Sumter Joseph "Cha Cha" Hogan (December 8, 1920 – November 9,1986), sometimes credited as "Mr. Ink Spot" or "The Black Foxx", was an American comedian, musician, songwriter and civil-rights activist. His 1950 song "My Walking Baby" helped popularize the term "

rock 'n' roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

" and was covered by

Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday o ...

as the more famous "She Walks Right In". He may be most well known for his 1971 comedy album ''Brother Eatmore & Sister Fullbosom'' and appearances on the sitcom ''

Sanford and Son ''Sanford and Son'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from January 14, 1972, to March 25, 1977. It was based on the British sitcom '' Steptoe and Son'', which initially aired on BBC1 in the United Kingdom from 1962 to ...

''. He was a member of pop vocal group

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American vocal pop group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style predated the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ...

in the 1970s and '80s.

Early life

Hogan was born in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, Louisiana, in 1920, the son of Daniel and Gertrude Florence Hogan. He was given the nickname "Cha Cha" at age eight. He served in the Army during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His brother Lester also served in World War II and later worked at a Chrysler factory in Michigan. Hogan worked as a cab driver in New Orleans in the 1940s as he was starting his entertainment career.

Career

Although he did not record much, Hogan had a versatile, nearly 50-year career as an emcee, comedian, and singer, appearing in mostly black venues across the United States. Music historian Sampson of the website Spontaneous Lunacy judged Hogan as a passionate and charming if limited singer with a "rather undisciplined voice and somewhat derivative style", but a skilled songwriter.

Early career: 1940s and 1950s

Although Hogan apparently first began performing in his hometown of New Orleans, Hogan traveled widely and also was well known in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

from the earliest days of his career. In 1948, he appeared in a

Detroit Tribune The ''Detroit Tribune'' was a newspaper in Detroit. It started as the ''Daily Tribune'' in 1849 and used the name until 1862, the same year the ''Tribune'' joined with the (Detroit) ''Daily Advertiser'' which then absorbed other papers, becomin ...

reader poll for male vocalist, finishing second-to-last. He told a newspaper reporter that year that he had worked in many cities, and complained that he had "gained nothing in Detroit but a lot of songs he cannot sell." In 1949 he was back in New Orleans, and prominent enough to be featured in a local liquor advertisement. His music was championed by New Orleans radio DJ and newspaper columnist Vernon Winslow. Both he and Professor Longhair were frequent performers at the popular Caldonia Inn, before either had recorded. In 1950, he traveled to Dallas to record for Star Talent Records, a small Texas-based label whose roster included

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...

, Professor Longhair, and other blues, gospel, and country artists from Dallas, Memphis, and New Orleans. The resultant single, "My Baby Loves Me" b/w "My Walking Baby", was released later that year. Professor Longhair covered "My Walking Baby" in February 1950 as "She Walks Right In", released on the much larger label

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. Longhair's reinterpretation has been critically acclaimed as one of his signature tunes. Spontaneous Lunacy called Hogan's original "a rambunctious record full of horny enthusiasm, churning rhythms and—by the second half—some really wild, almost demented, vocals by a revved up Hogan, making for an entertaining and extremely memorable debut".

Huey "Piano" Smith Huey Pierce "Piano" Smith (January 26, 1934 – February 13, 2023) was an American R&B pianist and session musician whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll. His piano playing incorporated the boogie-woogie styles of P ...

knew Hogan as a jump-blues shouter in 1950 New Orleans, and credits Hogan with popularizing the term "

" in "My Walking Baby". Smith was also impressed by Hogan's refusal to allow a white restaurant owner in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

to discriminate against him, calling for the police when the man refused to seat him. By the early 1950s, Hogan was back in Detroit, where he emceed comedy and burlesque shows at the Flamingo Club. He had better career fortune: In an April 1954 version of the earlier Detroit Tribune readers' poll, Hogan was named the best male vocalist in the city, beating

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he develo ...

, who came in second, 565 to 365. In 1953, he was signed to Detroit-based Great Lakes Records, but never released anything on the label.

Later career: 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s

Hogan continued performing in nightclubs for the rest of his life, working in Detroit as a comic, singer, and emcee, often opening for

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

groups like the

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1953 as the Four Aims. They were one of the most commercially successful American pop music groups of the 1960s and helped propel Motown Records to international fame. The ...

, but also traveling widely, including New Orleans,

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, and several trips to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. He also had a sideline as a songwriter. He was noted for a flamboyant appearance; a reporter for the Singapore Monitor described his "smooth shiny pate and a dazzling diamond earring in his left ear." In 1969, he recorded the single "Just Because You've Been Hurt" b/w "Grit Gitter" for

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

label Soulville Records. A reviewer in '' Cashbox'' magazine called "Grit Gitter" a "striking soul instrumental with a high-stepping rhythm line that should bring reaction". His biggest recording success was the 1971 comedy album ''Brother Eatmore & Sister Fullbosom'', an X-rated "party record" drawn in part from historic vaudeville routines, released on the Los Angeles label

Laff Records Laff Records was a small American independent record label specializing in mainly African-American comedy and party records founded in 1967 in Los Angeles. Kliph Nesteroff, author of the book ''The Comedians'', wrote that "no other company cra ...

and credited to "Cha Cha Hogan, The Black Foxx." The album was an underground hit in the black community, and got a four-star rating in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''. Some copies of

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

's Laff release ''

Craps (After Hours) ''Craps (After Hours)'' is the second album by American comedian Richard Pryor, released in 1971 on the Laff Records label. History ''Craps (After Hours)'', like his other early-1970s albums ''Richard Pryor'' and '' Live At The Comedy Store, 19 ...

'' were misprinted with ''Brother Eatmore & Sister Fullbosom'' on the second side. He befriended comedian

Redd Foxx John Elroy Sanford (December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991), better known by his stage name Redd Foxx, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Foxx gained success with his raunchy nightclub act before and during the civil rights movemen ...

, who invited him to appear on two episodes of his hit sitcom ''

'' in 1973 and 1975. Hogan was the lead singer in two versions of pop vocal group

managed by Stanley Morgan and George Holmes in the 1970s and '80s, recording with the group on 1979's ''The Best of the Ink Spots''. Due to his connection with the band, he began to be known by a new nickname, "Mr. Ink Spot".

Personal life

He was married twice, to Marribell Imogene Shelton in 1950 in New Orleans, and to Dorothy Elaine Beacham in 1972 in Nevada."Nevada Marriage Index, 1956-2005", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VVL4-4FK : 20 September 2019), Sumter J Hogan and Dorothy Elaine Beacham, 1972.

Death

Hogan died in November 1986 in Las Vegas, which had been his home for several years.

Selected discography

* Cha Cha Hogan, "My Baby Loves Me" b/w "My Walking Baby" (Star Talent Records, 1950) * Cha Cha Hogan, "Just Because You've Been Hurt" b/w "Grit Gitter" (Soulville Records, 1969) * Cha Cha Hogan, ''Brother Eatmore & Sister Fullbosom'' (

, 1971) * The Ink Spots, ''Best Of The Ink Spots'' (Murray Hill Records, 1979) * Various Artists, ''The Star Talent Records Story'' (Airline Records, 2015) includes Hogan's two 1950 songs * Various Artists, ''Soulful Sounds From Soulville'' (Get Hip Archive Series, 2020) includes Hogan's "Grit Gitter"

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hogan, Cha Cha 1920 births 1986 deaths Jump blues musicians African-American male comedians African-American comedians Comedians from Louisiana Comedians from Michigan Comedians from Nevada African-American songwriters Songwriters from Louisiana Songwriters from Michigan Songwriters from Nevada 20th-century American songwriters American male comedians