blues musicians returning to Memphis for a tribute to Sam Phillips in conjunction with the May 2002 W.C. Handy Awards. The documentary, The Road to Memphis, aired on PBS television. Six weeks after filming finished, Gordon died at the age of 74 from a heart attack at his apartment in Rego Park, Queens on July 11, 2002. He was survived by three daughters, Victoria, Deborah, and Ruby; three sons, Marrc, Rosco III, and Keith; a sister, Ella Gordon Jefferson; and 10 grandchildren. He was interred in the Rosedale Cemetery in Linden, New Jersey. Discography Albums 1983: Rosco Rocks Again (JSP Records) 2000: Memphis Tennessee (Stony Plain Records) 2004: No Dark in America (Dualtone Records) Compilations 1977: The Legendary Sun Performers: Rosco Gordon (Charly Records) 1980: The Best of Rosco Gordon Volume One (Ace Records) 1982: Volume 2: The Memphis Sessions (Ace Records) 1993: Just a Little Bit (Vee-Jay Records) 1996: Rosco's Rhythm (Charly Records) 1998: Bootin'