Shake a Tail Feather

Not to be confused with Shake Ya Tailfeather.

"Shake a Tail Feather"
Single by the Five Du-Tones
Released	1963
Recorded	1963
Genre	R&B [1] garage rock [1]
Length	2:24
Label	One-DERFUL!
Songwriter(s)	Otha Hayes, Verlie Rice, Andre Williams

"Shake a Tail Feather" is a song written by Otha Hayes, Verlie Rice, and Andre Williams and originally recorded in 1963 by the Chicago-based group the Five Du-Tones. ^[2] The original recording reached #28 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart and #51 on the Hot 100. ^[3]

Background

The song references a number of dance styles/moves, including the Boogaloo, The Twist, The fly, The Bird, Monkey, the Mashed Potato, the duck, the swim, the Boney Maroney, and the Watusi.

Notable cover versions

"Shake a Tail Feather" has been covered by many other artists over the years:

• In 1966, Tommy James and the Shondells included it on their debut album, Hanky Panky . ^[4]
• A 1967 version by James & Bobby Purify reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. ^[5]
• Ike & Tina Turner recorded their version in 1968 for their album So Fine . It is also performed in the movie about their lives, What's Love Got To Do With It .
• Ray Charles covered and performed the song during his scenes in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers where he was surrounded by dancers performing the move referenced in the song whilst he himself played a Rhodes piano and sang.
• The Cheetah Girls covered the song in 2005 as part of the soundtrack of Chicken Little , which can also be heard during the end credits of the film. ^[6]

References

1. Doggett, Peter (1 January 2015). "High Life". Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone - 125 Years of Pop Music. London: The Bodley Head. p. 346. ISBN   978-1-847-92218-2 . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
2. allmusic ((( The Five Du-Tones > Overview )))
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 205.
4. "www.allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
5. Whitburn, Joel (1992). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 5th Edition. Billboard Books. p. 373.
6. "YouTube Music".