Featuring twin brothers Cliff and Claude Trenier, the Treniers helped link swing music to rock & roll with their brand of hot jump blues in the late '40s and early '50s. Their early-'50s singles actually sound closer to swing than rock. In fact, Cliff and Claude once performed with the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra.

The group is credited with innovating some crucial elements of rock & roll with their solid, thumping beats, their squealing saxophone solos, and their song titles, such as "Rocking on Sunday Night," "Rockin' Is Our Business," and "It Rocks! It Rolls! It Swings!"

The Treniers' brand of swing/rock/R&B was said to have strongly influenced Bill Haley who saw them when both acts were playing summer shows at Wildwood, NJ.

Their best work was recorded for OKeh in the early '50s; by the middle of the decade, their sound was more R&B-oriented. Like many early R&B pioneers, they were unable to find success in the rock & roll era, though they appeared in a few of the first rock & roll films.

The one surviving brother, Milt joined the group in 1951 along with his brother Buddy. They joined twins Cliff and Claude to make the group a Trenier quartet. The foursome had a Top Ten hit in 1951 with "Go Go Go," but are much better known for their spirited appearances in classic rock films such as Don't Knock the Rock, The Girl Can't Help It, and Calypso Heat Wave.

Milt left the Treniers in 1959 to persue a solo career and can currently be found playing in clubs around the Chicago area. He has put together a killer band that including saxman Dave "Bubba" Mitchell who played for Lionel Hampton.

This video clip is a reminder of how far ahead of their time they were, and how much fun and excitement they brought to our lives.

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