The Five Du-Tones Were Robert Hopkins (group founder), Willie Guest, Frank McCurrey, LeRoy Joyce, James West, and Andrew Butler. They formed at Patrick Henry High School in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1957.
Between 1963 and 1966 the Five Du-Tones recorded nine singles on George Leaner's One-derful Records. "Please Change Your Mind" failed to chart, as did "Come Back Baby".
The group's third release in 1963 finally got them noticed: "Shake a Tail Feather" (co-written by Andre Williams) was played on R&B stations across the country, but it failed to make the sales and chart position the airplay justified. The track peaked at #28 on the US Billboard R&B chart, and #51 on the Billboard Hot 100. The group continued to record fun dance tunes that helped bridge the gap between doo-wop and soul music.
Next was "The Gouster" backed with "Monkey See Monkey Do." The B-side got some airplay, but neither track built on the success of its predecessor. "Nobody But (My Baby)" did even worse, so they tried another dance craze, "The Cool Bird". 1965 saw "Sweet Lips" and "The Woodbine Twine". The last Five Du-Tones single, a ballad called "Mountain of Love" was released in 1966; they disbanded in 1967.
"Shake a Tail Feather" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1988 film, Hairspray.
The group's lead singer, Andrew Butler, eventually moved to Los Angeles and joined a latterday version of The Rivingtons. After their dissolution due to illness, Butler worked in various versions of others 1950s doo wop such as Billy Richard's Coasters and The Robins.
The song was co-written by Andre Williams and Otha Hayes. Robert LeRoy Hopkins, now 70, lives in Bloomington, ILLinois, with his third wife Bonita. He has prostate cancer, but is in good spirits.