“Do The Funky Chicken” Performed by Rufus Thomas (1970)

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#5 R&B, #28 Pop

Earlier this summer Philadephia celebrated the 50th anniversary of the sixties dance craze  “The Twist.”  The Twist  was a worldwide phenomenon that was danced by young, old and in between!

With that in mind there is a new month on the calendar and a new musical post theme here at OSML  …  “Dance To The Music”  with the operative word being DANCE!

There were so many dances in the sixties and very early seventies other than the Twist, and I am not sure which came first, the dances or the songs (LOL). But we shall take a look at some of these awesome hit tunes honoring the dances of the boomer era during the month of September here at OSML.

I shall begin with another Stax artist that was beloved by one and all —   Mr. Rufus Thomas.

Thomas began creating his own dances and songs in 1963 with “Walking The Dog.” He also made up dances and songs for: “The Breakdown”,  “The Push & Pull”, “The Funky Penguin” and my favorite to watch  performed “The Funky Chicken”.

I bet Mr. Thomas  was quite a hoot in person and that his daughter Carla has super fond memories of this composer , musician, and performer that she was lucky enough to call Dad.

Prior to being the Crown Prince of Rock & Soul,  Thomas was a successful Memphis DJ at one of the few black-owned stations of the era.

Here is a partial video of Thomas performing “Do The Funky Chicken” on a TV program. It is followed by a complete live performance of the song. Enjoy dancing to the music.

Musically Yours,

Filed under:Dance to the Music,Do The Funky Chicken,Live Performances,Magnificent Male Vocalists,Pop/R&B,R&B/Soul,Rufus Thomas,Rufus Thomas Composer,Seventies,Stax of Soul,Stax/Volt