William "Bill" Minkin (born October 17, 1941) is an American comedian, singer, and recording artist who performed
political satire
Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where Political discourse analysis, political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing ...
, under the names Senator Bobby and Senator Everett McKinley.
In 1967,
Parkway Records
Cameo-Parkway Records was the parent company of Cameo Records and Parkway Records, which were major American Philadelphia-based record labels from 1956 (for Cameo) and 1958 (for Parkway) to 1967. Among the types of music released were doo-wop, d ...
released a
45 rpm single
In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...
of Minkin singing two versions of
The Troggs
The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper " Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You" and "Love Is All Around", all o ...
' 1966 hit song, "
Wild Thing". On side one, Minkin uses the alias Senator Bobby in his
impression of
Democratic US Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...
singing "Wild Thing".
On side two, the comedian uses the alias Senator Everett McKinley in his impression of
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
US Senator
Everett Dirksen
Everett McKinley Dirksen (January 4, 1896 – September 7, 1969) was an American politician. A Republican, he represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As Senate Minority Leader from 1959 unt ...
singing the same song.
The single reached number 20 on the
US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
. The Senator Bobby version is credited on the single's label to Minkin (misspelled as "Menkin") and the group The Hardly-Worthit Players.
It has appeared on reissues of the group's 1966 Parkway album entitled ''The Hardly-Worthit Report'', along with the Cameo-Parkway album ''Boston Soul'' by the same performers.
He released a follow-up single in 1967, also a satirical "Senator BobbY" style cover of the Donovan Leitch song "Mellow Yellow" on the Cameo-Parkway label
Minkin is also known as the host for the long-running
King Biscuit Flower Hour
The ''King Biscuit Flower Hour'' was an American syndicated radio show presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various rock music recording artists.
History
The program was broadcast on Sunday nights from 19 ...
radio concert series.
References
External links
*{{IMDb name , 0591431, Bill Minkin
1941 births
American male comedians
Living people