45 RPMs 103: Bill Doggett ~ Honky Tonk Pt. 1 & 2

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Today is the birthday of one of my favorite 50's composers, Bill Doggett. Born on Wednesday, February 16, 1916, in Philadelphia, he was an American pianist and organist. 

 

Doggett and Shep Shepard wrote one of my favorite songs to dance to, Honky Tonk, when I was in my mid-teens in junior high school (that's what it was called back then). It is a moderately paced tune that, depending on your mood and who you're dancing with, can be slow or fast danced to. And of course, Clifford Scott sends me out of this world with his incredible sax work.      

 

The year previously Doggett did an instrumental version of What A Diff'rence A Day Made that he completely knocked out of the park. While he played keyboard he is accompanied by a terrific sax (don't know if it was Scott). Where Dinah Washington sings it slow and dreamy, Doggett rocks it out. And rock hadn´t even been invented yet!          

 

Bill Doggett began his career playing swing music then went into rhythm and blues; he was a pioneer of rock and roll and is known for his instrumental compositions Honky Tonk and Hippy Dippy, He worked with some of the great musicians of the period: the Ink Spots, Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Jordan were some of them.              

 

He continued to play and arrange until he died when he was 80 from cancer on November 13, 1996, in New York City.       

 

 

 

Bill Doggett - Honky Tonk 

45 RPM record 

photo by Styrous® 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill Doggett - Honky Tonk. parts 1 & 2 

45 RPM record 

photo by Styrous® 

 

 

 

        

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - Honky Tonk (Part 1) - 2:40

Side 2:

B - Honky Tonk (Part 2) - 2:32

Companies, etc.

    Published By – Billace

 Credits:

 

      Written-By – Doggett*, Butler*, Scott*, Shepherd*

 

Notes:

Label variant "High" not italicized
Slightly shorter writers credit line
Runouts are etched

(Billace-BMI)

Instrumental

High Fidelity

Barcode and Other Identifiers        

         

    Rights Society: BMI
    Matrix / Runout (A-side - label): 45—K8767
    Matrix / Runout (B-side - label): 45—K8768
    Matrix / Runout (A-side runout, variant 1): K-45-8767-1
    Matrix / Runout (B-side runout, variant 1): K-45-8768-2
    Matrix / Runout (A-side runout, variant 2): K-45-8767-1
    Matrix / Runout (B-side runout, variant 2): K-45-8768-1
    Matrix / Runout (A-side runout, variant 3): K-45-8767-2
    Matrix / Runout (B-side runout, variant 3): K-45-8768-2

Bill Doggett – Honky Tonk
Label: King Records (3) – 45-4950
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single, 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1956
Genre: Funk / Soul, Blues
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Instrumental

        

        

        

        

Viewfinder links:       

        

Billy Butler        

Bill Doggett        

Ella Fitzgerald         

Wynonie Harris               

The Ink Spots        

Louis Jordan         

Johnny Otis       

Clifford Scott         

Shep Shepard       

Dinah Washington            

 

 

        
         

     
Net links:       

         

         

         

        
     
YouTube links:      
        
        

Bill Doggett ~ Honky Tonk Pt. 1 & 2         

      
        
         

        

        

Styrous® ~ Monday, February 16, 2026 

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Bill Doggett articles/mentions

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Honky Tonk Pt. 1 & 2   

      

     

     

mentions:     

      

      

     

     

     

     

     

Bill Doggett     

date & photographer unknown     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

 

 

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45 RPMs 36: Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ling Ting Tong a Honky Tonk song

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Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ling Ting Tong  

45 RPM

photo by Styrous®

Hawkshaw Hawkins was born on December 22, 1921. He was an American country music singer popular from the 1950s into the early 60s known for his music drawn from blues, boogie and honky tonk.

Ling Ting Tong ~ lyrics:     

I went to Chinatown
'way back in old Hong Kong
To get some Egg Foo Yung
And then I heard a gong

Ling ting tong tried to sing that song
Called Tie-ess-a mo-cum boo-die-ay
Tie-ess-a mo-cum boo
Ling ting tong, he would never be wrong
Go on and sing your song, a-ling ting tong

And I looked around
The lights were going down
And this is what I found
A back in Chinatown 

The tune is moderately fast and bouncy with some great guitar work and could be classed as "honky tonk". The song would probably not be considered PC now but it worked in the 50's.     

The first music genre to be commonly known as honky tonk was a style of piano playing related to ragtime but emphasizing rhythm more than melody or harmony; the style evolved in response to an environment in which pianos were often poorly cared for, tending to be out of tune and having some nonfunctioning keys. This honky tonk music was an important influence on the boogie-woogie piano style. Before World War II, the music industry began to refer to hillbilly music being played from Texas and Oklahoma to the West Coast as "honky tonk" music. In the 1950s, honky tonk entered its golden age, with the popularity of Webb Pierce, Hank Locklin, Lefty Frizzell, Ray Price, Faron Young, George Jones, and Hank Williams.     
      
             

Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ko Ko Mo  

45 RPM

photo by Styrous®

By contrast the "B" side, Ko Ko Mo, is fast and jivey. It's a pretty innocuous song but then most songs back then were.             

Hawkins was 6 ft 5 inches tall and was christened "Eleven Yards of Personality". He had an imposing stage presence and his tasteful Western suits set him apart from the rhinestone gaudiness of other male country singers.

Hawkshaw Hawkins & Little Jimmy Dickens

 date & photographer unknown

Hawkins died on March 5, 1963, in a plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline and Cowboy Copas. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and was married to country star Jean Shepard.             


   

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A – Hawkshaw Hawkins - Ling Ting Tong, written by Mable Goodwin

Side 2:
   
B – Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Rita Robbins - Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So), written by Levy*, Forest Gene Wilson*, Porter*


Musicians:

Hawkshaw Hawkins [vcl]
Chet Atkins [ld gt]
Eddie Hill [rh gt]
Bob Foster [steel]
Bob Moore [bass]
Buddy Harman [drums]
Tommy Jackson [fiddle]
Owen Bradley [piano]

Notes:

RCA Victor Black label with Silver lettering.
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (A side label): F2WW-0235
    Matrix / Runout (B side label): F2WW-0234

Hawkshaw Hawkins, Rita Robbins ‎– Ling Ting Tong / Ko Ko Mo
Label: RCA Victor ‎– 47-6022
Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
Country: US
Released: 1955
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Vocal
        
         

Viewfinder links:      
     

Little Jimmy Dickens          

Hawkshaw Hawkins            

Webb Pierce           

Hank Williams         

         
   
Net links:      
         
Discography    
honky tonk Etymology       
honky tonk History                 
         
       
YouTube links:      

Hawkshaw Hawkins ~ Ling Ting Tong    
Hawkshaw Hawkins with Jean Shepard ~ Ko Ko Mo   
        
            
         


Styrous® ~ Sunday, December 22, 2019        

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