"Cow Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" is a "country-boogie" style blues song satirizing the folklore of the singing cowboy in the American West. In the lyrics, the cowboy is from the city and tells his "doggies" (cattle) to "get hip." The music was written by Don Raye, and lyrics were written by Benny Carter and Gene De Paul The song was written for the 1942 Abbott & Costello film, Ride 'Em Cowboy, which included Ella Fitzgerald as a cast member. The first recording was by Freddie Slack & his Orchestra featuring vocalist Ella Mae Morse in 1942. The record was the first release by Capitol Records and their first million seller. The 1944 collaboration between The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald in resulted in a number one hit on the Harlem Hit Parade and a number ten hit on the pop chart [1].
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9AfqVIxEzg Ella Mae Morse and Freddie Slack video *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xovmaG9S0sQ Dorothy Dandridge "soundie"
| Preceded by "Solo Flight" by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra |
Billboard Harlem Hit Parade number-one single March 25, 1944 |
Succeeded by "Main Stem" by Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra |