Rufus Thomas - Walkin' The Dog

Some singers knew what subject was best for them to sing about. For Memphis soul man and "world's oldest teenager" Rufus Thomas, animals seemed to always equal hits. He scored an R&B Top Five with "Bear Cat," "The Dog," and "Do the Funky Chicken" (Top 30 Pop).

Given his rural background, it wasn't so surprising that some of Thomas' biggest successes would involve some of his four-legged friends; the best singers know to sing about what they're familiar with.

One Sunday afternoon, Thomas was returning home from church when he recognized the cars owned by members of Booker T & The MGs parked in front of Stax Studios. He'd had an idea for a song during the church service, and the DJ/singer/songwriter decided to stop to see if he could record it.

After a few run-throughs, the song "Walkin' the Dog" was recorded. As it so happened, Atlantic Records producer Tom Dowd was visiting from New York. Hearing what he thought was a hit, Dowd decided to make the track one of the releases that was part of Stax's distribution deal with Atlantic.

"The Dog" was the title of a popular early '60s dance craze. The funky, loping, mono-recorded "Walkin' the Dog" made it to #5 (R&B) & #10 (Pop) in Fall 1963.

Rufus Thomas Tribute: http://staxrecords.free.fr/rufustribute.htm