Yakety Sax by Boots Randolph

Album: Yakety Sax! (1963)

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Songfacts®:

This saxophone-based instrumental was popularized on The Benny Hill Show, where it played when Hill was being chased around by policemen and angry women. Because of its use on the show, it has appeared in many comedic skits on other shows over the years.
Boots Randolph was a Nashville sax player who performed solos on Roy Orbison's "Mean Woman Blues" and Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." He died at age 80 on July 3, 2007. >>>
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Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2
Randolph wrote this with guitarist James Rich. It was influenced by the 1958 Coasters song "Yakety Yak."

Comments: 7

Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 29th, 1970, Chet Atkins performed a medley of "Wildwood Flower", "Mr. Sandman", and "Freight Train" on the ABC-TV musical variety program 'The Johnny Cash Show'...
He released all three as singles, but none of them charted...
Between 1954 and 1980 he had nine records on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart; his biggest hit was "Yakety Axe", it peaked at #4 in 1965.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn June 22nd 1846, Belgian musician Antoine-Joseph 'Adolphe' Sax was granted a patent for his invention, the saxophone...
R.I.P. Mr. Sax (1814 - 1894).
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn January 23rd 1964, Boots Randolph performed "Yakety Sax" on the ABC-TV program 'The Jimmy Dean Show'...
Eleven months earlier on February 17th, 1963 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; and on March 31st, 1963 it peaked at #35 (for 2 weeks) and spent 9 weeks on the Top 100...
He has played sax on four records that made the Top 10; "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison (#1), "I'm Sorry" by Brenda Lee (#1), "Return To Sender" by Elvis Presley (#2), and "Java" by Al Hirt (#4)...
R.I.P. Mr. Randolph, born Homer Louis Randolph III, (1927 - 2007).
Jack from Rutherfordton, Nc, NcMike from Raleigh, Chet's song was called that because a guitar is sometimes called an 'Axe'.
I heard an interview by Bill Anderson with Boots, not long before he passed away and he talked about hearing the Coaster's song, liking it and then adapting it for the idea behind Yakety Sax, then Chet doing the Yakety Axe.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyRandolph did go by the name Randy early in his professional career. His birth name was Homer Louis Randolph III, born in Paducah, KY. He also played on Al Hirt's "Java", that record peaked at #4 in 1964...
Mike from Raleigh, NcThe song was also a top 5 country hit for Chet Atkins, but with the title "Yakety Axe".
Dave from Phoenix, AzThe original RCA 45 RPM record had Boots Randolph as his proper name, Randy Randolph.

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