Speckled Red (October 23, 1892 - January 2, 1973) was born Rufus Perryman in Monroe, Louisiana. He was an American blues and boogie-woogie piano player and singer, most noted for his recordings of "The Dirty Dozens", with exchanges of insults and vulgar remarks that have long been a part of African American folklore.
- "I want all you women to fall in line"
- "And shake yo shimmy like i'm shakin' mine"
- "You shake yo shimmy and you shake it fast"
- "If you can't shake the shimmy, shake yo' yes yes yes"
- "You a dirty mistreater, a robber and a cheater"
- "Stick you in a dozens and yo pappy is yo cousin"
- "And yo mama do the lawdylawd"
Although the lyrics were sung rather than spoken, with its elaborate word play and earthy subject matter, "The Dirty Dozens" is considered in some respects an ancestor to rap music.
Read more about Speckled Red: Life and Career, Revival and Death, Discography
Famous quotes containing the words speckled and/or red:
“A speckled cat and a tame hare
Eat at my hearthstone
And sleep there;
And both look up to me alone
For learning and defence
As I look up to Providence.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“For which he wex a litel red for shame,
Whan he the peple upon him herde cryen,
That to beholde it was a noble game,
How sobreliche he caste doun his yen.
Criseyda gan al his chere aspyen,
And let so softe it in her herte sinke
That to herself she seyde, “Who yaf me drinke?””
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340–1400)