Song:Shake A Tail Feather
Album:Land of 1000 Dances Vol. 2: 1956-1966
The Five Du-Tones had their only chart hit with Shake A Tail Feather in 1963. It should have been much bigger but unfortunately they were on a small label that never got national distribution. It was a hit in 1967 for James & Bobby Purify but this original version got new life when it appeared in the 1988 film Hairspray. The Five Du-Tones were formed in 1957 at Patrick Henry High School in St. Louis. Andrew Butler was lead singer. Other members were Willie Guest, Frank McCurrey, LeRoy Joyce and James West. From 1963-66, The Five Du-Tones recorded for the small Chicago label One-derful Records owned by George Leaner. They recorded a total of nine singles but Shake A Tail Feather was the only song to chart. It reached #28 on the R & B Singles chart and #51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song would have done better if it had got national distribution. The Five Du-Tones disbanded and One-derful Records closed in 1967. James & Bobby Purify had a top 30 hit in 1967 and Shake A Tail Feather has been covered by many artist. But the original version got a big boost when it was used in the 1988 film Hairspray. Shout! Factory has released a Fie Du-Tones comp but I think most fans will only want Shake A Tail Feather. And the soundtrack CD for Hairspray is only a half hour long. So I suggest this various artists dance music comp from Ace Records that has 30 great songs. Andrew Butler later joined a version of The Rivingtons and it looks like he still tours the oldies circuit with vocal groups today. Here's a video of Shake A Tail Feather by The Five Du-Tones.
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