Song View

It's actually a terrible song, mocking both a stuttering speech impediment and the little orphan Annie. The “eefing” used in the song is a vocal technique from Appalachia, rural Tennessee, similar to beatboxing, but a good hundred years older, but the song became a hit and reached number 76 in the charts. The B-side of the single “Uncle Eeef” is a supposedly tragic documentary about Uncle Eeef who was hanged on the banks of the Cumberland River. The fate of Joe Perkins is even more tragic. While doing construction work for Nashville bassist Bob Moore at his home in nearby Madison, Perkins convinced Moore to give him a chance as a singer. As co-owner of Monument Records, it was easy for Moore to arrange a recording session for the aspiring singer. Moore wrote both sides of Perkins' '45 debut with the help of Johnny MacRae. Sadly, Perkins died before he could realize his full potential as a singer. He drowned in the Cumberland River mentioned in the song.