The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #73566   Message #1278024
Posted By: RangerSteve
22-Sep-04 - 04:32 AM
Thread Name: Tune Origin: 'Little Egypt'?
Subject: RE: Tune Origin: 'Little Egypt'?
Q's posting has Little Egypt's real name. She was Lebanese and only a second rate dancer, but no one else in the US was dancing like her, so she was a hit. She referred to her dance as the "Koochy Koochy Dance", and her manager, a New Yorker, composed the tune that this thread is about. He changed the name for some reason to "The Hoochy Koochy Dance", and that's the tune's official name.

The above is from a series of books called Uncle John's Bathroom Readers, which are available in Borders and Barnes & Noble. They are an indispensable source of information. In this case, the book was (I think) Uncle John's Famous Lives. My bathroom is upstairs, and I'm too lazy to go up and check the actual title.

The Thomas Edison National Historic SIte in West Orange NJ has a film of Little Egypt doing her dance.