![]() In 1990 Atkins was joined by the British guitarist/singer-songwriter Mark Knopfler in a version of Yakety Axe on which Atkins recited verses written by Merl Travis, the man whose style of guitar picking originally inspired Atkins. As an actor in the 1970s, Reed co-starred with Burt Reynolds in several movies, including all three of the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ films for which he also composed the sound track. Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash both recorded songs written by Reed. Reed was an associate of Atkins, and the latter is on record as saying that Reed helped him work out the fingering for Yakety Axe.Īs well as being acknowledged as one of the best country guitar players, Reed was an actor, composer and singer. Yakety Axe: Mark Knopfler & Chet Atkins: October 31, 1990: First release: Yakety Axe: David Furtado PT August 2020: Jäkäti jäk written by Erkki Liikanen Finnish. A track I played frequently was Jerry Reed’s version of Yakety Axe. The Benny Hill Show - Yakety Sax by London Music Works was written by Boots Randolph and James 'Spider' Rich and was first recorded and released by Randy Randolph in 1958. Randolph and Atkins sometimes played the tune as a duet during joint TV appearances.įor a short while in the early 1990s I produced a country music record show for a small hospital radio station. In 1965, Atkins recorded a guitar version of the tune which he called Yakety Axe. Yakety Sax was Randolph’s updating of a piece originally composed by James Q ‘Spider’ Rich and references a saxophone solo on a 1958 Coasters recording of the Lieber and Stoller song ‘Yakety Yak’.Īnother musician who worked alongside Randolph on recordings by Elvis and other Nashville based stars is the country guitarist Chet Atkins. Hits featuring Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Brenda Lee and REO Speed Wagon all benefited from his distinctive saxophone style. British saxophonist Peter Hughes was responsible for the version used on Hill’s show.īoots Randolph was a Nashville based session musician who played on recordings by many country and rock artistes during the 60s and later. Originally recorded in 1963 by its composer, Boots Randolph, the raucous nature of the saxophone notes and the insistent rhythm were an ideal accompaniment to the jerky motion of Hill’s many pursuers. Chet Atkins even rearranged it as a guitar piece, which he cleverly dubbed, “Yakety Axe.If you are old enough to remember the Benny Hill show, after it transferred to Thames Television in 1969, you will know the tune that accompanied the closing chase sequence. Once “Yakety Sax” blew up, it was recorded, performed, and featured everywhere. He played on the soundtracks of eight Elvis Presley movies and was the first saxophonist to record popular music with Presley on songs such as “Return to Sender” and “Reconsider Baby,” as well as with other artists like Roy Orbison, REO Speedwagon, and Al Hirt. The Randolphs had a family band, and Boots grew up playing the ukulele, vibraphone, and trombone, eventually settling on the saxophone.īoots played in the United States Army Band in his youth, then moved back to Kentucky and started a combo ensemble, and eventually took a shot at solo recording and session performing. At some point, he was given the name and it just stuck. There’s no real story behind the nickname Boots, except for that growing up, his father was also named Homer, and it caused some confusion. Homer Louis “Boots” Randolph III (1927-2007) was born in Kentucky. Especially because we pretty much always know what the outcome is going to be, we just want to watch it happen and pretend it’s all a big circus act. ![]() The Benny Hill version is another rendition entirely, recorded by Ronnie Aldrich and His Orchestra.ĭue to the nature of how “Yakety Sax” was predominantly used in The Benny Hill Show, car-chase videos shot from news helicopters tend to make for the best adaptations of the music. + Read more on Flypaper: “What Happens When You Mess with the Keys of Iconic Movie Theme Songs?” The song didn’t really catch on until they rerecorded and released it in 1963 when it went on to enter the Billboard Top 100 and chart as high as #35! ![]() ![]() The “ Benny Hill Theme” is actually called “Yakety Sax” and was composed and originally recorded in 1958 by Boots Randolph and James Q. Some people have started to call this the “Yakety effect.” In effect, this juxtaposition brilliantly exposes what’s behind the curtain, but then just lets us enjoy it for what it is. These “ Benny Hill Theme” re-edits of drama and violence on film are a nutshell microcosm of how easy it is for the internet to dull our ability to feel empathy, yet they’re also a pretty clever commentary on cinema’s ability to manipulate and sculpt our reaction through its many devices.
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