The title change referred to the colloquial term for an electric guitar as an 'axe'. Atkins' version used a similar tempo and showcased his country guitar picking style in place of a saxophone.

Guitarist Chet Atkins recorded a version of the song in 1965 called 'Yakety Axe'.

Randolph first recorded 'Yakety Sax' that year for RCA Victor, but it did not become a hit until he re-recorded it for Monument Records in 1963 this version reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The tunes are similar, and both feature the 'yakety' saxophone sound. Randolph's take on the piece was inspired by the saxophone solo played by King Curtis on The Coasters' 1958 recording of the Leiber and Stoller song ' Yakety Yak'.

The piece also quotes two bars each of ' Entrance of the Gladiators' and ' The Girl I Left Behind'. The selection includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes and was originally composed by Rich for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The piece is considered Randolph's signature work. Comedian Benny Hill later made it more widely known as the closing theme music of The Benny Hill Show.

Saxophonist Randolph popularized the selection in his 1963 recording, which reached number 35 on the pop charts. ' Yakety Sax' is a pop novelty instrumental jointly composed by James Q. 'Yakety Sax'īoots Randolph - Yakety Sax (Audio) on YouTube Not to be confused with ' Yakety Yak', a Leiber and Stoller song.

Chet atkins yakety axe cover