THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,759) Rufus Thomas — “Sixty Minute Man”
Rufus Thomas takes “a Billy Ward doo-wop classic . . . [and] transforms [it] into a mesmerizing tour de force of voodoo funk, complete with a Tarzan movie-inspired chant and some wondrous Dizzy Gillespie-like scat singing” (https://concord.com/concord-albums/rufus-thomas-funky-chicken/), a “down-and-bestial seven-minute update . . . on which Rufus sounds like he’s singing in tongues” (Richie Unterberger, https://www.allmusic.com/album/do-the-funky-chicken-mw0001962785) “spout[ing] vocal gibberish over a slow funk riff; the effect is a sort of late-sixties take on Cab Calloway”. (Bill Kopp, http://blog.musoscribe.com/index.php/2011/09/20/cd-review-rufus-thomas-do-the-funky-chicken/) Man, “[t]his song can hypnotize you”. (Michael Doherty, https://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2011/09/rufus-thomas-do-funky-chicken-2011-re.html)
Dr. Vibes writes that:
[It is] a monster cut . . . . [that] features faux neo-African gibberish chanting meant to invoke some kind of deep bayou ‘witch-doctor’ vibe. Which sounds pretty silly when described like that, but somehow Rufus could make it cool, bringing in one instrument at a time, the better to hypnotize you with.
https://flabbergasted-vibes.org/2019/03/01/rufus-thomas-funky-chicken-1970/
And a shortened version reached #42 on the R&B chart!
Bill Kopp talks of the LP where the sixty minute man lives — Do the Funky Chicken:
It’s easy to dismiss the work of Rufus Thomas (the world’s oldest teenager™) as the work of a novelty artist. Too easy, in fact. And it does a disservice to some great music. But Rufus didn’t exactly help matters by recording and releasing songs that all but forbade you to take him seriously. Anybody who shouts “I feel so…unnecessary!” in the middle of a song can’t expect much in the way of serious musical credibility. That’s especially true if the song in question is the title track on an album called Do the Funky Chicken. But here’s the thing: though we don’t know the full roster of players on these songs, we do know that it’s some funky music. Playing with verve and wit, Michael Toles (called out by name repeatedly throughout the record’s eleven tracks) turns out some finger-lickin’ good guitar licks. And whoever the horn sections is — maybe the Memphis Horns, maybe not – they’ve got it going.
CD Review: Rufus Thomas – Do the Funky Chicken
Here is an AI generated analysis of the song by CMF AI Radio:
The lyrics are about a man who claims to be able to satisfy his female partner for a whole hour. He boasts about his abilities and invites women to test him out, promising that they will not be disappointed. The lyrics also mention kissing, teasing, and squeezing. Overall, the song is about a man who is confident in his sexual prowess and wants women to know it.
https://radio.callmefred.com/en/song_story/sixty-minute-man-rufus-thomas/#google_vignette
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤨
As to the Dominoes’ ‘51 original, Robert Fontenot writes:
[“Sixty Minute Man” is] a funny, sexy song that broke all the rules of acceptable radio fare . . . an original based on the African-American storyteller tradition of “Lovin’ Dan” (a/k/a “Jim Dandy”) and his naughty exploits. A raw yet effortlessly executed boast of sexual prowess featuring Bill Brown’s potent bass lead, it was a phenomenon unto itself, rocketing straight to #1 R&B and staying there for three and a half months. Even more importantly, it reached the lower levels of the pop Top 20, scandalizing the industry and almost singlehandedly introducing white America to rhythm and blues.
https://www.liveabout.com/billy-ward-and-his-dominoes-bio-and-discography-2522398
Here are the Dominoes:
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