Junior Rasmussen
The Hucklebuck, sometimes written as The Huckle-Buck, is a jazz and R&B dance tune that was popularized by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers in 1949. The song became a crossover hit and a dance craze, with lyrics such as Wiggle like a snake/ Waddle like a duck/ That's the way you do it/ When you do the Hucklebuck. The tune also appeared in the 1956 episode Young at Heart of The Honeymooners, a comedy-family TV series, where Ed teaches Ralph how to dance. The Hamilton Collection released a collector's plate commemorating this, known as the Honeymooners Huckle Buckle collector's plate.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Collectors Plate |
| Series | The Honeymooners |
| Edition | "Huckle Buckle" |
| Collection | Hamilton Collection |
| Year | 1990-91 |
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What You'll Learn
The tune was first popularized by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers in 1949
"The Hucklebuck" (or "The Huckle-Buck") is a jazz and R&B dance tune that was first popularized by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers in 1949. The tune was composed by Andy Gibson and was first recorded in New York City on December 15, 1948, with producer Teddy Reig. Williams had first heard the tune earlier that year when it was played by Lucky Millinder and his band at a rehearsal for a concert in Newark or Baltimore. The original tune, written for Millinder by Gibson, was called "D'Natural Blues" and was recorded in January 1949 for RCA Records.
Williams' recording of "The Huckle-Buck" became a huge success, rising to the top of the R&B chart in March 1949 and staying there for 14 weeks. It spent a total of 32 weeks on the chart and reportedly sold half a million copies, breaking sales records. The popularity of the song led to Williams being billed as Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams for the rest of his career. The song's success also sparked a dance craze, with people dancing to it at rent parties in Newark "until they dropped." The basic dance involved "a double point with the feet to the side on each side (four counts) then a lift and twist of the leg and a small kick, then a shimmy, hip gyration."
The success of Williams' instrumental recording led to lyrics being written to the tune by Tin Pan Alley lyricist Roy Alfred. The lyrics included the lines, "Wiggle like a snake/ Waddle like a duck/ That's the way you do it/ When you do the Hucklebuck." The first vocal version was recorded by Roy Milton and released on the Specialty record label in April 1949, reaching #5 on the R&B chart. The song was then recorded by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with vocals by Charlie Shavers, which rose to #5 on the Billboard pop chart in May 1949. Frank Sinatra's recording of the song reached #10 on the pop chart later that year. "The Hucklebuck" has since been covered by numerous musicians in a variety of styles, including jazz, pop, blues, rockabilly, and R&B.
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The dance craze of 1949
The Hucklebuck, sometimes written as "The Huckle-Buck", is a dance craze that took off in 1949. The jazz and R&B dance tune was first popularized by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers in 1949, although it was originally recorded in 1948. The tune was composed by Andy Gibson, with lyrics added by Roy Alfred. The song became a crossover hit, in many ways foreshadowing the popular success of rock and roll a few years later.
The dance itself involves "a double-point with the feet to the side on each side (four counts) then a lift and twist of the leg and a small kick, then a shimmy, hip gyration". The Hucklebuck's suggestive movements, combined with lyrics like "Wiggle like a snake/Waddle like a duck/That's the way you do it/When you do the Hucklebuck", gave the dance sexual connotations, which likely contributed to its wild success.
The song was recorded by numerous musicians in 1949, including Roy Milton, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, and Louis Armstrong. The Hucklebuck was later covered by many other artists, including blues versions by Earl Hooker and rockabilly takes by Brendan Bowyer. The tune has been covered in more styles than any other standard, with jazz, pop, blues, and rockabilly versions all achieving success.
The Hucklebuck's popularity was immortalized in the 1956 TV episode "The Honeymooners: Young at Heart", where Ed teaches Ralph how to dance to the tune.
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The song's sexual connotations
"The Hucklebuck," sometimes written as "The Huckle-Buck," is a song with suggestive lyrics and sexually suggestive dance moves. The song, a jazz and R&B dance tune, was first popularized in 1949 by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers. The tune was composed by Andy Gibson, with lyrics added later by Roy Alfred. The lyrics include:
> Wiggle like a snake, waddle like a duck/ That's the way you do it/ When you do the Hucklebuck.
The dance moves include "a double point with the feet to the side on each side (four counts), then a lift and twist of the leg and a small kick, then a shimmy, hip gyration." The song became a crossover hit and a wildly successful dance craze, in many ways foreshadowing the popular success of rock and roll a few years later.
The song was recorded by many other musicians, including Lucky Millinder, Roy Milton, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, Louis Armstrong, Chubby Checker, Bo Diddley, Otis Redding, Quincy Jones, and Brendan Bowyer, among others. The song's sexual connotations and suggestive dance moves likely contributed to its popularity and enduring appeal.
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The song's lyrics
"The Hucklebuck" (or "The Huckle-Buck") is a jazz and R&B dance tune that became a crossover hit and a wildly successful dance craze in 1949, partly due to its sexual connotations. The composition of the tune was credited to Andy Gibson, and lyrics were later added by Roy Alfred. The song was first popularized by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers in 1949.
The lyrics to "The Hucklebuck" are:
> Wiggle like a snake,
> Waddle like a duck,
> That's the way you do it,
> When you do the Hucklebuck.
The song became a hit when it was first recorded by Paul Williams and his band, credited as "His Hucklebuckers," in New York City on December 15, 1948, with producer Teddy Reig. The original recording was an instrumental version, and it was this recording that led to Roy Alfred's lyrics being added to the tune.
The first vocal version was by Roy Milton, whose recording on the Specialty record label entered the R&B chart in April 1949, rising to #5. The song was successfully recorded by many other musicians, including Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Lionel Hampton, Louis Armstrong, Chubby Checker, Bo Diddley, Otis Redding, and Quincy Jones. "The Hucklebuck" has been covered in various styles, including jazz, pop, blues, and rockabilly, and it has been said that "no standard has been covered in as many different styles as the Hucklebuck."
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The Honeymooners Huckle Buckle Collectors Plate
The Hucklebuck is a jazz and R&B dance tune that was first popularized in 1949 by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers. The composition of the tune was credited to Andy Gibson, with lyrics added later by Roy Alfred. The song became a huge hit and a dance craze, with many musicians covering it, including Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. The dance involves "a double point with the feet to the side on each side (four counts) then a lift and twist of the leg and a small kick, then a shimmy, hip gyration".
The tune features in an episode of the classic comedy TV show "The Honeymooners" from 1956, titled "Young at Heart". In the episode, Ed teaches Ralph how to dance to the song.
The Hamilton Collection has released a "Honeymooners Huckle Buckle Collectors Plate", which is available on eBay. The plate is brand new and unused, and the seller offers great communication, fast shipping, and secure packaging. The seller does not accept returns.
The item is a great collectible for fans of "The Honeymooners" and could be a unique gift for someone interested in the history of dance and music.
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Frequently asked questions
The Huckle Buckle is a collectors plate from the Hamilton Collection, based on the 1956 TV episode "Young at Heart" of the show "The Honeymooners".
In the episode, Ed teaches Ralph how to dance to the song "The Hucklebuck".
"The Hucklebuck" is a jazz and R&B dance tune that became a wildly successful dance craze in 1949, partly due to its sexual connotations.
The tune was first popularized by Paul Williams and His Hucklebuckers in 1949. The composition of the tune was credited to Andy Gibson, and lyrics were later added by Roy Alfred.
