Alley Cat Strut Oscar Holden May 2026

Sometime in the mid-1930s, Oscar Holden penned The Alley Cat Strut. Unlike the later European "Alley Cat" song (which sounds like a cat tip-toeing on ice), Holden’s version is pure, unadulterated barrelhouse blues.

When you hear the words “Alley Cat,” your brain likely jumps to the bouncy, whimsical 1960s instrumental by Frank Bjørn (popularized as The Alley Cat Song). But true jazz heads and Seattle history buffs know the real alley cat was a different breed entirely—one with a growl, a strut, and a story written by a man named Oscar Holden. alley cat strut oscar holden

You may not realize it, but you have likely heard the DNA of "Alley Cat Strut" in other places. Dave Brubeck, who spent time in the Army during WWII near the West Coast, once cited Holden as a "forgotten influence" on his use of odd meters. When you hear the piano in "Take Five," you can faintly hear the ghost of the "Alley Cat Strut" in the left-hand ostinato. Sometime in the mid-1930s, Oscar Holden penned The

Furthermore, modern "New Orleans bounce" producers have sampled the bass line from the 1954 Holden Brothers version. In 2006, underground hip-hop producer Madlib interpolated a four-bar loop of "Alley Cat Strut" on a track for Madvillainy 2, introducing a new generation to Oscar Holden’s swagger. But true jazz heads and Seattle history buffs