Born in the farming community of Kenner, Louisiana, upriver from New Orleans, Kenner sang gospel music with his church choir, and moved to New Orleans in his teens. In 1955 he made his first recordings, for a small label, Baton Records, without success; and in 1957 recorded his "Sick and Tired" for the Imperial Records label; Fats Domino covered it the next year and the song became a hit. "Rocket to the Moon" and "Life Is Just a Struggle," both cut for the Ron Records label, were other notable songs from this period.
Moving to another New Orleans label, Instant, he began to work with pianist and arranger Allen Toussaint. In 1961, this collaboration produced "I Like It Like That", his first and biggest hit, peaking at #2 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart (covered in 1965 by The Dave Clark Five) and "Something You Got" (covered by Alvin Robinson, the Ramsey Lewis Trio, Chuck Jackson, Earl Grant, Maxine Brown, Bobby Womack, Fairport Convention and Bruce Springsteen). "I Like It Like That" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. In 1962 he produced his most enduring song, "Land of a Thousand Dances," which was recorded by Cannibal & the Headhunters, Thee Midniters, Wilson Pickett, The Action and Patti Smith.
Kenner continued to record for Instant and for various other small local labels, including many of his lesser-known songs from the 1960s, such as "My Wife," "Packing Up" and "They Took My Money". He released an album on Atlantic Records in 1966; the Collectors' Choice label reissued the LP, Land of a Thousand Dances, on CD in 2007.
In 1968 Kenner was convicted of statutory rape of a minor, and spent three years in Louisiana's Angola prison.
Kenner died from a heart attack in 1976, at the age of 46.
Southern Louisiana based R&B artist who started making records in 1955 for Baton Records, in 1957 he recorded "Sick and Tired" with Dave Bartholomew for the Imperial Records label; which became a hit only after Fats Domino covered it. His biggest 60's records were 1961's "I Like It Like That" recorded for Joe Banashak's Instant label. The song "I Like It Like That" co-written with pianist Allen Toussaint reached number 2 in the US pop charts and Kenner later received a Grammy nomination for the song. "I Like It Like That" was also a 1965 hit for The Dave Clark Five , 70's duo Loggins & Messina and there was a popular spanish Conjunto version by Fania artist Pete Rodriguez. Kenner wrote & recorded "Something You Got" which was a big 1965 hit for Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown, while Kenner's 1962's "Land of 1000 Dances" hit #77 on the US charts, it was a bigger hit for Wilson Pickett and Cannibal & the Headhunters. "Land of a 1000 Dances", a perennial party fave was also later redone by The J. Geils Band,Roy Orbison, The Trashmen,The Ventures,Sam & Dave,The Residents, Johnny Rivers, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Rufus Thomas, the Walker Brothers amongst many others. Firmly rooted in the regional New Orleans R&B scene, Kenner collaborated with contemporaries like Eddie Bocage aka Eddie Bo on songs like ‘All Night Rambler’. Later on he also laid down funkier sides like 1967’s ‘Fumigate Funky Broadway’. Kenner, a heavy drinker, was found guilty of statutory rape of a minor in 1968, and spent three years in Louisiana's Angola prison, never regaining chart success before his death in 1976.
He may also be the King of the Gypsies. I dunno. Just something I heard once.
Land Of A 1000 Dances
Chris Kenner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One, Two, Three!
You gotta know how to pony like Bony Maronie
Mashed Potato, do the Alligator
Put your hands on your hips, let your back-bone slip
Do the Watusi, like my little Lucy
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
Need somebody to help me say it one time
You know I feel alright.
Feel pretty good y'all.
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
Need somebody to help me say it one time
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
Dance with me honey, like Long Tall Sally
Twistin' with Lucy, doin the Watusi
Gotta hold of your back, I like it like that
Do the Jerk, watch me work
Ah, do it!
The song Land of a 1000 Dances by Chris Kenner is a classic dance tune that encourages listeners to get out of their seats and dance along. The repetitive intro of "one, two, three" is a well-known call to action in many popular songs. The lyrics instruct the listeners on various dance moves, such as "pony like Bony Maronie," "mashed potato," "Alligator," and "Watusi." These dance moves are all popular dances from the 1950s and 1960s. When Kenner sings "need somebody to help me say it one time," he's looking for someone to join him in these dance moves.
The song's title "Land of a 1000 Dances" refers to a dance marathon that Kenner attended where the participants danced for a thousand hours. The song itself is based on a 1950s tune called "The Dog" by Rufus Thomas, with the same repeating one-two-three cadence. The song was covered by several artists such as Wilson Pickett, Iggy Pop, and The Blues Brothers, each with their unique spin on it. The song is known for its high-energy beat, which gets people moving even today, 60 years after its initial release.
Line by Line Meaning
One, Two, Three!
The song starts with a countdown followed by upbeat instructions for the listener to dance along.
You gotta know how to pony like Bony Maronie
The listener needs to know how to perform the 'pony,' a dance move popularized by the song 'Bony Maronie.'
Mashed Potato, do the Alligator
The listener is instructed to dance the 'Mashed Potato' and the 'Alligator,' two popular 1960s dances.
Put your hands on your hips, let your back-bone slip
The listener is instructed to put their hands on their hips and loosen up their body.
Do the Watusi, like my little Lucy
The listener is instructed to perform the 'Watusi,' another popular 1960s dance, while also referencing the performer's dance partner Lucy.
Na, na na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na, na na na na.
The chorus is a repeated refrain of nonsense syllables, meant to get the listener dancing and participating in the song.
Need somebody to help me say it one time
The performer wants the audience to sing along and repeat the chorus with him.
You know I feel alright.
The performer expresses how good he feels while dancing and singing, and wants the audience to feel the same way.
Feel pretty good y'all.
The performer reiterates that he is feeling good, and hopes the audience feels the same way.
Dance with me honey, like Long Tall Sally
The performer invites a partner to dance with him, referencing the Little Richard song 'Long Tall Sally.'
Twistin' with Lucy, doin the Watusi
The performer continues to reference dancing with Lucy while performing the Watusi and the Twist, another popular dance of the time.
Gotta hold of your back, I like it like that
The performer is enjoying dancing with his partner and specifically likes holding onto their back while dancing.
Do the Jerk, watch me work
The listener is instructed to perform the 'Jerk,' another popular dance move, while the performer demonstrates how it's done.
Ah, do it!
The performer encourages the listener to dance more and enjoy the music.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CHRIS KENNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
priscianusjr
Absolutely. And what makes it even more magical is that the whole thing is nothing but a short melodic fragment repeated over and over, over one chord. But with the most perfect groove and soulful singing ever put together. Never get tired of it.
Zona Libre R
Is "The New Orleans flavor" 😉, The birthplace of syncopated music from Jazz to Funk.
Fred Campbell
Great original raw version sung by Chris Kenner and produced by Isaac "Sax" Kari Toombs AKA Sax Kari. Currently reading "The Chitlin Circuit: And The Road To Rock N' Roll". A must read if you into the history of music.
Jeffrey McCutchen
One of my favorites as a kid this version only!
A Dog Named Handsome
Never heard this version before. Thanks for posting.
joseph costello
Very soulful the others were more poppy nothing wrong with that. But this is amazing
barbara brown
This artist singing this song bring back many childhood memories love this song
Raymond Malcuit Jr.
Chris Kenner's Version Of This Song Went To Number 77 On The Billboard Hot 100 Chart In 1963.
Raymond Russell
The original, the best. Real feeling.
Benjamin Esparza
Story goes during rehearsals for the “Cannibal and the Headhunters” recording, the backing musicians’ groove was so funky and soulful that Cannibal was in awe and, on his vocal cue, just started singing gibberish which resulted in the now famous “Na nananana nananana nanana nanana nananana!” The producer and everyone else in the studio shouted “KEEP THAT” and rehearsed it for the recording session the following day. Source: “Land of a Thousand Dances - Chicano Rock in Southern California”.