Chicken Slacks
“Put that beat in your feet. Fill that hole in your soul.”
Deriving their name from a misheard lyric in the Sam Cooke soul classic “Twistin’ the Night Away,” The Chicken Slacks are Boston’s premier funk and soul revival band featuring a tight rhythm section, gritty horns, and a stirring star vocalist. Master chefs of a funky kitchen, The Chicken Slacks dish out the hot-buttered party grooves of classic funk, soul and R&B. Dance, romance, bump, grind, sway, stumble, sing along, celebrate, and get up and get down to the mighty ‘Slacks!
With their sound firmly rooted in the Stax and Memphis tradition, the seven-piece group’s influences range beyond southern soul, from funk (Eddie Bo and Sly Stone) to boogie rock (Creedence, Beefheart).
The Chicken Slacks not only entertain the masses at the hottest clubs around, but they can also make your private function a night to remember. Whether it’s a wedding, special fundraiser event, or just a great party, the Chicken Slacks will have everyone getting down! The musicians can also perform as a small jazz combo for a cocktail hour or smaller occasion. Although the band is not your typical variety band, their state of the art sound system can accommodate more contemporary dance music on their breaks for a DJ effect. Moreover, their bandleader can act as the emcee for evening.
What is SOUL music?
There are many definitions, but it began with Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, spread through Memphis with STAX records and Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Rufus Thomas, and the gang. It made its way to MUSCLE SHOALS with Wilson Picket and Aretha Franklin. The MOTOWN sound has a soul thing, with Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone took soul and made it into FUNK, paving the way for Tower of Power and Blood Sweat and Tears. Soul also morphed into R&B and disco, with Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees among the champions. Within this musical milieu are the names and songs we all know and love, but also hundreds of forgotten tunes by forgotten soulsters just as worthy to be performed and just as great to dance to. It’s all about the groove. This is SOUL. This is what they do.
Green Onions- Booker T & The MGs
Back at the Chicken Shack- Jimmy Smith
Cold Sweat (James Brown)
Doing It To Death (James Brown)
Never Loved A Man (Bar Kays)
Peter Gunn (Blues Brothers)
Shotgun Shuffle (KC and the Sunshine Band)
Soul Finger (Bar Kays)
Strawberry Soul (Willie Mitchell)
Can’t Turn You Loose (Otis Redding)
The Horse (Willie Mitchell)
Time Is Tight (Booker T and the MGs)
Medium Classic Soul
Baby I Love You (Aretha Franklin)
Respect (Aretha Franklin)
She’s A Burglar (Howard Tate)
Can I Change My Mind (Tyrone Davis)
Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You (Wilson Pickett)
Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding)
Fa Fa Fa (Otis Redding)
Gimme Little Sign (Brenton Wood)
Gimme Some Loving- Spencer Davis Group
Golden Lady (Stevie Wonder)
How Sweet It Is (Junior Walker)
I’ll Play The Blues (Albert King)
I’ll Take You There (Staple Singers)
I Thank You (Sam and Dave)
Let’s Stay Together (Al Green)
Memphis Soul Stew (King Curtis)
My Girl (Temptations)
Shamma Lama Ding Dong (Llyod Price)
634 5789 (Wilson Pickett)
Stand By Me (Ben E King)
Sweet Home Chicago (B B King)
What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye)
Night Time is The Right Time (Ray Charles)
You’re All I Need To Get By (Marvin Gaye)
You Are The Sunshine of My Life (Stevie Wonder)
Any Other Way (William Bell)
Groove Me (King Floyd)
Fast Classic Soul
Ain’t That Peculiar (Marvin Gaye)
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg (Temptations)
Barefooting
Burning Love (Elvis Presley)
But It’s Alright (JJ Jackson)
You’re Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher (Jackie Wilson)
Hold On I’m Coming (Sam and Dave)
I’ll Go Crazy (James Brown)
Knock On Wood (Eddie Floyd)
Land of 1000 Dances (Wilson Pickett)
Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett)
Money (Junior Walker)
Proud Mary (Ike and Tina Turner)
Road Runner (Junior Walker)
She’s Looking Good (Wilson Pickett)
Twisting the Night Away (Sam Cooke)
Wrap It Up (Sam and Dave)
Soul Man (Sam and Dave)
What’d I Say (Ray Charles)
Mess Around (Ray Charles)
Funk/Disco
Boogie Shoes (KC and the Sunshine Band)
Brickhouse (Commodores)
Hey Pocky Way (The Meters)
I Feel Good (James Browns)
I Want To Take You Higher (Sly and the Family Stone)
It’s Your Thing (Isley Brothers)
Messin’ With The Kid (Blues Borthers)
Papas Brand New Bag (James Brown)
Rolling With the Punches (Jonny Clyde Copeland)
Give It To Me Baby (Rick James)
Hollywood Swinging (Kool and the Gang)
Sex Machine (James Brown)
Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
Tighten Up (Archie Bell)
You Make Me Feel Like Dancin (Leo Sayer)
The Wobble (Dyke and the Blazers)
Up For the Downstroke (Parliament)
Shining Star (Earth Wind and Fire)
Dance To The Music (Sly and the Family Stone)
Cabbage Alley (The Meters)
Ballads and Jazz Standards
At Last- Etta James
Bring It On Home (Sam Cooke)
A Change Is Gonna Come (Sam Cooke)
Georgia (Ray Charles)
It’s A Man’s World (James Brown)
Summer Wind- Frank Sinatra
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Otis Redding)
These Arms of Mine (Otis Redding)
Try Me (James Brown)
What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
You Send Me (Sam Cooke)
The Way You Look Tonight- Tony Bennett
Fly me To The Moon- Frank Sinatra
"Hell yes, we can dig it!" - Boston Herald
"We wanted to be sure to drop you guys a line to say how INCREDIBLE you were at our wedding. I think people are still recovering from the workout you gave them. It was no surprise to us since we've seen your Cantab show so much, but we truly could not have asked for a better performance the whole night (along with ace MCing by Jeremy!). We can attest based on comments we've gotten that you blew our guests away. Thanks for an amazing night and for being such professionals to work with. See you at the Cantab!"
Sam and Erica, married May, 2010 in New Haven, CT
"I just wanted to say thank you for such an awesome performance at our wedding. All of our guests were AMAZED by the Chicken Slacks skills and talents...I've heard nothing but wonderful things about y'alls music and vibe. Hiring you guys was easily the best wedding decision I made...Thank you so much for everything. As well thank YOU personally for being so great to work with and communicate with in the planning process."
Zoe and Drew, married May 2010 in Peabody, MA
"We just wanted to thank you again for all you guys did to make our wedding a success. You organization and professionalism gave us full confidence from the beginning. When it came time to party, you guys delivered 110% - exceeding all our highest expectations. Despite the heat, our guests had a blast, and everyone commented that you guys were "the best wedding band", "best funk band on the East Coast", you name it. Perhaps most amazingly, you did indeed inspire my father to dance for the first time since the 1950's! Lastly, thanks for the awesome gifts - the CDs are awesome, and the concert poster is by far the coolest wedding memento. Feel free to use us as a testimonial or reference for picky brides anytime :)"
Thea and Pete, married July, 2010, in East Madison, NH
"Boston's premier performing soul band. Go see them live!" - Metronome Magazine
"Thank you so much for bringing your soul and funk to our wedding at The Round Barn. Everyone-- our guests and The Barn staff-- loved you. You caught the vibe of our celebration and made it exactly what we wanted. It was a pleasure to work with you and to be in your presence for the evening. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Liz and Nathan, married June, 2011, in Waitsfield, VT
"We had the most incredible time at the wedding reception and have absolutely no regrets! The Chicken Slacks are the greatest!! We'd be happy to be a positive reference in the future if you have any need for that. I've heard nothing but wonderful feedback from our guests. And we love the poster- thank you for that! We will definitely catch you at the Cantab one of these Thursdays!"
Lisa and Chris, married July, 2011, in Northampton, MA
"With a voice like a preacher and a heavenly falsetto scream that he likes to Taser the crowd with, Diamond D performs with the joy of a boy sneaking out of the house to have a good time. The rest of the Slacks are right there with him." - Boston's Weekly Dig
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