The above biography taken from: Wikipedia - Rufus Thomas
The Crown Prince of Dance; an early rock & roll DJ, Memphis soul icon and creator of the Funky Chicken.
Artist Biography (below) by Richie Unterberger
Few of rock & roll's founding figures are as likable as Rufus Thomas. From the 1940s onward, he has personified Memphis music; his small but witty cameo role in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train, a film which satirizes and enshrines the city's role in popular culture, was entirely appropriate. As a recording artist, he wasn't a major innovator, but he could always be depended upon for some good, silly, and/or outrageous fun with his soul dance tunes. He was one of the few rock or soul stars to reach his commercial and artistic peak in middle age, and was a crucial mentor to many important Memphis blues, rock, and soul musicians.
Thomas was already a professional entertainer in the mid-'30s, when he was a comedian with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. He recorded music as early as 1941, but really made his mark on the Memphis music scene as a deejay on WDIA, one of the few black-owned stations of the era. He also ran talent shows on Memphis' famous Beale Street that helped showcase the emerging skills of such influential figures as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Ike Turner, and Roscoe Gordon.
Thomas had his first success as a recording artist in 1953 with "Bear Cat," a funny answer record to Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog." It made number three on the R&B charts, giving Sun Records its first national hit, though some of the sweetness went out of the triumph after Sun owner Sam Phillips lost a lawsuit for plagiarizing the original Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller tune. Thomas, strangely, would make only one other record for Sun, and recorded only sporadically throughout the rest of the 1950s.
Thomas and his daughter Carla would become the first stars for the Stax label, for whom they recorded a duet in 1959, "'Cause I Love You" (when the company was still known as Satellite). In the '60s, Carla would become one of Stax's biggest stars. On his own, Rufus wasn't as successful as his daughter, but issued a steady stream of decent dance/novelty singles.
These were not deep or emotional statements, or meant to be. Vaguely prefiguring elements of funk, the accent was on the stripped-down groove and Rufus' good-time vocals, which didn't take himself or anything seriously. The biggest by far was "Walking the Dog," which made the Top Ten in 1963, and was covered by the Rolling Stones on their first album.
Thomas hit his commercial peak in the early '70s, when "Do the Funky Chicken," "(Do The) Push and Pull," and "The Breakdown" all made the R&B Top Five. As the song titles themselves make clear, funk was now driving his sound rather than blues or soul. Thomas drew upon his vaudeville background to put them over on-stage with fancy footwork that displayed remarkable agility for a man well into his 50s. The collapse of the Stax label in the mid-'70s meant the end of his career, basically, as it did for many other artists with the company. In 2001, Rufus Thomas was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Later that year, on December 15, he died at St. Francis hospital in Memphis, TN.
The above biography taken from: All Music Biography - Rufus Thomas by Richie Unterberger
Do The Funky Penguin Part 1
Rufus Thomas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've another dance I know you're gonna like
You can't do the penguin, unless you shuffle your feet
When you do the funky penguin, I know it's all real
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Do the funky penguin
Do in the United States
Way over in England
Want you to know what I'm talking about
I'm talking about funky penguin
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Listen
Shuffle to the left, shuffle to the right
Get's so good to you, baby, you can do it all night
Everybody doing it, it's all over town
You can't mess around, got to get on down
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Come on join your feet, kick off your shoes
Let it all hang out, ain't got nothing to lose
Do it with your partner, do it by yourself
You don't hurry up and get it, you're gonna get left
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Do the funky penguin
Make it funky now
Do the funky penguin
Make it funky now
Did you heard me?
Did you heard me?
Did you heard me?
Did you heard me?
Want to do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Do the funky penguin
Do it right now
Everybody doing it
Everybody doing it
Oh ho, do the funky penguin
Oh ho, do the funky penguin
Come on in
In this song, Rufus Thomas introduces a new dance called the "Funky Penguin" that he knows everyone is going to enjoy. He emphasizes the importance of shuffling one's feet while doing the dance, and notes that it's all real when you do it right. Thomas also states that the Funky Penguin is not just popular in the United States, but also in England.
The song's lyrics then give detailed instructions on how to perform the dance, including shuffling to the left and right and doing it with a partner or by oneself. Thomas urges listeners not to mess around and to get on down, and warns that if they don't hurry up and get the dance, they're going to get left behind.
Overall, the song is a fun and energetic call to everyone to join in and do the Funky Penguin dance. It's clear that Thomas was excited about the dance and wanted to share it with the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey everybody, Mister Rufus is back
Rufus Thomas has returned and he has brought another dance with him.
I've another dance I know you're gonna like
Rufus Thomas has created another dance that he believes the audience will enjoy.
You can't do the penguin, unless you shuffle your feet
To perform the penguin dance, shuffling of feet is necessary.
When you do the funky penguin, I know it's all real
When the audience performs the funky penguin dance, Rufus Thomas knows it's genuine.
Do the funky penguin
Rufus Thomas instructs the audience to perform the funky penguin dance.
Do it right now
Rufus Thomas emphasizes the urgency of performing the dance right away.
Do in the United States
'Do it' is meant to be performed in the United States.
Way over in England
Even as far as England, Rufus Thomas wants them to know about the funky penguin dance.
Want you to know what I'm talking about
Rufus Thomas wants the audience to understand what he's talking about - the funky penguin dance.
I'm talking about funky penguin
Rufus Thomas reiterates that he's referring to the funky penguin dance.
Listen
Rufus Thomas is telling the audience to listen attentively for the upcoming instructions.
Shuffle to the left, shuffle to the right
The first instruction: shuffle left then shuffle right.
Get's so good to you, baby, you can do it all night
The dance is so enjoyable that one can perform it for the entire night.
Everybody doing it, it's all over town
The funky penguin dance is being performed by everyone in town.
You can't mess around, got to get on down
The dance requires one to be focused and committed without messing around, but instead, get down with it.
Come on join your feet, kick off your shoes
The second instruction: join your feet together and take off your shoes.
Let it all hang out, ain't got nothing to lose
One should feel free and uninhibited while performing the funky penguin dance because there is nothing to lose.
Do it with your partner, do it by yourself
The dance can be performed as a pair or solo.
You don't hurry up and get it, you're gonna get left
If one doesn't learn the dance soon, they will get left behind.
Make it funky now
Rufus Thomas wants the audience to add some funkiness to the dance performance.
Did you heard me?
Rufus Thomas is checking whether the audience understood his instructions.
Want to do the funky penguin
Rufus Thomas is still encouraging the audience to perform the funky penguin dance.
Everybody doing it
Rufus Thomas remarks that everyone is performing the dance now.
Oh ho, do the funky penguin
Another encouragement to the audience to perform the dance.
Come on in
The audience is being welcomed to join in the dance performance.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JO BRIDGES, MACK RICE, RUFUS THOMAS, TOM NIXON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind