Song:Wild Thing
Album:Cameo Parkway 1957-1967
This novelty record was a top 20 hit in 1966. Senator Bobby is Senator Bobby Kennedy as portrayed by comedian Bill Minkin. On the B side he performs Wild Thing as Senator Everett Dirksen. The idea to do this record came from the guy who wrote Wild Thing. Chip Taylor is a veteran producer and singer songwriter who is the brother of actor Jon Voight. He got together with a comedy group called The Hardly-Worthit Players. It's supposed to be a spoof of the NBC newscast The Huntley-Brinkley Report. The guys behind that were Dennis Wholey and Steve Baron. They signed a record deal with Cameo-Parkway Records and they released their 1966 album The Hardly-Worthit Report. Minkin was a friend who did an impersonation of Senator Bobby Kennedy. Wholey asked Taylor if he could use Wild Thing. When he told Taylor what he was going to do, Taylor agreed to produce the single. The record reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wild Thing was not on the album The Hardly-Worthit Report but it was added to a second pressing. It is not on the mp3 version of the album currently available. But you can get Wild Thing on this 4CD Cameo-Parkway box set. The Hardly-Worthit Players released a second album in 1967 and then they split up. Dennis Wholey went on to be a talk show host for PBS in Detroit. Minkin recorded a second single as Senator Bobby called Sock It To Me, Baby for RCA in 1968. Obviously it's supposed to play off of The Rowan and Martin Laugh-In. Minkin is the host of the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio concert series. Chip Taylor is currently an alt-country performer with his own label Train Wreck Records. Here's Bill Minkin as Senator Bobby with Dennis Wholey and Steve Baron performing Wild Thing on The Hollywood Palace 1966. Kate Smith's intro is pretty funny too.
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