"Fugue for Tinhorns" is a song written and composed by

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

and first performed by

Stubby Kaye Bernard Solomon Kotzin (November 11, 1918 – December 14, 1997), known as Stubby Kaye, was an American actor, comedian, vaudevillian, and singer, known for his appearances on Broadway and in film musicals. Kaye originated the roles of Nicely-Ni ...

, Johnny Silver, and Douglas Deane in 1950. The song was featured in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

''.

Development

Twelve years before writing "Fugue for Tinhorns," Loesser was taken to a racetrack by Jule Styne, who said Loesser "was crazy about the racing form and the phrase 'can do' after a horse's name," which Styne said was Loesser's inspiration for the song. Loesser originally called the song "Three Cornered Tune," and it was to be sung in ''Guys and Dolls'' by the characters Sarah Brown, Nathan Detroit, and Sky Masterson. As the play took shape, the characters singing the song were changed to Nicely-Nicely Johnson, Benny Southstreet, and Rusty Charlie, and the song was placed at the beginning of the show to establish context and tone.

Notable recordings

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

recorded the song as a single in 1953. * Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Dean Martin recorded the song as a single in 1963. *

Herschel Bernardi Herschel Bernardi (October 30, 1923 – May 9, 1986) was an American actor and singer. He is best known for his supporting role in the drama television series ''Peter Gunn'' (1958–1961) and his leading role in the comedy television serie ...

recorded the song as a track on his 1970 album "Show Stopper." * Barry Manilow recorded the song as part of a ''Guys and Dolls'' medley on his 1991 album "Showstoppers." *

Big Scoob Stewart D. Ashby Jr. (born May 9, 1973) better known by his stage name Big Scoob is an American rapper from Kansas City, Missouri, who records for Strange Music. Early life Big Scoob spent his late adolescence and part of his early adulthood ...

sampled the song for his recording, "Can Du", in 2000.

In popular culture

;Film * *The song was included in the 1955 ''

'' film adaptation. *The song is sung several times in the 1984 movie Oh, God! You Devil.

References

External links

* Allmusic Entry {{Authority control Songs from Guys and Dolls Songs from musicals Songs written by Frank Loesser Pop standards