Biography
People frequently mistake The Village Stompers for a folk ensemble, largely because their commercial peak occurred in the early 1960s, their band name, and the title of their lone chart success, "Washington Square," all suggest sincere young acoustic strummers performing in New York's Greenwich Village. In reality the group operated as a Dixieland jazz unit, and its brief existence illustrates one overlooked dimension of campus life during the late 1950s and early 1960s. That the musicians issued six LPs within a span of only four years further demonstrates how prominent and sought-after they once were. At the same time many colleges hosted amateur or semi-professional Dixieland aggregations alongside their resident folk acts; although the trend is now largely forgotten, this accessible jazz style rose in tandem with folk trios and quartets. The music required no advanced technique, remained easy to dance to, and appealed to broad audiences in much the same way English skiffle had done. British trad-jazz outfits of the period understood the same principle: participants did not need to be budding virtuosos to hold their own in a Dixieland setting.
The lineup comprised Dick Brady on trombone, Ralph Casale on banjo, Frank Hubbell on trumpet, Joe Muranyi on clarinet, Al McManus on drums, Lenny Pogan on guitar, Don Coates on piano, and Mitchell May on reeds and winds. All eight musicians emerged from collegiate or semi-pro backgrounds; one worked as a professional music instructor, and May had previously performed flute with the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra. They first assembled in New York during 1963 under the name Frank Hubbell & the Hubcaps and recorded a single that disappeared without notice. Later that year the musicians re-formed as the Village Stompers, signed with Epic Records, and cut "Washington Square." The tune itself was a folk-flavored Dixieland number emphasizing banjo and winds; it had been composed by Philadelphia-born Bob Goldstein, an actor and comedy writer who had once collaborated with Woody Allen. Subsequent recordings drew on additional Goldstein material, both solo and in partnership with David Shire, who would later gain recognition for his film scores. Much of the single's appeal, however, stemmed from the straightforward folk-styled arrangement crafted by Joe Sherman, previously associated with Tony Bennett and the Ames Brothers.
"Washington Square" appeared as a single in midsummer 1963, entered the charts by late September, and reached the number-two position in December. By then the octet had completed an album of Dixieland treatments of folk and folk-adjacent songs such as "If I Had a Hammer," "Green Green," "Blowin' in the Wind," and "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd," plus a near-replica of the title track titled "The Poet and the Prophet." Certain Sherman charts featured unexpected details, among them an electric guitar that surfaces midway through the swinging "Cold Steel Canyons" and serves as the lead voice on "Blowin' in the Wind," where the cornets and clarinets recede for the opening verse before returning on the chorus. The Washington Square LP climbed to number five nationally—an impressive showing for a Dixieland ensemble at that moment and a notable achievement for Epic. Around the same period the group secured extensive live exposure at venues including New York's Basin Street East.
Entering 1964 with a Top Ten single and album, the Village Stompers soon found themselves short of fresh ideas. They never located another unfamiliar melody as infectious as "Washington Square," and the title of their follow-up LP, More Sounds of Washington Square, only underscored the absence of a comparable successor. That second collection differed markedly from its predecessor, containing just three folk numbers while turning instead to popular songs such as "Dominique," blues pieces, and other material for a more conventional Dixieland approach that reduced any chance of being mistaken for a folk-revival release. The band did register a modest hit with its reading of "From Russia With Love" in spring 1964, a track that later appeared on their next album, and enjoyed another minor success with the theme from the then-current musical Fiddler on the Roof. By this point, however, attention within the music industry had shifted to England with the arrival of the British Invasion. Although the group's relaxed, listener-friendly style continued to attract disc jockeys, later singles including "The La-Dee-Da Song," "Oh! Marie," and "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" received airplay without matching earlier sales figures. A 1964 album titled Around the World performed adequately thanks to the inclusion of "From Russia With Love" and "Oh! Marie," yet New Beat on Broadway sold more modestly despite featuring "Fiddler on the Roof." The 1965 release Some Folk, a Bit of Country, and a Whole Lot of Dixie found the ensemble reduced to cult status. Two further LPs, A Taste of Honey and Other Goodies and One More Time, appeared through 1966 before the musicians disbanded the following year; around the same time Epic issued a greatest-hits compilation.
Most members remained active afterward, some more visibly than others. May and Coates continued appearing on jazz recordings into the 1980s and 1990s, while Ralph Casale later contributed to sessions by the Arbors, the Free Design, and Laura Nyro, among many additional jazz, pop, and rock projects. Joe Muranyi, who had studied with Lennie Tristano, emerged as the most prominent alumnus, enjoying an extended tenure with Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars and other ensembles.
The lineup comprised Dick Brady on trombone, Ralph Casale on banjo, Frank Hubbell on trumpet, Joe Muranyi on clarinet, Al McManus on drums, Lenny Pogan on guitar, Don Coates on piano, and Mitchell May on reeds and winds. All eight musicians emerged from collegiate or semi-pro backgrounds; one worked as a professional music instructor, and May had previously performed flute with the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra. They first assembled in New York during 1963 under the name Frank Hubbell & the Hubcaps and recorded a single that disappeared without notice. Later that year the musicians re-formed as the Village Stompers, signed with Epic Records, and cut "Washington Square." The tune itself was a folk-flavored Dixieland number emphasizing banjo and winds; it had been composed by Philadelphia-born Bob Goldstein, an actor and comedy writer who had once collaborated with Woody Allen. Subsequent recordings drew on additional Goldstein material, both solo and in partnership with David Shire, who would later gain recognition for his film scores. Much of the single's appeal, however, stemmed from the straightforward folk-styled arrangement crafted by Joe Sherman, previously associated with Tony Bennett and the Ames Brothers.
"Washington Square" appeared as a single in midsummer 1963, entered the charts by late September, and reached the number-two position in December. By then the octet had completed an album of Dixieland treatments of folk and folk-adjacent songs such as "If I Had a Hammer," "Green Green," "Blowin' in the Wind," and "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd," plus a near-replica of the title track titled "The Poet and the Prophet." Certain Sherman charts featured unexpected details, among them an electric guitar that surfaces midway through the swinging "Cold Steel Canyons" and serves as the lead voice on "Blowin' in the Wind," where the cornets and clarinets recede for the opening verse before returning on the chorus. The Washington Square LP climbed to number five nationally—an impressive showing for a Dixieland ensemble at that moment and a notable achievement for Epic. Around the same period the group secured extensive live exposure at venues including New York's Basin Street East.
Entering 1964 with a Top Ten single and album, the Village Stompers soon found themselves short of fresh ideas. They never located another unfamiliar melody as infectious as "Washington Square," and the title of their follow-up LP, More Sounds of Washington Square, only underscored the absence of a comparable successor. That second collection differed markedly from its predecessor, containing just three folk numbers while turning instead to popular songs such as "Dominique," blues pieces, and other material for a more conventional Dixieland approach that reduced any chance of being mistaken for a folk-revival release. The band did register a modest hit with its reading of "From Russia With Love" in spring 1964, a track that later appeared on their next album, and enjoyed another minor success with the theme from the then-current musical Fiddler on the Roof. By this point, however, attention within the music industry had shifted to England with the arrival of the British Invasion. Although the group's relaxed, listener-friendly style continued to attract disc jockeys, later singles including "The La-Dee-Da Song," "Oh! Marie," and "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" received airplay without matching earlier sales figures. A 1964 album titled Around the World performed adequately thanks to the inclusion of "From Russia With Love" and "Oh! Marie," yet New Beat on Broadway sold more modestly despite featuring "Fiddler on the Roof." The 1965 release Some Folk, a Bit of Country, and a Whole Lot of Dixie found the ensemble reduced to cult status. Two further LPs, A Taste of Honey and Other Goodies and One More Time, appeared through 1966 before the musicians disbanded the following year; around the same time Epic issued a greatest-hits compilation.
Most members remained active afterward, some more visibly than others. May and Coates continued appearing on jazz recordings into the 1980s and 1990s, while Ralph Casale later contributed to sessions by the Arbors, the Free Design, and Laura Nyro, among many additional jazz, pop, and rock projects. Joe Muranyi, who had studied with Lennie Tristano, emerged as the most prominent alumnus, enjoying an extended tenure with Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars and other ensembles.
Albums
