Alley Cat, also known as Alleycat or The Alley Cat, is a famous instrumental tune by Danish pianist and composer Bent Fabric (Bent Fabricius-Bjerre), written under the pseudonym Frank Björn. It was first released in November 1961 in Danish as Omkring et flygel (Around a Piano) and released in 1962 as a single from the album Alley Cat, with Markin’ Time as the B-side. The pop instrumental runs 2:24. It reached number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the Easy Listening chart, and it charted in Australia, New Zealand and Germany. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rock and Roll Recording at the 5th Grammy Awards, and sold over a million copies earning a gold disc. Siw Malmkvist recorded Swedish, Danish and German versions. The tune has been covered by artists such as Ray Conniff, Chet Atkins, Al Hirt and Peggy Lee, and has appeared in films and TV including Shag, Duets, Family Guy and Mad About You, and is a familiar ice cream truck tune in parts of the US and Mexico.
