Episode five is devoted to “Watermelon Man,” the first song on the first album by the pianist Herbie Hancock, released when he was just 22 years old.  In 1963, less than a year later, the adventurous Cuban bandleader and conga player Mongo Santamaria cut an irresistible Latin-esque version of it, which became a gigantic pop hit in 1963 and has spawned over 200 cover versions in the decades since.  Ten years later, Herb recorded a jazz-rock remake of “Watermelon Man,” and, ten years after that, nearly a hundred rappers began to sample the jazz-rock version. 

Its musical appeal aside, this upbeat little song by a Black composer in tribute to a watermelon man casually overturned 150 years of the racist lampooning of Black folks for their love of watermelon…which may help to explain why a number of singers -- including Jon Hendricks, Gloria Lynne, and Big Mama Thornton – were inspired to write lyrics to a composition that was born as an instrumental.  It’s a rich story.