The Village Stompers
The Village Stompers was a U.S. music group that developed the "Folk-Dixie" instrumental sound,[1] originated and produced by Joe Sherman, beginning with the hit "Washington Square" (written by Bobb Goldsteinn) in 1963. Of Folk-Dixie, Sherman declared, "We feel it's bound to be here as long as there is folk music and jazz."[1]
The Village Stompers originated from Greenwich Village, New York. The group consisted of Dick Brady, Don Coates, Mitchell May, Ralph Casale, Frank Hubbell, Lenny Pogan, Al McManus and Joe Muranyi. They had instrumental hits on the Epic record label with "Washington Square" / "Turkish Delight" released in September 1963, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[2] and #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts[3] plus also reaching #1 on the Australian Charts in October of that year. They also had hits with "From Russia With Love" / "The Bridge Of Budapest" in April 1964 (#81) and with "Fiddler On The Roof" / "Moonlight On The Ganges" in December 1964 (#97) and #19 Adult Contemporary Chart.[3] Three other tracks made the Billboard Bubbling Under Chart being "The La-Dee-Song" / "Blue Grass" February 1964 #104, "Oh! Marie" / "Limehouse Blues" October 1964 #132 and "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines" / "Sweet Water Bay" July 1965 #130 pop and #35 Adult Contemporary Chart.[3]
Among their albums were:
The Village Stompers - The original Washington Square (Epic LN 24078/BN26078) released in 1963, which included the following tracks
- - Washington Square
- - Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport
- - If I Had a Hammer
- - Blue Grass
- - We Can't Stop Singin'
- - Midnight in Moscow
- - Walk Right In
- - Green, Green
- - Poet and the Prophet, The
- - Cold Steel Canyons
- - Blowin' in the Wind
- - Follow the Drinkin' Gourd
The Village Stompers - More Sounds of Washington Square (Epic LN 24090/BN26090) released in 1964 with the following tracks
- - Gotta Travel On
- - Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
- - Haunted House Blues
- - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
- - La-Dee-Da Song, The
- - Saints, The
- - Dominique
- - Frankie and Johnny
- - Mountain Greenery
- - Bridges of Budapest, The
- - Melodie D'Amour
- - Goodnight Irene
The Village Stompers - Around the World with The Village Stompers (Epic 24109/BN26109) released in 1964, which included the following tracks
- - Mozambique
- - Oh! Marie
- - Moonlight on the Ganges
- - Londonderry Air
- - Oranges of Jaffa
- - Limehouse Blues
- - I Love Paris
- - Matilda, Matilda
- - Carolina Blue Tail Fly
- - From Russia with Love
- - Turkish Delight
- - Song of the Islands
The Village Stompers - New Beat on Broadway (Epic BN26129) released in 1964 with the following tracks
- - Fiddler On The Roof
- - Get Me To The Church On Time
- - Too Close For Comfort
- - People
- - Mack The Knife
- - Seventy Six Trombones
- - Everything's Coming Up Roses
- - Just In Time
- - Hello, Dolly!
- - Hey, Look Me Over
- - It Kinda Makes Yuh Wonder
- - Make Someone Happy
The Village Stompers - Some Folk, a Bit of Country, and a Whole Lot of Dixie (Epic BN26161) released in 1965 with the following tracks
- - Lemon Tree
- - We'll Sing In The Sunshine
- - Red Roses For A Blue Lady
- - Mr. Tambourine Man
- - Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
- - Engine, Engine, Number 9
- - Sweet Water Bay
- - I'll Never Find Another You
- - You Were Only Foolin'
- - King Of The Road
- - Magic Horn
- - You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You
The Village Stompers - A Taste of Honey and Other Goodies (Epic 24180/BN2680) released in 1966 with the following tracks
- - A Taste Of Honey
- - The In Crowd
- - England Swings
- - Murmurio
- - Wabash Blues
- - A Lover's Concerto
- - Yesterday
- - The Bird Of Bleecker Street
- - Second Hand Rose
- - On The Lonely Hill