Bohannon (born Hamilton Frederick Bohannon in Newnan, GA, on 7 March 1942; … Read Full Bio ↴Bohannon (born Hamilton Frederick Bohannon in Newnan, GA, on 7 March 1942; died 24 April 2020), sometimes professionally known as Hamilton Bohannon, was an American percussionist, band leader, songwriter and record producer, who was one of the leading figures in 1970s disco/dance music.
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.
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.
The Stop and Go
Bohannon Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Bohannon:
April My Love I wanna be by your fireside this Christmas I wanna be…
Disco Stomp Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!…
Foot stompin' music Rock! An' if you feel like clapping your hands Clap your…
I'm In Love I wanna be by your fireside this Christmas I wanna be…
Let Come on and do it Come on and do it Come on…
Let's Start II Dance Come on and do it Come on and do it Come on…
Let's Start the Dance Come on and do it Come on and do it Come on…
Let's Start To Dance Come on and do it Come on and do it Come on…
Let's Start to Dance Again Come on and do it Come on and do it Come on…
Lets Start To Dance Again Come on and do it Come on and do it Come on…
South Africa Man south african man help him if you can south african man make…
South African Man south african man help him if you can south african man make…
Start the Dance Come on and do it Come on and do it Come on…
Stomp Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!…
Take the Country to New York City New York is red hot New York is red hot New York…
The Stomp Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp! Ev'rybody do the Disco Stomp!…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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Mr. BassMan
Eddie Watkins on bass, wah wah watson on one of the guitars confirmed. The beginning of the Bohannon funk. Every element is awesome in this song, took me years of having this in my playlist to hear some details, like that funky chugging organ in the background. There is a cut here around the 3:17 mark and its looped essentially as opposed to the original.
Cashmere Funk
Rip sir you made good music to dance to 1978 was my year let's start the dance 🎵🎼🎵🎼🎹🎷🎻🎸👌
phillydisco
Melvin Ragin on the wah guitar. He uses the same lick on Papa Was A Rollin Stone. He would use more and more effects on the guitar in later years.
robert ritchwood
love the energy!
Dietmar Logoz
Thanks! Great stuff I had forgotten, re-discovering is fun!
Christopher Santana
RIP HAMILTON BOHANNON. GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN.
ToniA5555
Unfortunately, Hamilton Bohannon is no more!
ernest morris
when there was music...high school memories
zagor tenay
Hamilton.......stratosferico......
dshizzle17
you just can't get any funkier than this.