Cincinnati Dancing Pig

Last updated
"Cincinnati Dancing Pig"
Song by Red Foley
Released1950
Genre Country
Length2:47
Label Decca
Songwriter(s) Guy Wood, Al Lewis

"Cincinnati Dancing Pig" is a country music song written by Guy Wood (music) and Al Lewis (lyrics), sung by Red Foley, and released on the Decca label. It was a novelty song about a dancing pig that included squealing and grunting sounds.

In September 1950, Foley's recording of the song reached No. 2 on the country best seller chart. [1] It spent 12 weeks on the charts and was the No. 14 best selling country record of 1950. [2] [1]

Music critic Carol Ferrell wrote that Foley's "contagious 'slapping' rhythm" from "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" had "invaded the barnyard". [3]

The song was also covered by Vic Damone and Gene Krupa (vocals by Bobby Soots). [4] [5]

The American jug band and musical humor group, Cincinnati Flying Pigs, was named after the song. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novelty song</span> Musical genre

A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and with musical parody, especially when the novel gimmick is another popular song. Novelty songs achieved great popularity during the 1920s and 1930s. They had a resurgence of interest in the 1950s and 1960s. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music; the other two divisions were ballads and dance music. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vic Damone</span> American singer and actor (1928–2018)

Vic Damone was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My Heart", and other hits like "On the Street Where You Live" and "I Have But One Heart".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeeter Davis</span> American singer-songwriter

Skeeter Davis was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's "The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis Sisters as a teenager in the late 1940s, eventually landing on RCA Victor. In the late 1950s, she became a solo star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Closer (Nine Inch Nails song)</span> Song by Nine Inch Nails

"Closer" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single on their second studio album, The Downward Spiral (1994). Released on May 30, 1994, it is considered one of Nine Inch Nails' signature songs and remains their most popular song. Most versions of the single are titled "Closer to God", a rare example in music of a single's title differing from the title of its A-side. The single is the ninth official Nine Inch Nails release, making it "Halo 9" in the band's official Halo numbering system.

"La Bamba" is a Mexican folk song, originally from the state of Veracruz, also known as "La Bomba". The song is best known from a 1958 adaptation by Ritchie Valens, a Top 40 hit in the U.S. charts. Valens's version is ranked number 345 on Rolling Stone magazine′s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alright (Janet Jackson song)</span> 1990 single by Janet Jackson

"Alright" is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fourth studio album, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). Written by Jackson and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, the song was released on March 4, 1990, by A&M Records as the fourth single from Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814. In the United Kingdom, it was issued as the album's fifth single in June 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Foley</span> American country musician (1910–1968)

Clyde Julian "Red" Foley was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II.

"Sweetheart" is a song originally recorded by American singer Rainy Davis. It was written by Davis and Pete Warner, and they produced it with Dorothy Kessler. The track was released in 1986 by independent record label SuperTronics as a single from Davis's 1987 studio album Sweetheart. A freestyle, hip hop pop, and synth-funk song, "Sweetheart" appeared on R&B and dance music-based record charts in the United States.

Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by Billboard magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the United States.

"I Really Don't Want to Know" is a popular song written by Don Robertson (music) Howard Barnes (lyrics). The song was published in 1953.

"The Ballad of Davy Crockett" is a song with music by George Bruns and lyrics by Thomas W. Blackburn. It was introduced on ABC's television series Disneyland, in the premiere episode of October 27, 1954. Fess Parker is shown performing the song on a log cabin set in frontiersman clothes, accompanied by similarly attired musicians. The familiar refrain of "Davy, Davy Crockett" is heard throughout the song, which sings of the man's praises. The song would later be heard throughout the Disneyland television miniseries Davy Crockett, first telecast on December 15, 1954. This version was sung by The Wellingtons. Parker played the role of Davy Crockett in the miniseries and continued in four other episodes made by Walt Disney Studios. Buddy Ebsen co-starred as George "Georgie" Russel, and Jeff York played legendary boatman Mike Fink.

"My Heart Cries for You" is a popular song, adapted by Carl Sigman and Percy Faith from an 18th-century French melody. The song has been recorded by many singers, the most successful of which was recorded by Guy Mitchell which reached No. 2 on the Billboard chart in 1951.

"Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" is a popular song written by Harry Stone and Jack Stapp and published in 1950. It is the signature song of Red Foley who recorded it in late 1949. The song has been covered by many artists, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Faron Young who scored a hit with the song in 1959.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1950.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFLZ-FM</span> Contemporary hit radio station in Tampa, Florida

WFLZ-FM is a commercial radio station in Tampa, Florida. It airs a contemporary hit radio radio format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The station's studios and offices are located on Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa. Local DJs are heard on weekdays, with syndicated shows, including American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest, the iHeartRadio Countdown, the Remix Top 30 with Hollywood Hamilton and On The Move with Enrique Santos, heard on weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Right In</span> 1962 single by the Rooftop Singers

"Walk Right In" is a country blues song written by musician Gus Cannon and originally recorded by Cannon's Jug Stompers in 1929. Victor Records released on a 78 rpm record and in 1959, it was included on the influential compilation album The Country Blues. A revised version of the song by the Rooftop Singers, with the writing credits allocated to group members Erik Darling and Bill Svanoe, became an international hit in 1963.

The following is a discography of singles and albums recorded by American singer Frankie Laine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mississippi (Charlie Daniels song)</span> 1979 single by Charlie Daniels Band

"Mississippi", is a song written by Charlie Daniels and first released on the Charlie Daniels Band's 1979 album Million Mile Reflections. It was also released as a single in September 1979 as the follow-up to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." It reached the top 20 on the country singles charts in both the U.S. and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (song)</span> 1949 Christmas song by Johnny Marks

"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company. Gene Autry's recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949.

These are lists of Billboard magazine's "Top Country & Western Records" and "Top Country & Western Artists" for 1950, ranked by retail sales and juke box plays.

References

  1. 1 2 Joel Whitburn (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits. Billboard Books. p. 112. ISBN   0823076326.
  2. "The Year's Top Country & Western Records" (PDF). The Billboard. January 13, 1951. p. 19. Retrieved November 30, 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Carol Ferrell (August 27, 1950). "Chattanoogie Slap-Slap Now Invades Barnyard". Arizona Republic. p. 14 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Cincinnati Dancing Pig". The Cincinnati Post. September 10, 1988. p. 15 via Newspapers.com.(Damone)
  5. Dorothy Hamill (October 15, 1950). "Spinning the Turn Table". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. p. 28 via Newspapers.com.
  6. Cliff Radel (January 20, 1995). "Squeal appeal: Cincinnati Dancing Pigs wins 'em over with jug music, humor". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 31 via Newspapers.com.