I’ve heard that the Black Bottom started in Atlanta, in New Orleans, and in Jacksonville, Florida, in the first decade of the 20th century. It became well known by semi-rural blacks across the south then, and by the 1920s, it found its way up to Harlem where it was featured at the Apollo Theater in 1926 and 1927. From there it became a national sensation! Its rhythm was based on the Charleston, another popular dance at the time, but people loved the Black Bottom so much that it actually surpassed the Charleston in popularity.
Crosley didn’t know about any of this when the allergy first hit him. Somehow the moves had passed into his system, and now they take him over completely whenever he gets wet! He can’t understand why the dance was so popular. (It takes a lot of energy out of a crocodile!) He personally can’t wait until he gets dry and his body stops having a mind of its own.
You can see people doing the Black Bottom on Google if you want to, but we’ve also got a link to a video on YouTube here:
So far there are no such recordings of Crosley, and that’s just fine with him.