Regarded as a novelty act,[4] the group included Al "Dr.
[5] His pianist Jimmy Harris was killed in a car crash that year,[6] but the following year the group performed as a "specialty" feature in a revue, Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1939, at the Hudson Theatre.
Their act was influenced by performers such as Cab Calloway, and contained comedy, swing jazz, and vocal harmonies.
As well as Doc Sausage on vocals and drums, the group comprised Earl Johnson (tenor saxophone), Charles Harris (piano), Charlie Jackson (guitar), and Jimmy Butts (bass).
[7] The group recorded eight tracks, including a version of "Rag Mop" which reached number 4 in the Billboard R&B chart,[2] and its follow-up, "Sausage Rock".