About The Hand Jive The Hand jive is a dance particularly associated with rock and roll and rhythm and blues music of the 1950s. It involves a complicated pattern of hand moves and claps at various parts of the body, following and/or imitating the percussion instruments. It resembles a highly elaborate version of Pat-a-cake. Hand moves include thigh slapping, cross-wrist slapping, fist pounding, chest slapping and pounding, hand clapping, elbow touching and hitch hike moves. The Hand Jive was popularized by Johnny Otis's 1958 hit "Willie and the Hand Jive". Johnny Otis didn't know how the dance would evolve with each new generation of music. Like "The Twist," The Hand Jive went to the top of the charts more than once...and on the big screen. In 1974, Eric Clapton remade a version of The Hand Jive which made the Billboard Top 40 national charts. The Hand Jive is also prominently Featured in the stage play and movie versions of Grease, and was revamped as "Born to Hand Jive" by the nefarious Doo Wop revival group Sha Ma Ma. Crossing musical cultures, The Hand Jive was performed by the Grateful Dead and The Jerry Garcia Band (less the Garcia Cherry Yogurts) as part of their stage acts. Laurin Rinder & W. Michael Lewis recorded a disco version of Willie and the Hand Jive for their 1979 album, Warriors.. You can't keep a good dance down.

But let's not forget: The Jitterbug (also on Okdues Television), The Locomotion, The Mashed Potato, The Stroll, The Worm, The Kneesies, The Boogaloo, The Pony, The Monster Mash (On OTV Halloween week), The Swim, The Backfield Motion, The Stomp (Bristol and otherwise), and, pf course, The Twist.

RATE THIS OLDIES TV CLIP