Rock the boat (don’t rock the boat, baby) / Rock the boat (don’t tip the boat over) / Rock the boat (don’t rock the boat, baby) / Rock the booooooat, plays the iconic tune, “Rock the Boat.” Armed with a buoyant beat and shimmering accompaniment, the Hues Corporation hit was the kindling that sparked the disco fire in the mid-1970s. While that flame has died out, “Rock the Boat” continues to crackle and spark.
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Who Wrote It?
“Rock the Boat” was a Hues Corporation classic and came to them by way of their manager and the group’s co-founder, Waldo “Wally” Holmes, who was himself a musician and songwriter.
When “Rock the Boat” took off in 1974, it was unexpected. A song like that had never graced the airwaves before and its infectious rhythm and catchy chorus caught on fast. The star-powered trio the Hues Corporation – consisting then of Fleming Williams, H. Ann Kelley, and St. Clair Lee – was catapulted into the spotlight thanks to the tune.
“It was a song that you could do anything on,” Hues Corporation member St. Clair Lee explained of the song in an interview, remarking that the hit sounded neither pop nor disco. It had its own sound entirely. “You could cuddle or you could get crazy if you wanted to. It was a love song without being a love song. But, it was a disco hit and it happened because of the discos.”
Holmes could not only write a hit – he crafted several more songs, like “Off My Cloud,” “I Caught Your Act,” and “Natural Find,” for the group – he also seemed to manage the trio with precision. According to Lee, he worked with the band to perfect their stage presence and instructed them on how to talk to the press.
“Wally was a school teacher. He was not in the business per se,” Lee continued. “As a matter of fact, Wally was supposed to go into being the music teacher for the band at Santa Monica City College. He gave that up to pursue working with us. He was teaching on the side. This man can play a horn like you can’t believe. I’m surprised that he didn’t become a great horn player. I mean he can play a horn.”
In fact, Holmes can be heard playing the trumpet part on “Rock the Boat.” While not on stage with the trio, he was just as much a part of the Hues Corporation as his songs were.
(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
