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".
Wang Dang Doodle
Koko Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
The lyrics to Koko Taylor's song "Wang Dang Doodle" describe a rowdy party that is going to be held at a union hall with a variety of colorful characters in attendance. The party is going to be a wild and lively affair, with people pitching a "Wang dang doodle" all night long. This phrase is used as a euphemism for a wild and raucous party. The lyrics mention a variety of characters who are going to be in attendance, including Automatic Slim, Razor Totin' Jim, Butcher Knife Totin' Annie, and Fast Talking Fanny.
As the night goes on, the party-goers are going to get more and more rowdy, knocking down windows and kicking down doors. They're not going to stop until the sun comes up, and every inch of the union hall is filled with the sound of music and the scent of snuff juice. The lyrics are a celebration of a wild and lively party, and the idea that sometimes it's important to let loose and have a good time.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell Automatic Slim
Inform Automatic Slim
Tell Razor Totin' Jim
Inform Razor Totin' Jim
Tell Butcher Knife Totin' Annie
Inform Butcher Knife Totin' Annie
Tell Fast Talking Fanny
Inform Fast Talking Fanny
We gonna pitch a ball
We will throw a party
Down to that union hall
At the union hall
We gonna romp and tromp till midnight
We will have a good time and dance till midnight
We gonna fuss and fight till daylight
We will argue and fight all night long
We gonna pitch a Wang dang doodle, all night long
We will have a wild party with music and dancing all night long
All night long, all night long
The party will last all night long
All night long, all night long
The party will last all night long
Tell Kudzu-Crawlin' Red
Inform Kudzu-Crawlin' Red
Tell Abyssinian Ned
Inform Abyssinian Ned
Tell ol' Pistol Pete
Inform ol' Pistol Pete
Tell everybody he meet
Inform everyone he meets
Tonight we need no rest
We won't rest tonight
We gonna really throw a mess
We will make a big mess
We gonna to knock down all of the windows
We will break all the windows
We gonna kick down all the doors
We will break all the doors
Tell Fats and Washboard Sam
Inform Fats and Washboard Sam
That everybody gonna to jam
Everyone will be dancing and having a good time
Tell Shakin Boxcar Joe
Inform Shakin Boxcar Joe
We got sawdust on the floor
The floor is covered in sawdust
Tell Peg and Caroline Dye
Inform Peg and Caroline Dye
We gonna have a heck of a time
We will have a great time
And when the fish scent fill the air
When the smell of fried fish fills the air
It's gonna be snuff juice everywhere
There will be snuff (tobacco) juice all over the place
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIE DIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind