So Now You Know

The first recorded example of "scat" singing, where the words are replaced by playful nonsense syllables, is found in Heebie Jeebies, recorded on Feb. 26, 1926 by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Fives. The story goes that halfway through the song, Louis dropped the music and simply improvised pure nonsense for the rest of the take, instead of stopping altogether. The person doing the recording liked the result so much that he suggested they keep it - and the "modern" era of scat singing was born.