The composer of the
Hokey Pokey.
Larry LaPrise, died April 13, 1996 in Boise, Idaho, at the age of 83.
Roland Lawrence LaPrise (his full name), concocted the song along with two fellow musicians in the late 1940s for the apres ski crowd at a nightclub in Sun Valley, Idaho. His group, the Ram Trio, recorded the song in 1949. His song writing career pretty much ended with the composition of the Hokey Pokey.
He never made much off of it, considering how well-known the song is, because he had already sold the rights to bandleader Ray Anthony in 1953. He recorded the "The Hokey Pokey" on the B-side of another novelty record, The Bunny Hop.
Larry worked for the rest of his life (until mandatory retirement) as a postal service employee in Ketchum.