KOKO TAYLOR’S “WANG DANG DOODLE”
Originally aired on NPR’s 1A on May 10, 2023. Featuring original interviews with Koko Taylor (archival interviews courtesy of Ben Manilla), Dan Aykroyd, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Iglauer and Shemekia Copeland.
The Sounds of America radio series celebrates audio recordings that have been chosen for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Today’s installment: Koko Taylor’s “Wang Dang Doodle.”
It made for an unlikely hit in 1966. The authentic Chicago blues sound of “Wang Dang Doodle” packed a punch and put a hole through the popular and poppier tunes at the time.
Koko Taylor was born Cora Walton in Tennessee in 1935. For this song, she teamed up with blues composer, bassist, and producer Willie Dixon. She was backed by a team that included Buddy Guy and a cast of characters featuring “Automatic Slim” and “Razor Totin’ Jim.”
Taylor went on to become one of the great voices of Chicago Blues. But what exactly is a “Wang Dang Doodle?”
The Sounds of America is produced by Jennie Cataldo for Accompany Studios.