Rufus Thomas - Can Your Monkey Do The Dog

Year Released: 1964
Genre: R&B / Soul / Early Funk

Description:
Released on Stax Records, “Can Your Monkey Do The Dog” is one of Rufus Thomas’s signature dance-craze anthems, following in the spirit of his earlier hit “Walking the Dog.” Backed by the fiery Stax house band — with Booker T. & The MG’s and the Mar-Keys horns — the song fuses raw Memphis R&B with the groove-driven energy that would soon define southern funk.

Thomas’s playful vocals, full of humor and swagger, invite the listener to join in a dance that’s as much attitude as movement. Beneath the novelty exterior, the track’s tight horn arrangements, syncopated drums, and thumping bass show Stax at its most rhythmically inventive.

its dance-floor energy and call-and-response structure became a blueprint for funk showmanship, influencing artists like James Brown, The Isley Brothers, and later, Prince. It remains a staple in vintage R&B DJ sets and has been covered by garage rock and soul revivalists alike.