Biography
Roy Alfred composed lyrics for such an enormous quantity of songs that any attempt at a full catalog quickly becomes impractical. Despite the breadth of his output, his name remains linked most closely with “The Hucklebuck.” Younger audiences may overlook the extent of the cultural craze that surrounded the number—the accompanying dance, the successive recordings, and the suggestive undertones. Every songwriter would envy a connection to a craze whose popularity radiated outward like threads cast by the master of nocturnal arachnids. Explicit reinterpretations circulated, while sanitized covers appeared for every age group, including renditions credited to Oscar the Grouch and Popeye, or at least to studio musicians mimicking those voices. Critics seeking an alternative flagship recording frequently cite the Ray Charles big-band arrangement of “I’ve Got News for You,” captured for the 1961 album Genius + Soul = Jazz. Although some contend that Charles could transform any list of household items into convincing rhythm-and-blues material, the verses of this particular song deliver both sharp wit and comic bite, remaining pleasurable to vocalize or read. Such craftsmanship typified Alfred’s approach; he regarded lyric writing as an agreeable occupation and never produced a line freighted with anguish or affectation.
That same unpretentious stance occasionally yielded ephemeral novelties, among them “Bat Man Wolf Man Frankenstein,” a title any admirer of Jad Fair might covet, and “It’s the Sentimental Thing to Do,” preserved by Doris Day. Marvin Fisher cut both the monster song and Alfred’s salute to “Captain Kidd.” Collectors hearing that Alfred could construct an entire narrative solely from song titles—“Believin’ You,” “Best Man,” “Can’t Stop,” “Congratulations to Someone,” “Cut Off All the Fat,” “Discovery of America,” “Eatin’ Pizza,” “Pizza Party,” “Moon June Spoon,” “Flirt,” “My First Formal Gown,” “Music From Out of Space,” and “Young Abe Lincoln”—would readily accept the claim. While many writers settle for rhymes pairing moon, June, and spoon, Alfred went further by simply naming a song “Moon June Spoon.”
Nevertheless, “The Hucklebuck” overshadowed every other copyright, including “Blue Bolero” and “Hooray for Santa Claus!” The song received versions by Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, Kate Smith, and bluesman Earl Hooker, placing it in the catalogs of both Bailey and Hooker. In its era it exemplified jazz-and-blues material crossing over to a vast white listenership before rock and roll had acquired its later definition. Scholars locate the central riff in either of two earlier sources. One traces it to the 1945 Charlie Parker session that produced the medium-tempo blues “Now’s the Time”; another points to John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun.” Teddy Reig, present at the Parker date in a loosely defined production capacity, also supervised the 1948 Detroit session with bandleader Paul Williams at which a comparable riff surfaced under the title “The Hucklebuck.” Williams became so identified with the piece that he adopted the stage name Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams. Alfred’s words had not yet been added when the instrumental reached the top of the rhythm-and-blues charts. The associated dance enjoyed enormous popularity yet drew criticism for its suggestive character. Regardless, professional ensembles of every stylistic stripe found the number indispensable to their repertoires. A 1956 installment of The Honeymooners devoted entirely to the song marked one peak of its visibility.
That same unpretentious stance occasionally yielded ephemeral novelties, among them “Bat Man Wolf Man Frankenstein,” a title any admirer of Jad Fair might covet, and “It’s the Sentimental Thing to Do,” preserved by Doris Day. Marvin Fisher cut both the monster song and Alfred’s salute to “Captain Kidd.” Collectors hearing that Alfred could construct an entire narrative solely from song titles—“Believin’ You,” “Best Man,” “Can’t Stop,” “Congratulations to Someone,” “Cut Off All the Fat,” “Discovery of America,” “Eatin’ Pizza,” “Pizza Party,” “Moon June Spoon,” “Flirt,” “My First Formal Gown,” “Music From Out of Space,” and “Young Abe Lincoln”—would readily accept the claim. While many writers settle for rhymes pairing moon, June, and spoon, Alfred went further by simply naming a song “Moon June Spoon.”
Nevertheless, “The Hucklebuck” overshadowed every other copyright, including “Blue Bolero” and “Hooray for Santa Claus!” The song received versions by Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Pearl Bailey, Kate Smith, and bluesman Earl Hooker, placing it in the catalogs of both Bailey and Hooker. In its era it exemplified jazz-and-blues material crossing over to a vast white listenership before rock and roll had acquired its later definition. Scholars locate the central riff in either of two earlier sources. One traces it to the 1945 Charlie Parker session that produced the medium-tempo blues “Now’s the Time”; another points to John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun.” Teddy Reig, present at the Parker date in a loosely defined production capacity, also supervised the 1948 Detroit session with bandleader Paul Williams at which a comparable riff surfaced under the title “The Hucklebuck.” Williams became so identified with the piece that he adopted the stage name Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams. Alfred’s words had not yet been added when the instrumental reached the top of the rhythm-and-blues charts. The associated dance enjoyed enormous popularity yet drew criticism for its suggestive character. Regardless, professional ensembles of every stylistic stripe found the number indispensable to their repertoires. A 1956 installment of The Honeymooners devoted entirely to the song marked one peak of its visibility.