"I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate", often simply "Sister Kate", is an up-tempo

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

dance song, written by

Armand J. Piron Armand John "A.J." Piron (August 16, 1888 – February 17, 1943) was an American jazz violinist who led a dance band during the 1920s. Biography In 1915, Piron and Clarence Williams started the Piron and Williams Publishing Company. In their ...

and published in 1922. Louis Armstrong claimed he had written the song and sold it for 10$ he never received. Kate was a murdered brothel madame named Katie Townsend. Kid Ory recorded it with original Armstrong lyrics in Denmark Nov 13th 1959, but never used this lyrics in the USA. Early recordings listed at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

br>
include 1922 sides by Mary Straine And Joseph Smith's Jazz Band on Black Swan Records; The Virginians on Victor; and The Original Memphis Five, as an instrumental, on Pathé Actuelle. Vocalist Anna Jones recorded it accompanied by

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

on piano in 1923. Arrangements ranged from big band jazz to the Alabama Jug Band in the 1930s, a precursor to jug band revival versions during the 1960s' by

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Mac ...

and

Jim Kweskin Jim Kweskin (born July 18, 1940, Stamford, Connecticut) is an American folk, jazz, and blues musician, most notable as the founder of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, also known as Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band, with Fritz Richmond, Geoff Muldaur, Bob Si ...

(see below). The lyrics of the song are narrated first person by Kate's sister, who sings about Kate's impressive dancing skill and her wish to be able to emulate it. She laments that she's not quite "up to date", but believes that dancing the

Shimmy A shimmy is a dance move in which the body is held still, except for the shoulders, which are quickly alternated back and forth. When the right shoulder goes back, the left one comes forward. History In 1917, a dance-song titled "Shim-Me-Sha ...

like "Sister Kate" will rectify this, and she will be able to impress "all the boys in the neighborhood" like her sister. Over the years this song has been performed and recorded by many artists, including

Frances Faye Frances Faye (November 4, 1912 – November 8, 1991) was an American cabaret and show tune singer and pianist. Born to a working-class Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York City, she was a second cousin of actor Danny Kaye. Career Born as Franc ...

and

Rusty Warren Rusty Warren (March 20, 1930 – May 25, 2021) was an American comedian and singer, specializing in sex-related themes and such songs as "Bounce Your Boobies" and " Knockers Up!". Early life Warren was born in New York City in 1930 and adopted s ...

, a 1959 version by

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, poet, cartoonist, singer / songwriter, musician, and playwright. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended universit ...

The Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

in 1960 (released as "Shimmy Like Kate"), the Red Onion Band, and a

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

version by

The Remo Four The Remo Four were a 1950s–1960s rock band from Liverpool, England. They were contemporaries of The Beatles, and later had the same manager, Brian Epstein. Its members were Colin Manley (born Colin William Manley, 16 April 1942, in Old Swan, ...

in 1964. It was performed live by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

in 1962, and a recording of one such performance appears on ''

Live! at the Star-Club in Hamburg, Germany; 1962 Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

.'' The song arrived in the 1960s and 1970s

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

scene thanks to

(recording it twice on '' In the Tradition'' and on ''

Dave Van Ronk and the Ragtime Jug Stompers ''Dave Van Ronk and the Ragtime Jug Stompers'' is an album featuring Dave Van Ronk playing with a jug band. History From ''The Mayor of MacDougal Street'': "As for the jug band, that came about more or less by accident. One weekend Max Gordon, t ...

'') and

, who made it part of a "Sister Kate's Night Out" medley on his ''Relax Your Mind''

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

with

Mel Lyman Melvin James Lyman (March 24, 1938 – March 1978) was an American musician and writer, and the founder of the Fort Hill Community, which has been variously described as a family, commune, or cult. Early life Lyman grew up in California and Oreg ...

and

Fritz Richmond John B. "Fritz" Richmond (July 10, 1939 – November 20, 2005) was an American musician and recording engineer. Richmond was a washtub bassist and was also a professional jug player. Richmond, born in Newton, Massachusetts on July 10, 1939, was ...

. In 1967, the

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...

included it in on their eponymous

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (album) ''The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band'' is the first album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, released in 1967. This album debuted on the U.S. Billboard Top Pop Albums chart on April 8, 1967, peaked at number 161, and was on the charts for eight weeks. The si ...

. The song was performed by Jayne Mansfield in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It The song was featured in an episode of

the Carol Burnett Show ''The Carol Burnett Show'' is an American variety/sketch comedy television show that originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 279 episodes, and again with nine episodes in fall 1991. It starred Carol Burnett, Harvey ...

(Episode 7.6) in 1973.

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

used to team this song with an updated version of

the Flares The Flairs (or Flares) were an American doo-wop group known for their 1961 hit "Foot Stompin', Pt. 1." Based in Los Angeles, they went through several lineup changes during their existence. Their notable members included Richard Berry (writer o ...

1960 doo-wop song "Foot Stompin'" during the

Diamond Dogs Tour The Diamond Dogs Tour was a concert tour by English singer-songwriter David Bowie in North America in 1974 to promote the studio album ''Diamond Dogs'' (1974). The first leg of the tour utilized a rock opera-style stage show format with multi ...

, as heard on the compilation ''

Rarestonebowie ''Rarestonebowie'' is a compilation album by English musician David Bowie. This release was one in the series of mid-nineties releases by MainMan, Bowie's former management company during the seventies (other ones being ''Santa Monica '72'' and ...

''. Guitarist

Carlos Alomar Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garso ...

blessed the update with a riff that became Bowie's hit " Fame", cowritten with

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Judith Durham Judith Durham (born Judith Mavis Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1963. The group became the first Australian p ...

recorded a version for her album, ''

Judith Durham and The Hottest Band in Town ''Judith Durham and The Hottest Band in Town'' is the fourth studio album from Australian recording artist Judith Durham. The album was Durham's first released via Pye Records in June 1974. The album was re-released on CD and for digital downloa ...

'' (1974). The song was also featured in an episode of ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series '' Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'' during the show's final (1978) season, in which Edith and Stephanie plan to sing the song for a talent show at Stephanie's school. Ragtime revival band

The Blue Rags The Blue Rags are an American revivalist, ragtime and boogie-woogie band from Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The band released two albums on the trendsetting Sub Pop label - 1997’s ''Rag-N-Roll'' and 1999’s ''Eat at Joe’s'' - an ...

put a version on their 1997 album ”Rag-N-Roll". On their self-titled 2004 debut album, the

Ditty Bops The Ditty Bops were an American band from Los Angeles, California that began with Warner Brothers, and later self-produced recordings. Noted for their tight vocal harmonies by Abby DeWald and Amanda Barrett. They incorporated a variety of musica ...

also

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

the song as did The Livin' Blues, a 60s Dutch blues band. A rare video footage of the song with

Cécile McLorin Salvant Cécile McLorin Salvant (born August 28, 1989) Kaplan, Fred"Cécile McLorin Salvant's Timeless Jazz" ''The New Yorker'', May 22, 2017. is an American jazz vocalist. She was the winner of the first prize in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz C ...

from 2014 brought life to the song on the internet amongst the young jazz-generation. A version of the song can be heard in the background of the season 4 finale of

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

A passage from the song is used in the poem ''Interview'', written by

Vijay Seshadri Vijay Seshadri (born 13 February 1954) is an American, Brooklyn, New York–based poet, essayist and literary critic. Vijay won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, for ''3 Sections''. Early life Vijay's parents immigrated to the United States ...

. A version of the song is performed in The Good Old Days episode of The Danny Thomas Show. Season 5 Episode 25. On their debut album,

The Ditty Bops The Ditty Bops were an American band from Los Angeles, California that began with Warner Brothers, and later self-produced recordings. Noted for their tight vocal harmonies by Abby DeWald and Amanda Barrett. They incorporated a variety of musica ...

recorded the song with traditional arrangements using vintage instruments.

References

External links

"Sister Kate" lyrics
** {{authority control Jazz songs 1919 songs American jazz songs Songs written by Clarence Williams (musician) Jim Croce songs Songs about dancing The Olympics (band) songs