Do the Funky Chicken
Do the Funky Chicken is a playful R&B/funk song by Rufus Thomas, released in 1969 and used as the title track of his 1970 album. It became one of his biggest hits, reaching number 5 on the R&B chart, number 28 on the US pop chart, and number 18 in the UK, where it was his only chart hit. The song was one of several novelty dance records Thomas made.
Thomas says he improvised the tune after performing with Willie Mitchell’s band at the University of Tennessee and developed it further at a Covington gig. The dance movement centers on raising both arms in a goofy chicken pose, and the record includes a spoken word shtick Thomas often used as a radio DJ. The track was produced by Al Bell and Tom Nixon, with the Bar-Kays backing and guitarist Michael Toles.
Critics have called it the goofiest dance craze of the early 1970s, but Thomas gave it energetic, humorous delivery. The song has been sampled by several artists over the years, including Eazy-E in "Still Talkin’" (1988), a live sample used by Public Enemy in "Night of the Living Baseheads" (1988), Missy Elliott in "Don’t Be Comin’ (In My Face)" (1997), and SWV in the 1997 track "Can We" featuring Elliott.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:33 (CET).