Hamilton Bohannon
Hamilton Frederick Bohannon (born March 7, 1942 in Newnan , Georgia , USA; † April 24, 2020 in Atlanta , Georgia) was an American drummer , band leader and music producer specializing in soul , R&B and disco . He was considered one of the leading figures in disco music in the 1970s.
Life
After graduating from the University of Clark, Atlanta, he played in various local bands . Soon he was hired by Stevie Wonder as a drummer for his live band. He moved to Detroit in 1965 and worked there for the (Tamla) Motown studios as an arranger and producer. After Motown left Detroit in 1972, he stayed behind to form his own band.
After signing a contract with Dakar / Brunswick Records in early 1973, he released the album Stop And Go . Five more albums followed with this record label within the next two years. The music was characterized by heavy, pounding bass accents and aggressive rhythms. Although various titles became club successes, the success in the music charts was limited. In 1974 the single Keep On Dancing was released in Germany .
The breakthrough came in 1975 with the title Disco Stomp , which stayed in the German top ten for seven weeks and made it to third place. Although it belongs to a different genre , the constant, pounding rhythm of the almost six-minute piece is reminiscent of the motor skills sound that was otherwise only heard on Krautrock music at the time .
In 1976 Bohannon signed with Mercury Records and two years later had his greatest international success with "Let's Start The Dance". The collaboration with singer Carolyn Crawford, which was heard there, was continued in other productions. In the course of the 1980s, more recordings were made with the new singers Liz Lands and Altrinna Grayson, but they were hardly successful.
In Germany is likely Disco Stomp still be best known as it the theme music of the ZDF telecast disco was. Bohannon's music was later picked up by other musicians, e.g. B. The Stomp! from ATB .
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 AT
|
 CH
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|||
| 1975 | Insides out |
DE38 (2 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: August 1975
|
| 1978 | Summertime groove | - | - | - | - |
US58 (19 weeks) US |
First published: November 1978
|
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
More publishments:
- 1973: Stop & Go
- 1974: Keep On Dancin '
- 1975: Bohannon
- 1975: Gittin Off
- 1975: South African Man
- 1975: The Mighty Bohannon
- 1976: Dance Your Ass Off
- 1977: Phase II
- 1979: On My Way
- 1979: Cut Loose
- 1979: Too Hot To Hold
- 1979: Music In The Air
- 1980: One Step Ahead
- 1981: Alive!
- 1981: Going For Another One
- 1982: Fever
- 1983: The Bohannon Drive
- 1983: Make Your Body Move
- 1989: Here Comes Bohannon
- 1990: It's Time To Jam
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
AT
|
CH
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1975 | South African Man South African Man |
- | - | - |
UK22 (8 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: January 1975
|
| Disco Stomp Insides Out |
DE3 (22 weeks) DE |
AT9 (16 weeks) AT |
- |
UK6 (12 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: May 1975
|
|
| Foot Stompin Music Insides Out |
DE36 (2 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK23 (6 weeks) UK |
US98 (2 weeks) US |
First published: June 1975
|
|
| Happy Feeling Insides Out |
- | - | - |
UK49 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: August 1975
|
|
| 1978 | Let's start the Dance Summertime Groove |
- | - | - |
UK56 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: August 1978
|
| 1982 | Let's Start II Dance Again Alive! |
- | - | - |
UK49 (10 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: January 1982
|
literature
- Star Szene '77 , published in 1977 by VN Verlagsgesellschaft für Nachschlagewerke mbH, Taunusstein.
Web links
- Hamilton Bohannon in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Hamilton Bohannon at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Daniel E. Slotnick: Hamilton Bohannon, Driving Disco Drummer, Dies at 78. In: The New York Times , May 2, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2020 (English).
- ↑ Ehnert, Günter (Ed.): Hit balance sheet. German chart singles 1956–1980 . Hamburg: Taurus Press, 1990, p. 33
- ↑ a b Chart sources: DE AT UK US
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Bohannon, Hamilton |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Bohannon, Hamilton Frederick (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American drummer, band leader and record producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 7, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Newnan , Georgia , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 24, 2020 |
| Place of death | Atlanta , Georgia , United States |