Do The Funky Chicken

"Do The Funky Chicken" by Rufus Thomas

Picture the dance floors of 1970, where soul and funk were merging into something irresistibly physical and a great record could launch an entire dance craze overnight. This was the golden age of the novelty dance song, when artists invented new moves and dared listeners to follow along. At the center of this joyful tradition stood a veteran Memphis showman whose decades of experience and irrepressible energy made him the perfect figure to start a national party.

The Memphis Showman

Rufus Thomas was a beloved fixture of the Memphis music scene, a singer, comedian, and disc jockey whose career stretched back many years before this hit. By 1970 he was a treasured artist on the legendary Stax Records label, known for his showmanship, his sense of humor, and his gift for crafting infectious dance records. His connection to Stax and the Memphis soul sound placed him at the heart of one of the era's most important musical communities. Thomas was a natural entertainer, a performer who understood that music should make people move and smile. His decades of experience in Memphis had taught him exactly how to work a crowd, and he brought that hard-won showmanship to every record he made. He was as much a personality as a singer, a larger-than-life figure whose warmth and humor radiated from the grooves. Few artists understood the pure entertainment value of music as deeply as Rufus Thomas did, and that understanding shaped everything he recorded.

A Dance Craze Is Born

"Do The Funky Chicken" became one of Thomas's signature hits, a funky, comedic dance record that invited listeners to flap and strut their way through a brand-new move. The song combined a tight, greasy funk groove with Thomas's playful, charismatic vocal, the whole thing built around the irresistible novelty of its titular dance. It was the kind of record that filled dance floors and put smiles on faces, a celebration of pure, unselfconscious fun. The song's humor and groove made it an instant party favorite. The dance-craze tradition stretched back through the previous decade, and Thomas proved that it still had plenty of life left in 1970. The genius of the record lay in how it invited everyone to participate, no special skill required, just a willingness to loosen up and have fun. That inclusiveness was central to its charm and its success. Nobody could feel self-conscious doing a dance built entirely around being silly.

A Strong Chart Showing

The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 on February 7, 1970, debuting at number 62. It climbed quickly and steadily, moving to 48, then 46, then 35, before reaching its peak of number 28 on March 21, 1970. The song spent an impressive twelve weeks on the chart, a long run that reflected the dance craze it inspired. That solid placement and lengthy chart life confirmed the song's widespread popularity and cemented Thomas's reputation as a master of the funky novelty record.

A Funky Legacy

Rufus Thomas continued delighting audiences for years, scoring further dance hits and earning lasting recognition as one of the great characters of Memphis soul. "Do The Funky Chicken" remains his most celebrated record, a joyful monument to the dance-craze tradition and to Thomas's singular gift for fun. The song endures as a staple of funk and soul collections, a guaranteed mood-lifter that still gets people moving decades later. Its infectious spirit refuses to fade. The record has appeared in films, commercials, and countless playlists devoted to feel-good music, proof that its joy translates effortlessly across generations. Thomas built something that genuinely outlasted its moment, a rare achievement for any novelty record. The funky chicken remains as irresistible now as it ever was.

Cue it up and try not to flap your elbows as Rufus Thomas leads you through one of soul's most joyful dance records. Resistance, frankly, is futile.

"Do The Funky Chicken" — Rufus Thomas's singular moment on the 1970s charts.