(Do the) Mashed Potatoes

1960 single by Nat Kendrick and the Swans June 2009 (Do the) Mashed Potatoes DoTheMashedPotatoes.jpg single Nat Kendrick and the Swans Mashed Potatoes (Do the) Mashed Potatoes (Part 1) (Do the) Mashed Potatoes (Part 2) 1960 02Leeds Alan Alan Leeds Star Time Star Time (album) Weinger Harry White Cliff Cliff White George Nelson Nelson George Polydor May 7, 1991 19–20 & 47 en December 1959 Dukoff Studios (Miami, Florida) R&B 1:55 (Part 1) 1:50 (Part 2) Dade1804 Dessie Rozier Dish Rag 1960 HQr7fCnjF_Q "[Do The] Mashed Potatoes, Pt. 1" Audio video Mashed Potatoes single Steve Alaimo Mashed Potatoes Mashed Potatoes (Part 1) Mashed Potatoes (Part 2) 1962 02 R&B 2:25 (Part 1) 2:15 (Part 2) Checker 1006 Dessie Rozier The Waiting's So Hard 1961 My Friends 1962 __NOTOC__ "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" is a rhythm and blues instrumental. It was recorded by James Brown with his band in 1959 and released as a two-part single in 1960. For contractual reasons the recording was credited to "Nat Kendrick and the Swans".Stone Henry Henry Stone Nat Kendrick and The Swans http://www.henrystonemusic.com/2011/03/nat-kendrick-and-the-swans/ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110426192327/http://www.henrystonemusic.com/2011/03/nat-kendrick-and-the-swans/ April 26, 2011 Henry Stone Music Circumstances of the recording The recording of "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" arose out of James Brown's success in using the Mashed Potato dance as part of his stage show. Brown wanted to record a Mashed Potatoes-themed instrumental with his band in order to capitalize on the dance's popularity. However, King Records head Syd Nathan, a frequent critic of Brown's proposals, would not allow it. (The first instrumental recorded by Brown and his band, titled "Doodle Bee" and credited to Brown's tenor saxophonist J.C. Davis, had not sold well when it was released on King's sister label Federal Records.) Brown approached Henry Stone, a friend in the music business who ran the Dade Records label, about recording the piece with him. Stone, although nervous about crossing Nathan (with whom he did business), arranged for Brown to record at his Miami studio. "(Do The) Mashed Potatoes" was recorded with Brown playing the piano and shouting the song's title. To prevent Brown's voice from being recognized, Stone overdubbed shouted vocals by Carlton "King" Coleman, a local radio DJ, onto the recording, though Brown's voice remains audible in the background. Leadership of the band was officially credited to Nat Kendrick, who was Brown's drummer at the time, while the writing was credited to "Dessie Rozier", a pseudonym for Brown. A simple twelve bar blues tune, "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" became a Top Ten R&B hit in 1960 and fed what would eventually grow into a national dance craze. The band recorded several more singles under the Nat Kendrick & the Swans name, including "Dish Rag", "Slow Down", and "Wobble Wobble", but none were successful. Eventually made aware of Brown's outside success, Syd Nathan relented and allowed him to release future instrumentals on King, starting with the 1961 single "Hold It" b/w "The Scratch". James Brown had a second Mashed Potatoes-themed hit with "Mashed Potatoes U.S.A." in 1962. Personnel "Nat Kendrick and the Swans" Carlton "King" Coleman – lead vocal overdubs Alfred Corley – alto saxophone J.C. Davis – tenor saxophone James Brown – piano, vocal yelps Bobby Roach – guitar Bernard Odum – bass Nat Kendrick – drums Charts Chart (1960)PeakpositionBillboard Hot 10084Billboard Hot R&B Sides8 Steve Alaimo version: Chart (1962)PeakpositionBillboard Hot 10074Billboard Hot R&B Sides? Other versions Steve Alaimo released his version of the song in 1962 as a single, also on the album Mashed Potatoes. The British beat group The Undertakers recorded a cover version of "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" in 1963. German beat group The Rattles recorded a version for their 1963 debut single A-side. The Kingsmen covered the song on their 1964 album The Kingsmen in Person. A re-recording of "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" with the James Brown band and an unidentified vocalist was recorded on August 20, 1964, but remained unreleased until it was included on the a reissue of the James Brown compilation album Roots of a Revolution released in 1989.White Cliff Cliff White Roots of a Revolution Roots of a Revolution Polydor 1989 2nd 2 en James Brown recorded a remake of "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" on April 17, 1966, featuring himself on organ that was featured on the album Soul Pride: The Instrumentals 1960-1969 released in 1993.Leeds Alan Alan Leeds Soul Pride: The Instrumentals Polydor March 23, 1993 18 en James Brown recorded another remake of "(Do the) Mashed Potatoes" with Bobby Byrd for his 1980 album Soul Syndrome published under Henry Stone's TK Records. Surf rock group Man or Astroman released a cover of the song called "Space Potatoes" on their 1993 EP Captain Holojoy's Space Diner, with modified lyrics. An undubbed version of the original 1959 recording without "King" Coleman was released by Henry Stone Music for the Nat Kendrick and The Swans album in 2004. References Guralnick, P. (1986). Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom. New York: Back Bay Books. 0-452-26697-1. Wolk, Douglas. (2004). Live at the Apollo. New York: Continuum Books. External links --1fKgkuNbk Undubbed Version: "Mashed Potatoes" HQr7fCnjF_Q Original Single: "[Do The] Mashed Potatoes, Pt. 1" O0CcXV1Y4mc Steve Alaimo Recording: "Mashed Potatoes, Part 1" S082-2jsRDY 1964 Re-recording: "[Do The] Mashed Potatoes" r_O3jmLbbCY 1966 James Brown Recording: "Mashed Potatoes '66" rcOG-9gTri8 1980 James Brown Recording: "Mashed Potatoes" Category:American novelty songs Category:James Brown songs Category:Songs written by James Brown Category:1960 debut singles Category:1960s instrumentals Category:1959 songs Category:Songs about dancing Category:Dance crazes Category:Checker Records singles Category:Hep Stars songs Category:1950s fads and trends