"Shake a Tail Feather" is a song written by Otha Hayes, Verlie Rice, and Andre Williams and originally recorded in 1963 by the Chicago-based group the Five Du-Tones.[1] The original recording reached #28 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart and #51 on the Hot 100.[2]
Background
The song references a number of dance styles/moves, including the Boogaloo, The Twist, The fly, The Bird, Monkey, the Mashed Potato, the duck, the swim, the Boney Maroney, and the Watusi.
Notable cover versions
"Shake a Tail Feather" has been covered by many other artists over the years:
Ray Charles covered and performed the song during his scenes in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers where he was surrounded by dancers performing the move referenced in the song whilst he himself played a Rhodes piano and sang.
The Cheetah Girls covered the song in 2005 as part of the soundtrack of Chicken Little, which can also be heard during the end credits of the film.[5]
