![]() Getting a conk at the barber's was expensive, which is why some people conked their hair themselves, using a combination of lye, eggs, and potatoes. Once straightened, people styled their hair into pompadours or wore it slicked back. The name comes from congolene, a lye-based gel used to chemically straighten or "relax" hair. NBC Television, photograph, “Nat King Cole Show premiere 1956.” Fact Check: What is a conk? What do we know?Ī conk is a hairstyle that was worn by some African American men between the 1940s and early 1960s. “Straighten Up and Fly Right” is one of Cole’s best-known songs. Nat King Cole (with a conk) in the 1956 television premiere of The Nat King Cole Show. When they return, Momma and Dad are speaking on a long distance telephone call with Grandma Sands (Momma's mom), who lives in Birmingham, Alabama. Kenny and Joey go outside so Momma and Dad can have an adults-only talk. It didn't seem possible, but now Byron looks even funnier!ĭad tells Byron they've had enough, and it's time they do something about his misbehavior. When Dad comes home, he calmly brings Byron into the bathroom, where he starts whistling Nat King Cole's song "Straighten Up and Fly Right," as he cuts off all of Bryon's hair. ![]() Byron assures her there is nothing their parents can do now-the conk is permanent, and they will just have to wait until it grows out. Kenny can't wait to see what trouble awaits Byron. Byron explains that he wanted "Mexican-style" hair and insists he looks cool. Only now, it's reddish-brown and sticking straight up. Byron went behind his parents' back and got a conk, which means someone used chemicals to straighten his hair. ![]() Before entering, Byron reluctantly removes his hat and handkerchief, revealing a new hairdo. Suspicious, Momma tells Byron he knows better than to wear a hat in the house and orders him to come inside. When he notices Momma and Kenny, he quickly turns around. "Barber and customer both with conked hair," New York Public Library Digital Collections, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library.īyron wears a hat as he tries to slip in the back door.
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