Unlocking The Funk:

The History of Locking

by Ralph Briones

There are many people who claim to be the originators of street dance style. It's really hard to substantiate those claims because their wasn't really anyone officially documenting who started what and when. Locking, however, can be credited to the Originator, Don Campbell.

Don Campbell. Copyright Creative Commons

Don Campbell, couldn't do the "funky chicken" and stopped at a particular point. It looked as though he locked his arms. People thought this was strange and laughed at him. He then pointed at them than continued with his dance. This became part of his performance and "Campbellocking" was created.

Dancer doing various locking moves. Copyright Creative Commons

The early 1970's saw many "locking" groups come to fruition. Most notably, Don Campbell's group, The Lockers, originally called the Campbell Lockers, were the most famous of the locking crews. Its has been said that the emergence of The Lockers on the dance scene, helped change the face for street dance and made it into a true American art form.

The Lockers. Copyright Creative Commons

The Lockers appeared on many TV shows like Soul Train and The Tonight Show and began to gain notoriety.Toni Basil, the singer best know for "Mickey", was the sole female member, and was responsible for staging the act. Their unique style and signature clothing set the tone for all of the lockers that followed to this day.

The Lockers - Copyright Creative Commons

"There was nothing like it ever before. They changed the face of dance."

Ann-Margret

Ann-Margret. Wikimedia Commons