Bohannon was drumming in a high school band while an elementary school student. After graduating from Clark College, Atlanta, and playing in local bands, he was hired by Stevie Wonder to be the drummer in his touring band. He moved to Detroit in 1965, and was employed by Motown as band leader and arranger for many of the label’s top acts. When Motown moved from Detroit in 1972, he stayed behind to form his own band.
He signed with Dakar/Brunswick Records, and in early 1973 released the album Stop And Go. This was followed by five more albums for the label over the next two years, on which he perfected his formula of heavy, thudding bass accents and aggressive rhythms. Although several of his tracks were club hits he had limited chart success – however, in 1975 "Disco Stomp" made the Top Ten in the UK, and "Foot Stompin’ Music" later that year scraped into the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Top 40.
In 1976 Bohannon signed to Mercury Records, and two years later had his biggest success with "Let’s Start The Dance". It made the R&B Top Ten and featured the singer Carolyn Crawford, whose subsequent albums Bohannon went on to produce.
Although he continued to release records through the 1980s, using new vocalists Liz Lands and Altrinna Grayson, he met with diminishing success. Nevertheless, more recently his music has been widely sampled.
Disco Stomp
Bohannon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Hey Philadelphia, ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Hey Philadelphia, ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Philadelphia, Philadelphia, stomp, stomp!
What about D. C.? Hm, uh!
What about D. C.? Hm, uh!
They like to hm, they like to uh.
Baltimore Maryland, oh, oh!
Baltimore Maryland, oh, oh!
Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore!
Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Newark in New Jersey, Newark, Newark, Newark!
What about Boston? Hm, hm!
Chi-Chi-Town-Chick in the car and the car won't go Chicago.
New York City! New York City!
New York City! New York City
The lyrics to Bohannon's song "Disco Stomp" are a call to action, urging everyone to get up and dance to the funky disco beat. The catchy repetition of "ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!" creates a sense of community and unity, inviting people from all over the country to come together and dance. The repetition of city names, like Philadelphia, D.C., Baltimore, Newark, Boston, Chicago, and New York City, creates a feeling of pride and celebration for each place mentioned. By highlighting different cities known for their disco scenes, Bohannon draws attention to the national trend of disco, which was a hugely popular musical genre in the 1970s.
The lyrics also incorporate call-and-response elements, with Bohannon asking "what about D.C.?" and "what about Boston?" before responding with "hm, uh!" and "hm, hm!" respectively. These prompts encourage listeners to join in on the fun, adding their own enthusiastic responses to the song. Overall, the lyrics to "Disco Stomp" celebrate the joy and energy of disco music, tapping into the communal spirit of the genre and inviting listeners to participate in the dance party.
Line by Line Meaning
Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Let's all dance together in unison to the beat of the disco music.
Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Let's all have fun and enjoy ourselves by doing this particular disco dance move.
Hey Philadelphia, ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
People of Philadelphia, let's do the fun dance move called Disco Stomp together.
Hey Philadelphia, ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Let's move and groove to the beat of the music while doing the famous disco dance move in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, Philadelphia, stomp, stomp!
Let's dance together and stomp our feet rhythmically to the fun music in Philadelphia.
What about D. C.? Hm, uh!
What about Washington D.C.? Do they also enjoy doing the Disco Stomp dance?
What about D. C.? Hm, uh!
Are people in Washington D.C. familiar with this fun dance move?
They like to hm, they like to uh.
They have their own unique style of dancing and enjoying themselves.
They like to hm, they like to uh.
They have a different way of dancing to the beat of the music.
Baltimore Maryland, oh, oh!
Baltimore, Maryland is also known for its love of disco music and dancing!
Baltimore Maryland, oh, oh!
People in Baltimore, Maryland are also fans of the Disco Stomp dance.
Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore!
Let's dance and have fun by stomping our feet together rhythmically in Baltimore.
Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!
Everyone, regardless of where they're from, should try doing the fun and easy disco dance move called Disco Stomp.
Newark in New Jersey, Newark, Newark, Newark!
Newark, New Jersey is also a place where people love to dance disco and do the Disco Stomp in particular!
What about Boston? Hm, hm!
How about Boston? Do they like to dance disco and do the Disco Stomp too?
Chi-Chi-Town-Chick in the car and the car won't go Chicago.
There's someone in Chicago who loves disco so much that they even have a nickname that mentions the city - Chi-Chi-Town-Chick.
New York City! New York City!
New York City is another place where people love to dance and do the Disco Stomp in particular!
New York City! New York City!
Let's dance and have fun doing the Disco Stomp in the Big Apple!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HAMILTON BOHANNON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sheeva Matimbas
He's influence cannot be measured , R.I.P. Master Bohannon 24.04.20
Jean Beavers
Ah I didn't know he passed away
Jimmy Crosby
For one dreadful moment I thought this was my dad at cousin Sandra's wedding... five minutes before the fight started...so funny 😁😁😁
Nick paintbrush 1962
Nice one
John Mac
This is an absolute gem!
beastygeorge
RIP Hamilton!!
Thank you for this amazing song
🔥🔥🔥🔥❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥
Jean-Louis Tiberghien
Difficile de reconnaître les sonorités disco sur ce morceau expérimental. Mais ce rythme majeur est génial et à reprendre absolument
Sam Smith
This song makes me understand the public's fear of disco.
Steve Kiley
RIP Mister Bohannon. Loved dancing to this in the 70s.
ΝΙΚΟΣ ΑΡΓΥΡΗΣ
REST IN PEACE!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR GOOD DANCING MUSIC!!!!!