Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor (September 28, 1928 - June 3, 2009) was an American blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough and powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings.
Taylor was born as Cora Walton on a farm just outside Memphis, Tennessee. In 1954, Taylor left Memphis for Chicago with her husband, truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor. In the late 1950s she began singing in Chicago blues clubs and was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, leading to wider performances and her first recording contract. Read Full BioKoko Taylor (September 28, 1928 - June 3, 2009) was an American blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough and powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings.
Taylor was born as Cora Walton on a farm just outside Memphis, Tennessee. In 1954, Taylor left Memphis for Chicago with her husband, truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor. In the late 1950s she began singing in Chicago blues clubs and was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, leading to wider performances and her first recording contract. In 1965, Taylor was signed by Chess Records, for which her single Wang Dang Doodle (written by Dixon, and a hit for Howlin' Wolf five years earlier) became a major hit, reaching number four on the R&B charts in 1966 and selling a million copies. Taylor recorded many versions of this Dixon-penned song over the past several decades and added more material, both original and covers, but never repeated that initial chart success.
National touring in the late 1960s and early 1970s improved her fan base, and she became accessible to a wider record-buying public when she signed with Alligator Records in 1975. Recording over a dozen albums for that label (many nominated for Grammy awards), she came to dominate the female blues singer ranks, winning 24 W. C. Handy Awards -- more than any other artist. After her recovery from a near-fatal car crash in 1989, the 1990s found Taylor in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000. She opened a blues club on Division St. in Chicago in 1994, but closed it in 1999. Taylor released a new album in 2007 called "Old School."
Koko Taylor influenced such musicians as Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, Janis Joplin, Shannon Curfman, and Susan Tedeschi.
Koko Taylor died on the afternoon of June 3rd 2009 (at the age of 80), while recovering from surgery to repair gastrointestinal bleeding. Koko Taylor is still referred to by fellow blues musicians and her fans as the "Queen of the Blues".
Taylor was born as Cora Walton on a farm just outside Memphis, Tennessee. In 1954, Taylor left Memphis for Chicago with her husband, truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor. In the late 1950s she began singing in Chicago blues clubs and was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, leading to wider performances and her first recording contract. Read Full BioKoko Taylor (September 28, 1928 - June 3, 2009) was an American blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough and powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings.
Taylor was born as Cora Walton on a farm just outside Memphis, Tennessee. In 1954, Taylor left Memphis for Chicago with her husband, truck driver Robert "Pops" Taylor. In the late 1950s she began singing in Chicago blues clubs and was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, leading to wider performances and her first recording contract. In 1965, Taylor was signed by Chess Records, for which her single Wang Dang Doodle (written by Dixon, and a hit for Howlin' Wolf five years earlier) became a major hit, reaching number four on the R&B charts in 1966 and selling a million copies. Taylor recorded many versions of this Dixon-penned song over the past several decades and added more material, both original and covers, but never repeated that initial chart success.
National touring in the late 1960s and early 1970s improved her fan base, and she became accessible to a wider record-buying public when she signed with Alligator Records in 1975. Recording over a dozen albums for that label (many nominated for Grammy awards), she came to dominate the female blues singer ranks, winning 24 W. C. Handy Awards -- more than any other artist. After her recovery from a near-fatal car crash in 1989, the 1990s found Taylor in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000. She opened a blues club on Division St. in Chicago in 1994, but closed it in 1999. Taylor released a new album in 2007 called "Old School."
Koko Taylor influenced such musicians as Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, Janis Joplin, Shannon Curfman, and Susan Tedeschi.
Koko Taylor died on the afternoon of June 3rd 2009 (at the age of 80), while recovering from surgery to repair gastrointestinal bleeding. Koko Taylor is still referred to by fellow blues musicians and her fans as the "Queen of the Blues".
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Wang Dang Doodle
Koko Taylor Lyrics
Tell Automatic Slim
Tell Razor Totin' Jim
Tell Butcher Knife Totin' Annie
Tell Fast Talking Fanny
We gonna pitch a ball
Down to that union hall
We gonna romp and tromp till midnight
We gonna fuss and fight till daylight
We gonna pitch a Wang dang doodle, all night long
All night long, all night long
All night long, all night long
We gonna pitch a Wang dang doodle, all night long
Tell Kudzu-Crawlin' Red
Tell Abyssinian Ned
Tell ol' Pistol Pete
Tell everybody he meet
Tonight we need no rest
We gonna really throw a mess
We gonna to knock down all of the windows
We gonna kick down all the doors
We gonna pitch a Wang dang doodle, all night long
All night long, all night long
All night long, all night long
We gonna pitch a Wang dang doodle, all night long
Tell Fats and Washboard Sam
That everybody gonna to jam
Tell Shakin Boxcar Joe
We got sawdust on the floor
Tell Peg and Caroline Dye
We gonna have a heck of a time
And when the fish scent fill the air
It's gonna be snuff juice everywhere
We gonna pitch a Wang dang doodle, all night long
All night long, all night long
All night long, all night long
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on specific lyrics, highlight them
John Holton
Koko used to play at a club on the far north side of Chicago (almost Evanston) about once a month, and she'd always do this one at midnight. Met her one night, and she was the loveliest person you'd ever want to know. God bless her up there with all the old timers...
Missprincess
meeting her must've been such an honor.
Church of Love
Dig that Sax!
GoddessMother SupaQueen
Wow, you lucky duck
Dan
My mom used to play this record when I was just a kid growing up in Chicago. Sometimes she'd get half-drunk...and turn the volume all the way up to 10. Back then, I didn't understand. Now...I do!
Go ahead, mom. Turn it up!
Debbie Henning
There's a reason she won best female vocalist at the Handy Award later named Blues Foundation every year for over 20 years til the day she died!
Eric Smith
What a beautiful voice I love this song still listening. How are you Debbie ?
Debby Salemi
I got to meet her and her band.
Fucking fabulous
After that show I had a new found soul in my heart !
Vaughnod Wilson
That's what I say! One of my most favorite songs of ALL TIME!
Rabi'a Keeble
My aunt had a juke box in her hair salon, and I begged my mom for a nickel to play a song. I played this song, and the women in salon cracked up