Ward was a black, classically trained vocal coach who had formed a business partnership with a white New York talent agent, Rose Marks.

It was issued in May 1951 (on Federal 12022), and by the end of the month had reached number one on the R&B chart, a position it held for an almost unprecedented 14 weeks.

[8] The recording features René Hall on guitar, and used Bill Brown's bass voice, rather than McPhatter's tenor, as the lead.

The reference to "Dan" (alternatively, "Jim Dandy") dates back at least to minstrel shows in the nineteenth century, and double-entendre had been used in blues lyrics for decades before the song was written.

However, in hindsight it was an important record in several respects: it crossed the boundaries between gospel singing and blues, its lyrics pushed the limits of what was deemed acceptable, and it appealed to many white as well as black listeners, peaking at number 17 on the pop chart.

[11] On the other hand, The Drifters’ explicit "Honey Love" and "Such a Night" and The Midnighters’ "Sexy Ways" were banned in 1954.

However, Bill Brown, lead singer of "Sixty Minute Man", left in 1952 to form The Checkers.

Ultimately "Sixty Minute Man" remained a novelty song, and did not contribute significantly to the merging of pop music and R&B, more in the tradition of "Open the Door, Richard" in which black performers winked and rolled their eyes, rather than the soulful renditions that would follow.

Several sources suggest that he discovered the term (a euphemism for sexual intercourse in the black community) on the record "Sixty Minute Man".

[19] In 1951, "Sixty Minute Man" was recorded as a duet by Hardrock Gunter and Roberta Lee,[20] and also by the York Brothers.

The country group, Restless Heart, performed the song on their "Fast Movin' Train" tour in the late 1980s.