This song was written by J.P. Richardson, who was an influential Texas disc jockey known as "The Big Bopper". On February 3, 1959, he was killed in the plane crash that also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. In America, this song was released about 6 months later, as it was delayed by legal constraints due to Richardson's death in the plane crash.
The 1959 recording featured background vocals by Richardson and George Jones and the session's producer Bill Hall, who provided the "Indian chanting" of "uga-uga" during the three verses, as well as the "Indian war cries" at the start and end of the record. Richardson was a friend of Preston and offered "Running Bear" to him after hearing him perform in a club. Richardson thought the Romeo & Juliet theme of this song was too serious for him to record. He passed it on to his friend, the Cajun musician friend Johnny Preston, who originally was unsure about the song but was eventually persuaded to cut it. Preston recorded the song at the Gold Star Studios in Houston, Texas in 1958. The saxophone was played by Link Davis.
In 1974 Swedish group Blue Swede topped the American singles chart with their version of "" with the "Ooga Chuka" backing.
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