Jukebox: A Choir of Turkeys

Wild turkeys gobble on cue

Wild turkeys
A San Francisco resident has learned that wild male turkeys can gobble on cue. Julie Vader / iStockPhoto.com

In 1973, Jim Nollman was a recent college graduate with avant-garde musical aspirations. The San Francisco resident had learned that wild male turkeys can gobble on cue—especially in response to loud or high-pitched sounds. So Nollman visited a turkey farm in Sonoma County, sat down among 300 adult male turkeys and serenaded them with the folk song "Froggy Went a-Courtin'." When he raised his voice during the chorus, the turkeys joined in. His recording of the event, "Music to Eat Thanksgiving Dinner By," became a local radio hit.

Hear Froggy-Went-a-Courting (300 Turkeys), and Music to Eat Thanksgiving Dinner By (3 Flute Players and 300 Turkeys)

Music courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways, the non-profit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. Please click here to purchase or for more information

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