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Jimmy Forest & All Star Combo-Night Train United Records-78-110-1952 ....new finds from Toledo Record Show Nov 11, 2012
"Night Train" has a long and complicated history. The piece's opening riff was first recorded in 1940 by a small group led by Duke Ellington sideman Johnny Hodges under the title "That's the Blues, Old Man". Ellington used the same riff as the opening and closing theme of a longer-form composition, "Happy-Go-Lucky Local", that was itself one of four parts of his Deep South Suite. Forrest was part of Ellington's band when it performed this composition, which has a long tenor saxophone break in the middle. After leaving Ellington, Forrest recorded "Night Train" on United Records and had a major rhythm & blues hit. While "Night Train" employs the same riff as the earlier recordings, it is used in a much earthier R&B setting. Forrest inserted his own solo over a stop-time rhythm not used in the Ellington composition. He put his own stamp on the tune, but its relation to the earlier composition is obvious.
Like Illinois Jacquet's solo on "Flying Home", Forrest's original saxophone solo on "Night Train" became a veritable part of the composition, and is usually recreated in cover versions by other performers. Buddy Morrow's trombone transcription of Forrest's solo from his big-band recording of the tune is similarly incorporated into many performances.

"Night Train" has been recorded by numerous performers over the years:
Jimmy Forrest's original version of "Night Train" was a #1 R&B hit in 1952. Forrest later recorded a Spanish Tinge version titled "Night Train Mambo".
Rusty Bryant also had an R&B hit in 1952 with "All Nite Long", an uptempo version recorded live that also incorporated the riff and audience chorus from Joe Houston's "All Night Long".
A big band version recorded by Buddy Morrow and His Orchestra reached #27 on the charts, also in 1952. This version features a Morrow himself playing lead trombone and performing the classic trombone solo.
Louis Prima released a version in his album The Wildest!, released in 1957. It features Sam Butera on saxophone and begins with a "C. C. Rider" segment.
Chet Atkins performed "Night Train" as a guitar-lead big band instrumental on Teensville, 1960.
The rock and roll instrumental group The Viscounts recorded the tune twice, once in 1960 and again in 1966 in a version where they used their instruments to imitate the sound of a train.
James Brown released a version of "Night Train" in 1962 that reached #5 on the R&B charts and #35 on the pop charts. His performance replaced the original lyrics of the song with a shouted rough list of the stations on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's Silver Meteor service and many repetitions of the song's name. A live version of the tune was the closing number on his breakthrough 1963 album Live at the Apollo.
Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson recorded "Night Train" with his trio on a 1962 album of the same name.
Bill Doggett, famous for his own instrumental "Honky Tonk", released a version of "Night Train" in 1964 as a two-part single.
The tune was part of the repertoire of the British rhythm and blues group Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames during their residency at the legendary Flamingo Club in London's Soho in the early 1960s (with Fame mimicking the list of train stations used by James Brown). It featured on Fame's first 1964 album, the live Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo. It featured again on the 1998 album The Very Best of Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames.
The World Saxophone Quartet recorded a version on their album Rhythm and Blues (1989).
Ska band The Toasters covered the song on their 1992 album New York Fever
Kadoc released a dance/electronic track "The Nighttrain" with samples from the James Brown recording.
Public Enemy also released a version of "Night Train" which took samples from the James Brown version.
Saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded a version on his 1995 album Caracas
The group Reverend Organdrum (featuring Jim "The Reverend Horton Heat" Heath) performs "Night Train" on their 2008 album Hi-Fi Stereo.
Wes Montgomery & Jimmy Smith's version appears on the album Jazz Like You've Never Heard It Before.