Oscar Brown Jr. - Watermelon Man free for downloading

This album was recorded in late 1960 and released, I believe, early 1961. Herbie Hancock's song, with which I'm familiar with largely through the Mongo Santamaria recording, was on his debut album in 1962 (per Wikipedia). So it would appear this was first, but they're close. Some of Oscar Brown's compositions were adapted from early African American folk music/lore. Though his and Hancock's songs were different, they may well have sprung from the same roots.

an absolute genius, rhythm, lyric, captures the story of a people.

Love him, always have, and always will!

We had 4 albums in our house, this was one of them.

This was one of the great albums of the sixties, not to say a great artist1

Interesting...did he write this song before Herbie Hancock wrote his (of the same title)??