|
Hamilton Bohannon was born on March 7th, 1942 in the small Georgia town of
Newnan, about an hour's drive southwest of Atlanta.
Hamilton grew up in a working class family of middle income. After high
school
Bohannon attended Clark Atlanta University where he graduated with a B.A.
degree in musical education. Upon graduation he began teaching before accepting
a job as drummer for a band that included Jimi Hendrix in it's line-up. He came
to the attention of Stevie Wonder, who appointed him drummer in his touring band
in 1965.
Bohannon relocated to Detroit and worked for Wonder from 1965 to 1967. Over
those two years Bohannon's style impressed the hierarchy at Motown Records to
such an extent that they made him top bandleader, responsible for live
arrangements for all Motown's top acts. When Motown relocated to Los Angeles,
Bohannon stayed in Detroit, assembling his own band.
He signed with Dakar/Brunswick in 1972 and by early 1973 he had his first
release with the album
"Stop And Go."
Five more albums for the labels followed:
"Keep On Dancin'"
(1974),
"Mighty Bohannon"
(1975),
"South African
Man"
(1975),
"Inside Out"
(1975), and
"Dance Your Ass Off"
(1975). Although several singles did well in the
U.K.it wasn't until 1975's
"Foot Stompin' Music"
that he began to make waves in the American club scene.
Oddly enough during the disco boom of 1973-1978 Bohannon's career was
relatively quiet compared to others that struck disco gold in that period, yet
he churned out album after album. His contract with Brunswick/Dakar ended in
1976 and with out missing a beat he signed with Mercury and released
"Phase 2"
in 1977. That year he scored hits with
"Disco Symphony"
and
"Andrea."
His second release for Mercury was 1978's
"Summertime Groove."
"Summertime
Groove"
exemplifies the
Bohannon sound, as does the funky, potent
"Let's Start The Dance."
This song propelled the album to the top of the charts and was a huge summer
smash thanks to Carolyn Crawford's vocals (He subsequently produced Crawford's
solo release,
"Coming On Strong,"
that same year),.
"Me And The Gang," "The Street Dance,"
and the lesser of
the rump-shakers,
"Listen To The Children Play,"
continue the party atmosphere. This is pure uncut boogie music. The only ballad
is a wistful winner titled
"I Wonder Why."
He followed this with four more releases for Mercury,
"On My Way," "Cut Loose,"
"Too Hot To Hold"
and "Music
In The Air."
Bohannon albums carbon each other: all have shuffling grooves, heavy
rhythms, and quality ballads; the only things that change are the personnel and
the song titles. Liz Lands replaces Carolyn Crawford as the feature vocalist on
his final 1980 Mercury release. Both recorded at Motown and, despite making good
records, failed to scale the charts at Hitsville U.S.A. Lands' vocals elevate
"Music In
The Air"
above the mediocre level. Lands has an amazing vocal range that reminds me of a
singing flute. She does an admirable job on the Originals' classic
"Baby I'm For
Real"; her
finest moment occurs on
"Thoughts And Wishes,"
a song with jazz roots — her
soprano soars to crystal-shaking heights as she rips into the lyrics. As always,
Bohannon has some dance grooves to shake your booty too;
"The Funk Walk," "The Hammer"
and "Feel
Like Dancin'"
will get you up and down on the dance floor.
Unfortunately, like most
Bohannon releases, this one appealed to the hardcore
Bohannon fans and didn't find a broader range of fans and buyers. He
started Phase II Records in 1980, he also switched to recording under the
simpler banner of Bohannon. He scored another chart topper with a reworking of
"Let's Start
The Dance"
in 1981.
"Let's Start 2 Dance Again"
featured Atlanta rapper Dr. Perri Johnson, with
his 15 minutes of fame, rapping over the instrumental passages. A remix of the
remix followed and then a 1983 attempt at reworking the reworked hit with
"Let's Start The
Dance 3."
Needless to say at this point it had run it's course. His albums from 1981 to
1984, "Goin'
For Another One," "Alive,"
"One Step
Ahead," "Make Your Body Move"
and "Bohannon
Drive"
produced nine R&B charters, but none matched his 1978 pop success.
Bohannon dominated the clubs and R&B charts in disco's heyday, but found the
going tougher in the 1980's. By the time of his 1989 session, his one and only
for MCA Records, there was a whole new sound among dance fans. House, techno,
and British and European dance was lighter, faster and not as rhythmically heavy
as the music that
Bohannon championed.
"Here Comes Bohannon"
put as much emphasis on
Altrinna Grayson's vocals as Bohannon's arrangements. She was a fine singer in
the genre, but
Bohannon didn't make much impact with this one. One 12" single,
"House Train,"
gained little club play and for all purposes it seemed that club music had
passed
Bohannon by.
He has spent the recent years resting happily in Atlanta with his family
and past earnings (he wrote, arranged and produced all of his albums, maximizing
his take of the proceedings) until a wave of sampling sparked renewed interest
in his work. His work has been sampled by Richard "Humpty" Vission,
That Petrol Emotion, Jose Melendez, Jay-Z, DJ
Lynnwood, DJ Irene, and Class A Felony to name a few. Compilations of his past
glory were quickly assembled, and now most of his best moments are available on
CD for all to enjoy.
 Drummer/band leader/vocalist Hamilton Bohannon's modus operandi
was shuffling, syncopated grooves that made you boogie to the beats.
"Summertime Groove" exemplifies the Bohannon sound, as does the funky,
potent "Let's Start the Dance," featuring Carolyn Crawford on vocals. "Me and the Gang," "The Street Dance,"
and the lesser of the rump-shakers, "Listen to the Children Play,"
continue the party atmosphere. This is pure uncut boogie music. The
only ballad is a wistful winner titled "I Wonder Why." As innovative
as Bohannon's sound was, it never really captured the fancy of record
buyers and only enjoyed a cult following.
|
