An Example Of An Omega Psi Phi Fraternity "Attention" Stance & An Omega Chant That Is Similar To "The Duckworth Count" ("Sound Off")

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post provides a short excerpt about the military influence on historically Black Greek fraternity and sorority organizations.

This post also showcases a video of Bro. Smitty, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. demonstrating 1960s Omega chants and marches. An "attention" stance and an Omega chant from the 1960s that is similar to the Duckworth Chant ("Sound Off") are featured in that demonstration.

The Addendum of this post provides information, a video, and a short example of the United States military's "Duckworth Count" (also known as "Sound Off".)

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, historical, and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Bro Smitty for his demonstration of 1960s Omega stances and marches. Thanks also to Willie Duckworth for composing the "Duckworth Chant" and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. In addition, thanks to the publishers of these video on YouTube.

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EXCERPT FROM AFRICAN AMERICAN FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES: THE LEGACY AND VISION
[by] Tamara L. Brown, ‎Gregory Parks, ‎Clarenda M. Phillips et. al

Google Books - https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0813123445
[Page 327]
"THE MILITARY
The military has played a large part in the formation and continuation of BGLO chants and steps. One might even say that the performance behaviors of both the military and BGLOs exists in a kind of symbiotic relationship...

The brothers of Omega Psi Phi with their paramilitary garb, trace stepping back to the military influence of the early 1900s. Ex-soldiers attending college would incorporate marches and drills into their BGLO behaviors. During the grand conclave in 1996, a group of Omega men were interviewed regarding the early influence of the military on stepping. “A lot of

[Page] 328

the brothers who helped form this organization were members of the military ROTC programs back in college…If you ever see a line of marching down pledges, they march like a military line that you might see when….marines do their drills. It’s the same with a pledge line or brothers when we step.

Shannon Rawls of Kappa Alpha Psi elaborated: “Members of black organizations, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi…that went to the military for World War II back in the late 30s and early 40s would come back home and incorporate some of the same cadences and military style back into…the stepping style, or the dance style that they did...

Stepping during this early period was called lining, descriptive of the formation in which soldiers marched. Some Omegas and other BGLO members still refer to stepping as marching on account of this early military influence...

The position of “attention” and “at ease” are often found in BGLO step performances. When at attention, the steppers face forward with their feet placed together, their eyes directed slightly above the crowd, and their arms either at their sides or slightly parallel to the earth with both fists meeting in the middle of their chest. When given the call for at ease, the performers spread their feet shoulder length apart, clasp their hands behind their backs, and turn their heads first to the side, then forward to face the crowd. Between the various segments of the performance, the steppers stand at attention or at ease as a method of showing readiness."...
-snip-
"BGLOs" = (historically) Black Greek letter organizations (college/university based fraternities and sororities)

"Conclave" = a private meeting; in this case, a private gathering of members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-military-influences-on-historically.html for a longer excerpt on this subject from that book.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: 80th Grand Conclave Marchdown in Las Vegas-Bro Smitty Set It Out



Richard Nichols, Published on Jul 29, 2016

Bro. Smitty Set It Out after receiving his 50th Year Pin at The 80th Grand Conclave Marchdown in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bro Smitty Crossed the burning sands of Omega at Tennessee State University Fall of 1966.
-snip-
"Set it out" is an African American Vernacular English phrase that means "to do something very well".

The attention command and stance is shown at .21 of this video.

The Omega chant that I believe is similar to the United States military's "Duckworth Chant" ("Sound Off") begins at 1:14 of this video.

Here's my transcription of that Omega chant*:
"Left.
Left.
On your left.
Right.
On your left
Right.
On your left
Right.
Left
Right.
Left
Right.
On your left.
On your left.
On your left
Right.
Left
Right.
Left
Right.
On your left
Your right.
Your left
your right
your left
Your right
Your left.
Ooh!
Your left
Your right.
Your left
Your right
Your left
Your right
Your left.
Ooh!
On your left
Right.
On your left
Right.
Que.
Psi.
Phi."
-snip-
Transcription from the video. Additions and corrections are welcome.

As is the case with other BGLO (historically Black Greek letter organization) chants, this example is given for folkloric and cultural purposes and should only be performed by those who are affiliated with this particular fraternity.

*For referencing purposes, I'm proposing the title "Omega Psi Phi's Cadence Count (1960s)" for this chant. If you know the real title of this chant, please share it in this post's comment section below.

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ADDENDUM - THE DUCKWORTH CHANT

Duckworth Chant Ft Slocum 1945 VDisc TSgt Felice Intro & Main Version



Michael Cavanaugh, Published on Jul 21, 2013

In mid-1944, then-Pvt. Willie Lee Duckworth Sr., detached from Camp Kilmer NJ to Ft. Slocum NY for Provisional Training, devised a marching cadence. It is known first as the Duckworth Chant, later as the Jody Call; it was also copyrighted as Sound Off and various pop recordings were made of it. Although he first devised it on post, Duckworth led it (as the introduction here recounts) marching back from bivouac in nearby Ardsley.

After Duckworth returned to post, he was called in by the Commanding Officer, Col. Bernard Lentz. (He is shown in front of the tent.) During WWI Lentz had invented The Cadence System of Teaching Close-Order Drill, and was enthusiastic about Duckworth's cadence. In the time remaining before returning to Kilmer, Lentz detailed Duckworth to work on the cadence with instructors in the Provisional Training Center, including T/Sgt Henry "Jack" Felice, seen on the viewer's right in the group shot, and WO Edward "Eddie" Sadowski, then leader of the post band, the 378th Army Service Forces Band. Felice reads the introduction, then leads the standard version of the Duckworth Chant; together these formed the A side of a V-Disc recorded at Slocum in Raymond Hall in 1945 with inmates of what had then become the Rehabilitation Center. (That is Felice leading the Chant in the marching photo with the water tower in the background.)

After the War, Lentz copyrighted the chant as Sound Off; he shared the royalties with Duckworth, and to this day they continue to come in to both the Duckworth and Lentz families.

In 2009 a committee of local admirers led by Rosby Gordon placed this granite marker on the grounds of the courthouse in Washington Co, GA, T/4 Duckworth's home county; at the same time a portion of GA State Hwy 252, running in front of Duckworth's house, was named in his honor. Duckworth's chant, the Jody, remains a staple both of military life and of popular culture (from the soundtracks of military-themed films to jingles such as SpongeBob Squarepants).
-snip-
This summary is reformatted in this post for greater reading clarity.

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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/information-about-examples-of-duckworth.html for a pancocojams post about the Duckworth Chant (also known as "Sound Off"). Here's one brief example of "Sound Off":

..."I had a good home, but I left (you're right)
I had a good home, but I left (you're right)
Jody was there, when I left (you're right)
Jody was there, when I left (you're right)

Sound off (1-2)
Sound off (3-4)
Cadence count
1-2-3-4 (1-2, 3-4)"...
Source: http://www.lyricstime.com/vaughn-monroe-sound-off-lyrics.html
-snip-
"Jody" is "Joe de Grinder" ("Joe The Grinder"), an African American folk character who steals other men's women. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/three-songs-about-joe-grinder.html for a Pancocojams post on "Joe The Grinder".

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