In 1923 a traveling musician named Phil Baxter arrived in town. Though his stay was only a few weeks, the people of Dumas made quite an impression on him, and he wrote a song titled “I’m a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas”. Mr. Baxter’s fortune and the success of the song took a turn upward when Phil Harris, bandleader for the popular Jack Benny radio show, recorded it and played it on the air.
Over the years, the song has had musical legs, being performed by various country music stars as well as the Benny Goodman Trio, the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Band, and Arthur Godfrey. The syncopated beat and catchy, sometimes tongue-twisting lyrics began with:
"I’m a Ding dong Daddy from Dumas;
You ought to see me do my stuff.
I’m a clean cut fellow from Horner’s Corner;
You ought to see me strut.
I’m a caper cuttin’ cutie,
Got a gal called Katie—
She’s a little heavy laden, but I call her “Baby’.
I’m a Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas;
You ought to see me do my stuff!"
The song became Dumas’ signature shortly after the end of World War II, when local residents organized and began operating the KDDD radio station, which still broadcasts today. Of course, the triple Ds stand for Ding Dong Daddy, and the tune became the station’s theme song.
The station manager commissioned an Amarillo commercial artist named Hut Hutson to create an image of the Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas. The copyrighted logo features a cowboy caricature, complete with a ten-gallon hat, six-guns, boots and spurs.
The popular logo was loaned to the Dumas Chamber of Commerce, and the group created lapel pins to be handed out to any and all visitors. Not to leave out the ladies, an image of a Ding Dong Dolly cowgirl was also created. Both pins are still available at the Chamber for those who would like to announce that they dallied in Dumas.
The original artwork for the dancing cowboy, as well as a copy of the sheet music autographed by the composer, are on display at the Window on the Plains Museum in Dumas.
Thanks to the museum for providing information used in the writing of this story. For HPPR, I’m Lynn Boitano in Edmond, OK.
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High Plains History is a production of High Plains Public Radio.
