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Hamilton Bohannon
Birth name Hamilton Frederick Bohannon
Also known as Bohannon
Born (1942-03-07)March 7, 1942
Newnan, Georgia, U.S.
Died April 24, 2020(2020-04-24) (aged 78)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres Rhythm and blues, disco, funk
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments Vocals, drums, percussion
Years active 1964–1990
Labels Motown
Dakar/Brunswick Records
Mercury Records
Associated acts Carolyn Crawford

Hamilton Frederick Bohannon (March 7, 1942 – April 24, 2020), often credited and known professionally simply as Bohannon, was an American percussionist, band leader, songwriter, arranger, and record producer, who was one of the leading figures in 1970s disco music.

Life and career

He was born in Newnan, Georgia, and learned the drums at school. He began playing in local bands, one of which featured guitarist Jimi Hendrix, before graduating from Clark College with a degree in music and secondary education. After a brief period as a schoolteacher, he was recruited in 1964 as drummer in 13-year-old Stevie Wonder's touring band. He moved to Detroit in 1967, where he was employed by Motown as the leader and arranger of Bohannon & The Motown Sound, who provided backing for many of the label's top acts on tour, including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Four Tops and others.

When Motown moved from Detroit to Los Angeles, Bohannon stayed behind to form his own ensemble, featuring members of local band The Fabulous Counts and including such musicians as Ray Parker Jr. and Dennis Coffey. He signed in 1972 with the Dakar label run by producer Carl Davis, and released his debut album Stop & Go in early 1973. 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. His first hit single, in 1974, was "South African Man", which reached no. 78 on the Billboard R&B chart, but had more success in the UK, where it reached no. 22 on the UK Singles Chart. This was followed up in 1975 by "Foot Stompin Music" – his only record to reach the US Billboard Hot 100 – and "Disco Stomp", his biggest hit in the UK where it reached no. 6.

In 1976, Bohannon signed with Mercury Records and two years later had one of his biggest successes with "Let’s Start the Dance," which reached no. 9 on the R&B chart and no. 7 on the disco chart. "Let's Start the Dance" featured singer Carolyn Crawford, whose subsequent albums Bohannon went on to produce. In 1981, a new mix of "Let's Start the Dance" was successful on the dance chart. In 1980, he established Phase II Records, and continued to have minor hits on the R&B chart for the next three years, using new vocalists Liz Lands and Altrinna Grayson. He signed with MCA Records in 1984 and released several more albums. His last album, It's Time to Jam, was issued on the South Bound label in 1990.

Much of his music has been widely sampled, most notably on Chicago DJ/producer Paul Johnson's 1999 hit "Get Get Down" which heavily sampled Bohannon's "Me and the Gang." Other musicians who have used samples of his music include Jay Z, Digable Planets, and Snoop Dogg. His name was also repeatedly invoked in the Tom Tom Club song "Genius of Love." His composition "Ooh!" was included on Mary J. Blige's album Love & Life in 2003.

In later years Bohannon produced a new singer, Governor, on Atlantic Records, as well as working on material with his son, Hamilton Bohannon II, and publishing an audiobook memoir of his early years in the music business, Bohannon Speaks from the Beginning.

In 2017, Peachtree Street in Newnan was renamed Bohannon Drive by the city council in his honor.

He died on April 24, 2020, at his home in Atlanta at the age of 78.

Discography

Studio albums

Label Year Title Catalog # Peak chart positions
US Pop
US R&B
CAN
Dakar Records 1973 Stop & Go DK 76903
1974 Keep On Dancin' DK 76910 49
1975 Insides Out DK 76916 28
Bohannon DK 76917 21
1976 Dance Your ... Off DK 76919 47
Gittin' Off DK 76921
Mercury Records 1977 Phase II SRM-1-1159 46
1978 On My Way SRM-1-3710
Summertime Groove SRM-1-3728 58 14 2
1979 Cut Loose SRM-1-3762 34
Too Hot to Hold SRM-1-3778
1980 Music in the Air SRM-1-3813 72
Phase II Records 1980 One Step Ahead JW 36867
1981 Going for Another One JW 37076
Alive JW 37699
1982 Bohannon Fever JW 38113
Compleat Records 1983 Make Your Body Move CPL-1-1003
The Bohanon Drive CPL-1-1005
MCA Records 1989 Here Comes Bohannon MCA 42310
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Label Year Title Catalog #
Southbound 1990 It's Time to Jam SEW 033

Alternate name album releases

Label Year Title Catalog # Original title
Brunswick Records 1974 South African Man 640 050 Keep On Dancin'
1975 The Mighty Bohannon 840 073 Bohannon

Singles

Year Single Chart positions
US Pop
US R&B
CAN D.U.
UK
1973 "Stop & Go"
1974 "South African Man" 78 22
1975 "Foot Stompin Music" 98 39 23
"Disco Stomp" 62 6
"Happy Feeling" 49
1976 "Bohannon's Beat" 65 58
1977 "Bohannon Disco Symphony" 67
1978 "Let's Start the Dance" 101 9 1 56
1979 "Me and the Gang" 82
"Cut Loose" 43
"The Groove Machine" 60
1980 "Baby I'm for Real" 54
"Throw Down the Groove" 59
"Dance, Dance, Dance All Night" 76
1981 "Don't Be Ashame to Call My Name" 54
"Goin' for Another One" 91
"Let's Start II Dance Again"
feat. Dr. Perri Johnson
41 49
1982 "I've Got the Dance Fever" 72
"The Party Train" 69
1983 "Make Your Body Move" 63
"Wake Up" 87
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
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