"Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" is a

jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...

song, written by

Alex Kramer Alex J. Kramer (May 30, 1903 – February 10, 1998) was a Canadian songwriter. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. His parents were Adolph and Freda Kramer. At age 17 he was hired as a pianist in a silent movie theater in Montreal. He tra ...

and Joan Whitney.

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the King ...

and his

Tympany Five Tympany Five was a successful and influential American rhythm and blues and jazz dance band founded by Louis Jordan in 1938. The group was composed of a horn section of three to five different pieces and also drums, double bass, guitar and pian ...

recorded the song on June 26, 1946, and

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

released it on a

78 rpm record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The gr ...

. It was added to the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 2013. The single debuted on ''Billboard'' magazine's Rhythm and Blues Records Chart on December 14, 1946. It reached number one and remained at the top position for seventeen weeks, longer than any other Jordan single. It also reached number six on the broader ''Billboard'' Best-Selling Popular Retail Records chart. The flip side, " Let the Good Times Roll", peaked at number two on the R&B chart. Jordan's hit song popularized the expression "Nobody here but us chickens", but the phrase is older. Its first known appearance was a joke published as a reader-submitted anecdote in ''

Everybody's Magazine ''Everybody's Magazine'' was an American magazine published from 1899 to 1929. The magazine was headquartered in New York City. History and profile The magazine was founded by Philadelphia merchant John Wanamaker in 1899, though he had little r ...

'' in 1908 regarding a chicken thief, formulated as, Deed, sah, dey ain't nobody hyah 'ceptin' us chickens." From there, it was picked up by newspapers and reprinted far and wide.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1946 songs Decca Records singles Louis Jordan songs Blues songs Songs written by Alex Kramer Songs written by Joan Whitney (songwriter) Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients