The "Lancaster, Pennsylvania's Music From The Past: Part I - The Hamboners!" Story
It was an ordinary day. Reading entries on the "Lancastrian" Facebook page when I came across something I had nearly forgotten about from my youth. Something called the Hambone, or Pattin' Juba, which is an African American style dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest and cheeks. The Juba was originally brought by Congo slaves to Charleston, South Carolina and became an African-American plantation dance that was performed by slaves during their gatherings when no rhythm instruments were allowed due to fear of secret codes in the drumming. Later in the mid-19th century, music and lyrics were added, and there were public performances of the dance. Hambone was famously adopted and adapted in the 1950's by the legendary Rhythm & Blues singer Bo Diddley, in creating the distinctive "Bo Diddley beat", which was copied by a host of top rock singers. As I continued to read more entries on the Lancastrian I came across a very familiar name. Chip Seiple and I both went to Manheim Township High School and both graduated in the early 1960's. Chip evidently helped Lancaster Newspaper's Jack Brubaker, known to all readers of the newspaper as "The Scribbler", with a story on a local group known as the Hamboners. At the age of 9, Chip enjoyed watching the local group as they sang original lyrics to old songs, slapping their thighs, hips and chests and clapping their hands. They were known as the Hamboners and entered a competition on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour, a TV show. Chip told Jack that he thought about the Hamboners one Saturday afternoon as he and other Vietnam War veterans gathered to rededicate the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in nearby Greenwood Cemetery on South Queen Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The program included a reading of the names of 78 Lancastrians who were killed or were missing in action in Vietnam. One of those names was Joseph E. Jackson. Jackson died January 17, 1966, a dozen years after he appeared on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour. The 27-year-old Marine sergeant was one of the first Lancastrians killed in Vietnam. Chip never met Jackson, but felt a kinship with him because they both served in Vietnam and Chip will never forget watching the Hamboners perform in 1954.
The Hamboners of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The group went on the nationally televised Amateur Hour and grabbed the whole country's attention, winning first place three weeks in a row. That qualified them for a spot in the finals at Madison Square Garden, where they placed fifth among a field of forty-four acts. The other members of the group were Warren Hyson, Charles Simms and Lewis Wilson. All have died since that time. I can remember trying to duplicate their moves and antics after watching them, but I was too "white" to have the rhythm and savvy to be anywhere as good as they were. The Hamboners brought ultra-conservative Lancaster County pride for putting our town on the map! Watch the following video and give it a try as you sing along to the verses listed below. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an oridnary guy.
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