THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

626-Hamilton Bohannon-South African Man.

1974-Number 22 single.

Best Bit-At 4.31. If an alien came down to earth, and asked me what ‘FUNK’ is, I would tell them, ‘THIS IS.’

Hamilton Bohannon (see also best songs 46) was born Hamilton Frederick Bohannon, on March 7th, 1942, in Newnan, Georgia, United States, he died on April 24th, 2020, at the age of 78. Hamilton Bohannon learned to play the drums while still at school, and then began playing in local bands, at one time crossing paths with Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) (see also best songs 983 and 492.) After a brief period as a school teacher, Hamilton Bohannon was recruited in 1964 as a drummer in 13 year old Stevie Wonder’s (see also best songs 920-843-834-682-570-503-366-205-152 and 65) touring band. In 1967 he moved to Detroit, where he was employed by ‘Motown’ as the leader, and arranger, of ‘Bohannon & The Motown Sound,’ who were the touring backing band for ‘Tamla Motown’s’ biggest names, including Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations. When ‘Motown’ moved from Detroit to Los Angeles in the early 1970’s, Bohannon didn’t go with them, and instead embarked on a solo career, which started with the release of his first studio Album ‘Stop & Go,’ in 1973. In total between 1973-1989, Bohannon issued 19 studio Albums. Unfortunately his music rarely crossed over into the mainstream charts, and he never achieved a top 40 single on the American Billboard Hot 100, although in the UK, he did have three top 40 hits, with ‘Disco Stomp,’ from 1975, peaking the highest at Number 6. Hamilton Bohannon was a devout Christian, and retired from the music business in 1989, but he did make a comeback, when touring, and once again getting behind the drum kit in 2014, at the age of 72.

‘South African Man’ was the only single released from Hamilton Bohannon’s second studio Album ‘Keep On Dancin,” from 1974, and was his first track to reach the Billboard ‘Hot R&B’ chart, peaking at Number 78. The song found it’s greatest success in the UK, where it made Number 22. ‘South African Man’ was written, produced, arranged, and directed, by Hamilton Bohannon, and released on ‘Dakar Records,’ with all of that labels releases being distribute by ‘Brunswick Records.’ ‘South African Man’ was written by Hamilton Bohannon during a time of cultural and political upheaval in South Africa. The song paid tribute to the resilience and strength of the South African people, who faced oppression and discrimination under apartheid. The lyrics to ‘South African Man’ celebrate the spirit of the South African man’s determination to overcome adversity. Musically the song is a blend of ‘Funk,’ ‘Disco,’ and ‘African Rhythms,’ which can all be all filed under the genre of ‘R&B.’ ‘South African Man’ is a call for peace, and the ending of apartheid.

‘R&B,’ which is an abbreviation of ‘Rhythm and blues,’ is a genre of popular music that originated within the African-American communities in the 1940’s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to African Americans. The term ‘Rhythm and blues’ has undergone a number of shifts in it’s meaning. In the early 1950’s, it was frequently applied to ‘Blues’ records, but once ‘Blues’ had helped to contribute to the development of ‘Rock ‘N Roll,’ the term ‘R&B’ became used in a wider context. It then referred to music styles that developed from, and incorporated ‘Electric Blues, as well as ‘Gospel,’ and ‘Soul Music.’ From the 1960’s to 1970’s, some British groups were referred to, and promoted, as being ‘R&B’ bands. By the 1970’s, the term ‘Rhythm and blues’ had changed once again, and was used as a blanket term for ‘Soul,’ and ‘Funk.’ In the late 1980’s, a newer style of ‘R&B’ developed, becoming known as ‘Contemporary R&B,’ which combines ‘Rhythm and Blues’ with various elements of ‘Pop,’ ‘Soul,’ ‘Funk,’ ‘Disco,’ ‘Hip-Hop,’ and ‘Electronic’ music. Although the American journalist Jerry Wexler (1917-2008) of Billboard magazine is credited with coining the term ‘Rhythm and blues’ as a musical term in the United States in 1948, the term had been used in Billboard as early as 1943.

‘South African man help him if you can. South African man, make it a better land.’