Hully Gully
Encyclopedia
The Hully Gully is a type of unstructured line dance
often considered to have originated in the sixties, but is also mentioned some forty years earlier as a dance common in the black juke joint
s in the first part of the twentieth century. In its modern form it consisted of a series of "steps" that are called out by the MC. Each step was relatively simple and easy to execute; however, the challenge was to keep up with the speed of each step.
The phrase "Hully Gully" or "Hull da Gull" comes from a folk game in which a player shakes a handful of nuts or seeds and asks his opponent "Hully Gully, how many?"
. In 1959 The Olympics
sang the song "Hully Gully
", which involved no physical contact at all. The same tune appeared a little over a year later in a song by the Marathons, entitled "Peanut Butter", which was later used for the Peter Pan Peanut Butter commercial during the 1980s. Tim Morgan sang different lyrics to the song "Peanut Butter" as well, however, only mentioning the Skippy" brand. There was another song about the dance by the Dovells, entitled "Hully Gully Baby." The Jive Five
had a hit called "Hully Gully Callin' Time"; Ike & Tina Turner
had a song in their repertoire known as "If You Can Hully Gully (I Can Hully Gully Too)." Ed Sullivan mentioned the Cadillac Hotel as "Home of the Hully Gully" on his weekly show, featuring some dancers from Frank Rocco's revue. Known as "Mr. Hully Gully", Rocco then toured America (including the 1964 New York World's Fair
—he danced it with Goldie Hawn
) and Europe, where over the next year he taught the dance at the NATO Base in Naples, Italy, in Rome
, and all over Europe.
Line dance
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact...
often considered to have originated in the sixties, but is also mentioned some forty years earlier as a dance common in the black juke joint
Juke joint
Juke joint is the vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African American people in the southeastern United States. The term "juke" is believed to derive from the Gullah word joog, meaning rowdy or disorderly...
s in the first part of the twentieth century. In its modern form it consisted of a series of "steps" that are called out by the MC. Each step was relatively simple and easy to execute; however, the challenge was to keep up with the speed of each step.
The phrase "Hully Gully" or "Hull da Gull" comes from a folk game in which a player shakes a handful of nuts or seeds and asks his opponent "Hully Gully, how many?"
Modern form
The Hully Gully was started by Frank Rocco at the Cadillac Hotel in Miami Beach, FloridaMiami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
. In 1959 The Olympics
The Olympics (band)
The Olympics were an American doo-wop group, formed in 1957 by lead singer Walter Ward . The group included Eddie Lewis , Charles Fizer , Walter Hammond and Melvin King and except for Lewis were friends in a Los Angeles, California, high school...
sang the song "Hully Gully
Hully Gully (song)
" Hully Gully" is a song written by Fred Sledge Smith and Clifford Goldsmith and recorded by The Olympics. Released in 1959, the song peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1960, and sparked the Hully Gully dance craze....
", which involved no physical contact at all. The same tune appeared a little over a year later in a song by the Marathons, entitled "Peanut Butter", which was later used for the Peter Pan Peanut Butter commercial during the 1980s. Tim Morgan sang different lyrics to the song "Peanut Butter" as well, however, only mentioning the Skippy" brand. There was another song about the dance by the Dovells, entitled "Hully Gully Baby." The Jive Five
The Jive Five
The Jive Five is an American doo wop group.The group formed in Brooklyn, New York in the late 1950s with Eugene Pitt, Jerome Hanna, Richard Harris, Thurmon Prophet, and Norman Johnson. The group found success in 1961 with "My True Story" on Beltone Records, which reached #3 on the U.S...
had a hit called "Hully Gully Callin' Time"; Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
had a song in their repertoire known as "If You Can Hully Gully (I Can Hully Gully Too)." Ed Sullivan mentioned the Cadillac Hotel as "Home of the Hully Gully" on his weekly show, featuring some dancers from Frank Rocco's revue. Known as "Mr. Hully Gully", Rocco then toured America (including the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
—he danced it with Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
) and Europe, where over the next year he taught the dance at the NATO Base in Naples, Italy, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and all over Europe.
In popular culture
- An example of the Hully Gully can be seen performed by John BelushiJohn BelushiJohn Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician, best known as one of the original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, The Star of the Films National Lampoon's Animal House and the The Blues Brothers and for fronting the American blues and soul...
in the film The Blues BrothersThe Blues Brothers (film)The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
. - In The Wanderers by Richard PriceRichard Price (writer)Richard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter, known for the books The Wanderers and Clockers.-Early life:...
, the Hully Gully is enacted. - Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs' 1965 hit "Wooly BullyWooly Bully"Wooly Bully" is a popular song originally recorded by novelty rock 'n' roll band Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs in 1965. Based on a standard 12-bar blues progression, it was written by the band's leader, Domingo "Sam" Samudio. It was released as a single on the Memphis-based Pen label and...
" was originally called "Hully Gully," but the band could not record it under that name due to the prior existence of a recorded song with that title. In addition, the speed of the beats did not fit the steps of the Hully Gully.