iam a baby boomer of 1946 and I totally agree with you been to may dances love taking my dates to Steel Pier in New Jersey we did all the dances the best dancer came from Philly never got to do Bandstand but soft shoe at the Pier was just as good im certain
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I think Len Barry - frequent lead singer of The Dovells - has recently left us and is now enjoying royalty in Rock and Roll Heaven. My heart is broken. I always adored that man. I think his voice was the pure essence of rock and roll. Thank you, Mr. Barry, for all the great times!! Much love and condolences to your family.
People have short memories. This tune was written by a 17 year old black kid called Phil Upchurch in 1957 when he was in high school and it was an instrumental version that kicked ass. He became a well known jazz guitar player. Later his tune was adapted for singing by the Dovells in 1963. I love both versions. Good tunes survive many iterations and are timeless. This one is 70 yrs old.
If this song doesn't get your hands clapping and your toes tapping, you're dead. Gone. Toast. You bought the farm. Even throughout the greatest three decades of dance music, pop, folk, rock (and all its babies) and soul, no other song quite matches the innocence of pre- rock-n-roll quite like this one does. A true classic.
ilovemusic..the, same with me I, was 15 when this masterpiece came out on the charts.. Now, 70 and I've played it 6 times today it still has the same effect on me, surely wish that I, could remember the the dance it was so cool..Peace ~~
Len Barry, born Leonard Borisoff, the lead singer of doo-wop group The Dovells, passed away on November 5th, 2020 in Philadelphia, PA. He was 78 years old... Between 1961 and 1963 The Dovells had eight records on Billboard's Top 100 chart, two made the Top with "Bristol Stomp" being their biggest hit, it peaked at #2 {for 2 weeks} in October of 1961, for the two weeks it was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Runaround Sue" by Dion... Besides "Bristol Stomp", their other Top 10 record was "You Can't Sit Down", it reached #3 {for 1 week} in June of 1963... As a solo artist, Len Barry had six Top 100 records, with one making the Top 10, "1-2-3", it peaked at #2 {for 1 week} in November of 1965, for the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "I Hear A Symphony" by The Supremes... May he R.I.P.
I feel it incumbent upon my generation and those to come to keep this music alive for all time. Learn the lyrics, study the history, honor the elderly, maybe even re -invent the fashion. Music - this is one of those things we live for.
Yeah, that's gonna go over real big. "The kids in Bristol are sharp as a whistle when they do the Bristol Stomp." Yeah you kids get some culture. They really knew how to write em.
I had 2 older sisters who turned me on to 50's music and dance. Rock & roll on tv and radio all the time. I was 7 yrs old in 1958 and couldn't get enough of it. Buddy, Dion, Chuck and on and on.
I’m 31 and I was dancing to this song twice in the last week. They were playing it at a bar in Los Angeles (a trendier place frequented by 20 and early 30 something millennials!!) I had to show my peers how to stomp!
I've been doing the Bristol Stomp for the past 54 years! And, yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly: Has it REALLY been 54 years? It can't be. I still feel like a teenager! I guess it's true: We Baby Boomers never grew up....and never will!!!
In Southern Indiana, in a gym the size of a convenience store....Bristol Stomp, age 14...in my black corduroy gym shoes and plaid jumper...oh my oh my.
... and I'm a young 69, a radio dj in li'l ol' New Zealand on a station where the announcers all choose the music - from 1930s onwards and for me especially lost 1960s gems like this ... let the music play ...
This song is so great. Every time it comes on in my air pods in class I have to turn up the volume. I’m obsessed with Len Barry’s voice in this song ❤❤❤🔥🔥
And it was their best by far, like chubby checker trying to cash in on 1 big hit with subsequent similar themed songs. But unlike Checker, he managed to carve a Lengthly career out of singing songs about dances. He should have stopped after let's twist again and not carried on
One of the best walk-off endings you'll ever see! Love this '61 classic! Hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, in Sep. 1961, selling over a million copies and earning a gold disc. Bristol refers to Bristol, Pennsylvania a suburb of Philadelphia.
I haven't heard this since I was 11 in the early 60's, when I danced swing to it with my best friend up in the bedroom I shared with my little sister. It is as good as I remembered. And I'm still swing dancing!
When I was a little kid, late-80s to real; early 90s, I still heard this song on oldies stations. No stations play this anymore and kids will never hear it.I came from the last good decade for music discovery.
I arrived at Fort Lewis, Washington, in July 1972. I remember KJR and KTAC. I totally forgot about those two radio stations. Thanks for jarring my memory.
This is the original group with five members. Not long after, they became a quartet and remained that way. One of the classics and a national hit, it's one of the best doowop dance records.
My late brother,who recently died at 80,used to sing this song all the time when I was a kid. I was a "'Beatles" baby and only remember this song because of that. Just a wee bit before my time but a good musical performance.
Great Song.....It brings back great memories when I was growing up.....GREAT TIMES... I wish I could go back to those time.....This song was a big hit in 1961.....It was number 2 on the billboard top 100.
it was June 1963, I drove my first car a1963 Chevy Impala Super Sport Silver converable out of the showroom inRutherford N.J. top down.and the Bristal Stomp blasting on the radio Long live Rock and Roll.
Pie. I had two older sisters and during the 50s, when I was in elementary school, i learned a lot about the 50s rock and roll and the popular dances of those days. I have passed a lot of this on to my son and he and I are pretty good at guessing the names of old songs and who sang them. It is a lot of fun and was a blessing to have experienced this great music.
@dgmutch: No, I don't know the source, but the person who posted it probably knows. I only know some of his songs, and that he was with this band before going solo.
I absolutely LOVED how rock and roll Doo wop glittered, glowed and sparkled. The neon lights, well tailored styles, poodle skirts and pompadours were so very timeless. I cannot wait for the 1950s-60s to make a comeback.
Ahh that would be amazing.... I've always thought if there was a place in time where I'd want to go would be the 50s-60s. Just such an amazing cool fun time. Everything was just happy and the cars were bad ass everything was bad ass... Man I'm jealous of those who got to live in those times.....
@@Cookiemusta775 To be much more specific than the entire 1950-69 decades, go to 1955-Nov. 21, 1963. That excludes the deadly Korean-Vietnam Wars foisted on the people by the war-hawk loonies. And before the VP-Pentagon-Intelligence insiders also murdered the president because he shifted toward peaceful co-existence instead of their lust for nuclear war to mass murder tens of millions in the USSR and another 25+ million in the U.S. from retaliation. That is how insane those war-crazies seriously considered nuclear war to keep their monopoly over the world! Nothing different 59 years later from their next generation of war lunatics!
I lived that time. A dream, just a dream. 180 million less people in USA back then. Cost of living was dirt cheap. 25¢ a gallon gas ⛽. A loaf of real Wonder bread 🍞 in the plastic white bag with red blue yellow dots all over it for a measley 25¢. 5¢ candy bars, 10¢ Coke's and Pepsi's with the returnable glass bottle worth 5¢ each. 10¢ Hostess cupcakes and pies. 5¢ a scoop ice cream on a cone or cup at Thrifty's. And yes, beautiful 100% American cars on the road, in driveways and streets all over USA. Nope, never to return. Just the music, cars, relics of that time is all that's left. Not perfect but surely a much better time to live instead of 2022 and beyond. Never to return. If you lived it, you know what I mean.
@@truelies3690 Those low prices were a deliberate result of using HONEST MONEY, silver coinage, and the 'dollar' was merely a name for a specific and legal weight of gold (started in the 1792 Coinage Act), redeemable at the Treasury for 1/35th ounce. Saying it the other way, it took only 35 gold-based dollars to get one ounce of gold. After 1964. the silver was illegally removed by the 1965 Coinage Act, except for a reduction to 40% silver, from 90% in 1964, for the 1965 Kennedy Half Dollars. through 1970, when it too became only copper-clad crap. After the illegal dictator-order ending the 'dollar' as redeemable for a weight of gold on Aug. 15, 1971, the new "paper-weight dollar" was good to redeem for only more paper. The Central Bank (Federal Reserve bank cartel monopoly) was now "free" to counterfeit (create out of nothing) as many paper "dollars" as it wants, whenever it wanted! The fiat dollar was now doomed to eventual hyperinflation, contrary to the Constitution's demand that only gold and silver coin can be a [legal] tender for all debts.
@@freeguy77 Bingo! Bullseye! Correct. I lived through that whole time too. What a disgrace. No wonder everything went to the moon after 1971. Slowly but surely it got to this point in time from decade to decade to decade etc...all this time to now. 2022 forward it will get even more expensive to live in USA TITANIC! It's now sinking slowly but surely and will sink faster soon next year. Good luck all. A true disaster.
This performance is from the 1962 film, "Don't Knock the Twist". It also featured Gene Chandler performing "Duke of Earl" with a cape, monocle & cain, one of the highlights of this film. That is Len Barry singing lead. He went solo a few years later, hitting big with "1-2-3" and a few other hits.
I grew up in Philly watching my sister roller skate to the Bristol Stomp.......flash forward 53 years only to learn that this was a cover...original was done by Terry and the Appeljacks, also from Bristol PA.
I'm from Philly and everyone from here knows this song by heart. I've known this song as long as I remember. My grandparents loved this song and introduced me to this music when I was little. And I hope to pass it on to my future children someday.
Chorus: the kids here at Bristol are sharp as a pistol when they do the Bristol stomp really something when the joint is jumping when they do the Bristol stomp Lyrics: 1 verse: the town is spinnin every friday night they dance the greatest and they do it right but here's the latest it's the greatest sight to see Lyrics 2 verse: it started at Bristol at a dee jay hop they holler and whistle never wanting to stop we pony and twisting as we rock with Daddy G. song was in honor of Bristol ave in Philly. I'm from there originally
What an amazing clip. Heard this song on a Sirius 60's channel and can't get enough. Back in the day when singers in suits were so cool. You had to have real singing talent to make it. No electronics, just your voice. How amazing it would have been to hear them practice back in Philly!
What a great performance! Those guys had some serious rhythm! Love Mr. Len Barry.especially with that cute dimple of his. I was ready to jump up and dance whlie watching this at 1:30 in the morning ! Watching this in 2019.
LEN BARRY I want to tell you something wherever you are. You made a record for history when you sung lead on this song. I have heard your 123 song, but this one here, BRISTOL STOMP is the one that has permanently stamped you and the group in my memory for the rest of my life. You were so handsome in that suit! I loved the moves you made singing lead here and your backing vocals were INCREDIBLE! Thank you for this great memory of my early days!!!!
When I saw your reply...I just want to tell you...Your exact statement is how I felt. I remember buying a mix of hits all together on an album in the mid 60's with the Orlons etc. and remember playing Bristol Stomp over and over.. loved his slight yodeling in the pauses. And yes I bought the Decca 45 of 1-2-3. WHAT a Voice. Read he died of bone cancer at 78. Great singer. Peace
On this day in 1961 {September 15th} the Dovells were guests on the Dick Clark ABC-TV weekday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand'... At the time the Dovells' "Bristol Stomp" was in it's first week on Billboard's Top 100 chart at position #74, six weeks later it would peak at #2* {for 2 weeks} and it spent 16 weeks on the Top 100... It reached #7 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart... Between 1961 and 1963 the Philadelphia quintet had eight records on the Top 100 chart, two made the Top 10, besides "Bristol Stomp", their other Top 10 record was "You Can't Sit Down", it peaked at #3 for 1 week in 1963... The Dovells' lead singer, Len Barry, charted six times as a solo artist, and he also had a #2 record, "1-2-3", and the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "I Hear A Symphony" by the Supremes... * The two weeks that "Bristol Stomp" was at #2, the #1 record for both those weeks was "Runaround Sue" by Dion...
I am a tail end baby boomer in Australia and fell n love with R n R in my early teens. The pre British invasion era of music was definitely the best with some exceptions (not the Beatles and Rolling Stones). There was so much experimentations with new electric guitars and keyboards being introduced as well as better recording equipment. The true king of R n R was Buddy Holly.
The Bristol Stomp was before my time but I enjoy the music of that era. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful song. What I found even more amazing the people sharing wonderful comments of this song. I once shared a good comment on RU-vid about another song and I was bullied. Someone who found more pleasure in bullying people than enjoying the music. It was not fun to be bullied for sharing a comment. I stopped sharing my comments on RU-vid all together. I did not think I would ever share another comment on RU-vid again. After reading so many of the comments shared by people who enjoyed the Bristol Stomp. It made me see sharing comments in a different light. I also realized that not everyone is going to bully. I want to thank everyone for sharing such beautiful comments. Especially for helping me to see that there are still nice people who share comments on RU-vid. Thank you for restoring my faith about sharing comments on RU-vid again. God bless every one of you .
+Jessica Jayne Komatsuzaki - Greetings JJ! God bless you too! Please don't let one, or even a few, adverse comments sour you on comments, commenters and commenting. No matter where you go, there are usually a few bad eggs - uncaring, or even nasty, individuals. As the old German saying proclaims - just let them slide off your back. I enjoy reading comments, making comments, and commenting on comments and commenters. Sure, I too have been maligned, but take it in stride and remember everyone is entitled to their opinion - be it good, bad or ugly. Cheers, Gary.
Thanks for this video. Its always great to see the original groups in suits looking and singing so classy. Great looking white guys singing a classic! Thank you so much for sharing this with people like me who remember these times and this song!
This song was way before my time, but it was one of my favorites when I was a kid. Most of the music of my era didn't move me the way music from the '50s and '60s did.
Same here. I was 16 years old in 1980 enjoying songs like this on "oldies" shows on the radio and despising the synthesizer banging computerized so called "music"(?) that my peers were programmed to like.
I first heard this song when I was probably about 12, my father had a record that had this song on it, and when I heard it I really liked it and played it over and over. Mind you I was 12 in 2001, and this song came out in 1961.
Ahhhhhh yes, another dance created by MY generation, The Post WW2 Baby Boomers ! I am so grateful for being young in those days. Love this song ! -------------MJL, 77 y/o
