Rufus Thomas - Walking The Dog (1964)
Reelblack One, Nov 27, 2019
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001)
was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter,
dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for
several labels, including Chess Records and Sun Records in the 1950s, before
becoming established in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records. He is best known
for his novelty dance records, including "Walking the Dog" (1963),
"Do the Funky Chicken" (1969) and "(Do the) Push and Pull"
(1970). According to the Mississippi Blues Commission, "Rufus Thomas
embodied the spirit of Memphis music perhaps more than any other artist, and
from the early 1940s until his death . . . occupied many important roles in the
local scene."[4]
He began his career as a tap dancer, vaudeville performer, and master of ceremonies in the 1930s. He later worked as a disc jockey on radio station WDIA in Memphis, both before and after his recordings became successful. He remained active into the 1990s and as a performer and recording artist was often billed as "The World's Oldest Teenager". He was the father of the singers Carla Thomas (with whom he recorded duets) and Vaneese Thomas and the keyboard player Marvell Thomas. - Wikipedia
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series about the hit 1963 song "Walking The Dog" and the dance "Walking The Dog".
This post showcases two YouTube videos of Rufus Thomas performing his song "Walking The Dog" along with selected comments from the discussion threads of those videos.
Click __ for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post showcases videos of how the "Walking The Dog" dance was performed. That post also includes selected comments from those videos' discussion threads.
Addendum #1 to that post presents some comments from a Facebook post about memories of performing "Walking The Dog" prior to the 21st century.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Rufus Thomas for his musical legacy. Thanks to all others who are featured in these videos and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM SHOWCASE VIDEO #1
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw1KAlQSYjw
2020
1. @jerryblair61
"What a great classic one of my 45s when I was a kid Ablums and 45s then"
**
2. @maurice8607
"A great clip from British tv show, Ready Steady Go."
**
3. @bobwatson1162
"The Memphis bulldog Rufus Thomas made some funky dance music
especially in the 70s"
**
4. @sunrah4469
"The original Dance maven "the breakdown "
"Funky Penguin" "Funky Chicken" "Push and
Pull"...oh , and he was also the top black radio D.J. In Memphis &
Carla Thomas' father. Rufus Thomas was No joke. 👍❤💪🔥"
**
Reply
5. @BedeYahEmmanuel
"He really wasn't, and when he wanted to, he could carry a t[un]e with the best of them.
I heard him do "Trouble In Mind" Live one night
& said Damn! I didn't know that.
And "Talkin Bout True Love" in my JAMM!!"
**
6. @souljazzrb
"Rufus was the Man back in the early 70s when I was a kid.
"Do the Push and Pull" was one of the first records I ever owned. RIP
Mr. Thomas."
**
7. @3rdeyevisions
"Let me preface by saying I love this artist, secondly, I am
totally blind, and because I may not be able to see what is going on in the
audience, I feel that there are some white people there simply because of the
way they are clapping to the beat, I was not really impressed with this
performance because I belt that he tone the song down a bit and structured to
meet the needs of these people, much different, I do know that people do
perform differently in concert"
**
Reply
8. @dismith73
"Also the band is white"
**
Reply
9. @3rdeyevisions
"Di Smith knew
something was different"
**
Reply
10. @theancienteternaloaktree
"Performers are successful if they can size up an audience,
and give them what they want. Rufus was
a master at this. He could play to any
audience, and give them soul, funk, or even a comic performance if that's what
they wanted. The reason why this is one
of his best performances, is because he was bringing an entirely new flavor to
a lot of people who had never had a taste before, and they came away satisfied,
wanting more. That's success, for an
artist. Even in cooking, you don't
always give them the hot chilis. Betimes, you want something more
accessible. That's my two cents, as a
person who knew him, from Memphis."
**
Reply
11. @sangredelic
"Well it's in the UK? Not many black people there, especially
in the sixties. Maybe they couldn't find any"
****
2021
12. @mrmaxxx94
"RUFUS Thomas had some of the funkiest and funniest songs and
they are still slamming"
**
13. @johnshew631
"Recorded live on 'Ready Steady Go' UK TV music show recorded
live every week 1963 -66, not sure who is backing Rufus anybody got any info,
certainly Brit musicians"
**
Reply
14. @fbrown9861, 2023
"I know this comment is a year old but the backing band are
Tony Knight’s Chessmen. (source: my granddad was the drummer)"
**
Reply
15. @johnshew631, 2023
"@fbrown9861 Thanks for the info."
**
16. @icewaterslim7260
"Unlike most of the TV performances in that small a venue
back then . . . No lip sync . . . the way to play it real and the band sounds
good."
**
17. @shyratolbert7371
"My grandfather use 2 sing this song 2 me in his own way when
I was little.
I can still hear him singing it sometimes. (R.I.P. I miss
you everyday.👼❤😢)"
**
18. @123bentbrent
"I've always been a huge Rolling Stones fan. RIP Charlie
Watts. But their cover of this song, is nowhere near as good as Rufus's version"
**
19. @brucefulper4204
"Infectious groove. So very very good. RIP Rufus. You were
one cool cat."
**
20. @colinhalliley111
"The dance , Walking The Dog , could be danced to nice or
real naughty . Use your imagination if you don't know 😁"
**
21. @amberhumphreys807
"Love this ! When it
first came out I was 20 and I danced to it, a lot in Soho London ! Still sounds
just as good today. What a great artist."
**
22. @quoV11
"Yessssssss BACK IN THE DAY❤"
**
23. @mocksock69
"I had always thought this was originally an Aerosmith song!
This is great though. These black singers created rocknroll and deserve more
credit!"
**
Reply
24. @marcobechere4452, 2022
"Too much artists recorded this song before the Aerosmiths to
be considered an Aerosmiths' song."
**
Reply
25. @cronopio2236, 2022
"@marcobechere4452 but very few own it as Aerosmith does"
****
2022
26. @danielstump3204
"what year?
A black performer and an all-white audience loving it!"
**
Reply
27. @57highland, 2024
"Late '64 or early '65 on English TV."
**
28. @vitabricksnailslime8273
"One of the other commentators mentioned that this was from the British show, Ready, Steady, Go. Which was good. I'd already picked the audience as British, and was looking for just such a comment. You might recall that the "British invasion" was heralded by bands covering blues numbers. The Stones do a terrific cover of this which most here seem to think inferior to this, although for me, it's tops. You can find them (can't really tell if they're miming) doing a live version on YouTube. You might also note that Howlin' Wolf was making something of a sensation in the UK around this time. It's a fact that many of the original artists got the recognition they deserved only after groups such as the Yardbirds had covered their songs."
**
29.@Dregni
"In 1963 I was a Boy of 11yrs old and my older sister was a
14yr old BOBBIE SOXER, her and friends would clear the floor in the living room
and adjoining dining room and “Walk The Dog”. She knew all of the latest songs
and dances, releases were choreographed with a new dance 💃!
So cool back then like mashed potato, the jerk, the swim, locomotion, the pony,
hand jive and the twist."
30. @ben3tiger, 2025
"I was 12, remember those days so well"
**
31. @SonariMusic100
"This dance was so raunchy back then. Notice how you see 0
kids dancing to this song until the end, and then it's just their heads?"
**
32. @michaelstucker6739, 2024
"Better'n the Stones! Better'n Aerosmith! The man, the myth,
the legend! Rufus Thomas!!!!!!!"
**
33. @splatgang7127
"bro im only here cuz my grandpa told me bout this song"
**
34. @hildibildibaldi
"Introduced by Keith Fordyce this programme was on ITV
(Rediffusion) every Friday - Ready, Steady, Go!"
**
35. @basilmarasco1975
"Great song. My favorite part is the whistle. "C'mon,
boy! Come on! Come on!" "
**
36. @SerpentOfTheWound
"He must have made a good living off just this
one song. Think of the royalties! There were so many remakes of this"
**
37. @randy464
"How do explain that sound? Blues funk ...."
****
2023
38. @bangna5
"Understand from user
comments and DJBobbyJay who worked the radio with Rufus.that Rufus wrote Gee
Whiz in 1958 for Carla but held the song back because he didn't think her voice
was developed sufficiently for the power
of the song"
**
39. @maryrandolph7751
"Memphis loved Rufus, always an honor to bump into him."
**
40. @floydpattersonii4996
"love the drummer...bet his family made him choose between
them or playin with rufus..1:33- Rufus sings as if right after the song, he has
to go rt back to the lunch counter n rejoin the civil rights protester"
**
41. @carolmiles2351
"Ya can't beat old school....😆👀"
****
2024
42. @gabbyokorare364
"Rufus Thomas shock the world with his iconic hit"
walking the dog 1964. Top of the charts for many years..I danced to this
hit...1965 when I was in form two in college... great guy. Rufus lives ON!!"
**
43. @procopiojrpalacios9702
"The mighty Rufus Thomas gettin' down and funky, with a nice
little backup band helpin' him walk that dog...!"
**
44. @pharoah1200
"He created numerous dances."
**
45. @greatroyzito
"Saw him in Rotterdam in 1991, dressed in hot pants and doin'
the funky chicken."
**
46. @HaroldWayneSaxtonJr-bd8vk
"May Ree Mack , Dresssed in Black , too cool toooopoo cool
..."
**
47. @metalheadrelic9873
"Pretty awesome when two major rock/metal bands cover this
song. (RATT & Aerosmith)"
****
2025
48. @patrickwhy
"Rufus Thomas aka The Memphis Bulldog !!!"
**
49. @essiejames9492
"Mr.Rufus Thomas had the top dance songs back in the day i am 71in 2024 loved his music and dances 💃 ❤️"
**
50. @mikeanderson7962
"You just can't beat Rufus❤"
**
51. @grinpick
"Way cool, Rufus. The world's a better place on account of
you."
**
52. @ronaldstubbs9450
"Rufus was the Man"
**
53. @Kako_XO
"He was an OG hit Maker."
**
54. @williamjervis9554
"The "FUNKY CHICKEN" Y'all remember?"
**
55. @bearpawz_
"🐕🎵🦮🎶🐕🎵🦮🎶
SING IT RUFUS! 🐕🎵🦮🎶🐕🎵🦮🎶"
****
2026
56. @shantamarie1985
"It was 58yrs ago I still remember Walking the Dog and words
to the song. I was a little girl and now I'm old it's still Jamming 💕"
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Walking The Dog by Rufus Thomans
area61uploader, Apr 27, 2009
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM SHOWCASE VIDEO #2
Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AmJBM9HbWE
2012
1. @fredalan
"Thats Mr. David Sanborn, "the most influential
saxophonist on pop, R&B, and crossover players of the past 20 years."
Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was a late-night
television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase
for jazz and eclectic musical artists. It was hosted by Jools Holland and David
Sanborn. ~ Wikipedia"
****
2013
****
2014
2. @deckardcanine
"Funkiest use of the Wedding March ever."
****
2015
3. @1Dougloid
"Nice scat singing at the end"
****
2016
4. @ladyleesutter
"Remember folks, Rufus Thomas wrote and recorded 1963, a year
before the Stones covered it."
**
Reply
5. @Hiddenkill2520
"and Aerosmith"
**
Reply
6. @MutethatBozo, 2018
"Still have my old Stax vinyl of this. Still rocks! :)"
**
Reply
7. @zachthemusicgeek6255, 2018
"Flora Bunda, so did bon jovi, but Hugh McDonald
sang it"
****
2016
8.
"Blame Rufus Thomas, he came up with the song. It started,
Mary Mack all dressed in black."
**
Reply
9. @Edie-lm5vh, 2019
"I remember Mary
Mack, we use to have a partner
and clap our hands together like
the patty cake. She asked her mother for 15 cents , cents , cents, to see the
elephant , elephant to jump the fence,
fence fence. It's a lot more to it but I'm
71 so things are a little vague .
Thanks for sharing Mary Mack, I had forgotten about her. GOOD MEMORIES."
**
10. @camillabarnett1941
"My grandkids found an old video and said that we
were twerking, I told them it was the dog. They claim we started the nasty
dances, and they were just following us. Ha-ha, now that I think about it
that's true"
****
2017
11 @jerryblair61
"What a classic by Rufus one of my first 45s as a kid."
**
12. @joejohnson6321
"Growing up down south the big hip women would hit the dance floor when this song came on.
**
Reply
13. @h.aritchie7717, 2018
"Joe Johnson. When its moving. There walking the Dog...best to ya."
****
2018
14. @KRxN11
"One of The Greatest Entertainers Of All Time! From
STAX/Memphis!!!"
**
Reply
15. @roberthorton6619, 2020
"That's not the orginal band from stax it sounded better he
also made funky chicken"
**
16. @chrisfifer350
"Did the Stones cover this???"
**
Reply
17. @af4k, 2019
"@chrisfifer350 er
yes. Huge early hit for them. Google is your friend!"
**
Reply
18. @strathbrock, 2020
"They might have done but it was always this
version we danced to in clubs in Edinburgh"
****
2019
19. @rachelenglish8547
"This song got my ass whipped, at the age of 11. During the
dance n my mom walked up on me n said afterwards you're something. I
didn't know it was a nasty dance at 11.
I still can do the dog."
**
Reply
20. @columbusgamble1330
"In Mobile Alabama the dog was out law in the early sixty"
**
Reply
21. @TheMalini43, 2019
"My mom just said the same thing. Be blessed!"
****
2019
22.
"Rufus had that soul. We tore up the dance floor to "
Walkin the dog " ya baby !!!"
**
23. @sandrabrown2605
"The dance was banned in my own town of Winston-Salem,
NC...but we walked the dog anyway...LOL!!!"
**
24. @goodwintrent2989
"As Buddy Guy would say - This is so funky , you can smell
it! Good ol' Rufus, and Sandborn's band nails this one to the wall!"
**
25. @Edie-lm5vh
"I was 14 in 1961, and my sister and I got in big trouble with our mother for doing the dog. We had to
sneak and do it. It was a lot of music back in the day that had dances with the
record."
**
26. @gailconner2285
"If you've ever seen a
woman walking the dog about 1 a.m. in a juke joint, you have missed!!!!"
**
27. @darnellwebb7609
"What a great guy Rufus Thomas had a brilliant personality
walking the dog the funky penguin funky Chicken the great Rufus Thomas"
****
2020
28. @demaXxXx
"Sure doesn't sound like I remember it. This one is jazzed up quite a bit, not even
close. Great song tho".
**
29. @kellyhiggins4234
"I've always wonder how many artist mostly black men &
women had been paid greatly considering Led Zepplin, Rod Stewart , Rollling
stones and a Aerosmith who made this song huge paid these poor peeps"
**
30. @ms.gwendolynpittmantharpe9817
"O0+ No other person can sing
Like Mr.Rufus Thomas walking the dog well well get to it walking it,
baby, and may your soul rip"
**
31. @demaXxXx
"Great Song but not the Original, not even close. Walking the Dog was done by Rufus Thomas
1963, Magic Slim, and The Troggs. I have
all 3 originals for comparison. Fine
song, we even had its own dance step which was fun."
****
2021
****
2022
"If you like this check out the movie WattStax"
**
33. @teachyourkid
"He first did it in 1965---watched my mom in her sock shimmy across our Glo Coat polished floors....we danced until time for bed."
****
2023
34. @vectorm4
"One word:
WattsTax If you don't know what
that is, you are missing a significant piece of Black History in the form of
great art."
****
2024
35. @BridgetWilson-hi2uo
"Love this take. me back when was young in the 70 doing the
Fu[n]ky chicken yes good Old days WOW what fun it looks 🎉🎉🎉🎉"
****
2025
36. @Kat_Dadi
"March 2025...heard on Sirius XM, had to see the video for
myself"
****
2026
****
This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment