Uploaded September 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
"Bristol Stomp", by The Dovells from Philadelphia, is a 1961 original recording that reached the #2 spot on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 singles chart that same year. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The Dovells's flamboyant style brought them success on both the R&B and pop charts and were one of the most fun and distinctive vocal groups of the early back then. They scored big on five different charts for five different dance songs in a little more than a year. The song was written by songwriter/producer Dave Appell after hearing about teens at a DJ hop at the Goodwill fire hall in Bristol, PA. dancing to a step they called 'The Goodwill Stomp' to song titled "Everyday of the Week" by a Cincinnati doo-wop group named The Students (check it out on YouTube). Borrowing the melody from that song, Appell came up with "Bristol Stomp" knowing he had a hit in the making. It became an instant hit in the Midwest, and was initially thought the song referred to either Bristol, Il. or Bristol, Ohio. Not the case. In the 1960's, Bristol, PA. had a strong Italian influence,and it's thought the original dance steps and moves may have derived from an Italian folk dance called the Pizzica. "Bristol Stomp", by The Dovells, still remains a popular dance song around the world to those who love the early 1960's Rock and Roll.
"Bristol Stomp", by The Dovells from Philadelphia, is a 1961 original recording that reached the #2 spot on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 singles chart that same year. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc. The Dovells's flamboyant style brought them success on both the R&B and pop charts and were one of the most fun and distinctive vocal groups of the early back then. They scored big on five different charts for five different dance songs in a little more than a year. The song was written by songwriter/producer Dave Appell after hearing about teens at a DJ hop at the Goodwill fire hall in Bristol, PA. dancing to a step they called 'The Goodwill Stomp' to song titled "Everyday of the Week" by a Cincinnati doo-wop group named The Students (check it out on YouTube). Borrowing the melody from that song, Appell came up with "Bristol Stomp" knowing he had a hit in the making. It became an instant hit in the Midwest, and was initially thought the song referred to either Bristol, Il. or Bristol, Ohio. Not the case. In the 1960's, Bristol, PA. had a strong Italian influence,and it's thought the original dance steps and moves may have derived from an Italian folk dance called the Pizzica. "Bristol Stomp", by The Dovells, still remains a popular dance song around the world to those who love the early 1960's Rock and Roll.
