Barbara & The Boys, ''Hooty Sapperticker'' (1958)

"Hello, man! What's your name?"


Hooty Sapperticker is a novelty song from 1958. It was recorded in Los Angeles, California by Barbara & The Boys with saxophone played by the legendary Vine Street musician and session player Plas Johnson. The record sold so fast, it had to be released on two different labels: first, on , and then a few weeks later, on Dot Records. The record shot to popularity in the summer of 1958 when Los Angeles radio station KFWB held a contest in which the DJ would randomly call people at their homes. If the phone were answered with the song playing, a prize would be given.

The song was written by Bob & Dick Sherman, who would go on to win two Oscars for Mary Poppins and various other accolades over the years. "Hooty Sapperticker" also holds the distinction of being the first song published by the then-fledgling BMI-affiliated publisher, Music World Corporation. (source wikibin)

Recent Years: Over the past thirty years the song has been a favorite of Dr. Demento on his radio program.

Literary sources: Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.

You can find more information and a download of the song at WFMU'S Beware Of The Blog.