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Spike Jones and his City Slickers was an orchestra and band active from the early 1940s to the mid-1950s, known for their satirical arrangements of popular songs. The group originated when drummer Spike Jones, feeling bored with the repetitive music of The Victor Young Orchestra, sought to create something different. He first recruited Delmar Porter, a singer from a vocal and ocarina quartet that Jones had previously backed on Decca Records. Porter led a six-piece group called the Feather Merchants, which Jones managed before it evolved into the City Slickers. As they gathered other like-minded musicians, they began performing parodies of standard songs for their own amusement. To share their enjoyment with their wives, they recorded their weekly performances, which eventually caught the attention of an RCA Victor executive, leading to a recording contract. Their first record, "Der Fuehrer's Face," became a success, prompting Jones to transition from drummer to bandleader. Despite initially believing that their popularity would be short-lived, audiences continued to crave more from Jones and his band, inspiring him to create more comedic arrangements. The City Slickers released their last album in 1956, after which they disbanded, as Jones wished to pursue "more serious" music.

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