Grazing in the Grass
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Grazing in the Grass" is an instrumental written by South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela (as Philemon Hou) and first recorded by himself. It is recognizable by its prominent cowbell part. Released in the United States as a single in 1968, it became one of the few instrumentals to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Friends of Distinction recorded a vocal cover version of the tune in 1969 which was also a Top Ten pop and R&B hit. "Grazing in the Grass" has been recorded by many other musicians, including Chet Atkins, Boney James, Willie Mitchell and Meco.
"Grazing in the Grass" was sampled by the hip hop duo Nice & Smooth on the track "One, Two and One More Makes Three" from their album Ain't a Damn Thing Changed.
The Friends of Distinction version
The Friends of Distinction recorded a vocal cover version of the tune in 1969 on RCA Victor, which was also a Top Ten pop and R&B hit, reaching no. 3 on the former and no. 5 on the latter.
Personnel
- The Friends of Distinction - vocals
- Max Bennett - electric bass
- Johnny Guthrie - drums
- Al Casey and Arthur Wright - guitars
- Gene Cipriano - piccolo flute
- John Audino, Anthony Terran, Bud Childers, Dalton Smith - trumpets
- King Errisson - congas
- Douglas Davis - cello
- Jim Horn - tenor saxophone,
- Garry Nuttycombe - viola
- Harry Bluestone, Jimmy Getzoff - violins
- Jack Arnold - percussion
- Larry Knechtel - piano
Appearances in other media
- In the soundtrack of the 2006 feature film The Last King of Scotland.
- In the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, it can be heard during the pool party scene.
- In the 1988 film I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, in a scene featuring Isaac Hayes singing along off-key for comical reasons.
- Raven-Symoné's recording was used in The Lion King 1½.