The Stroll was a popular line dance in the 1950s. It was first performed to "C. C. Rider" by Chuck Willis on American Bandstand. Link Wray's "Rumble" and "The Stroll" by The Diamonds were also popular tunes for doing the Stroll. All these songs are slow 12-bar blues. "The Stroll" by the Diamonds, written by Brook Benton, reached number four on the Billboard pop charts, number five on the R&B charts. The Diamonds were a Canadian quartet of the 1950s and early 1960s who rose to prominence performing mostly cover versions of songs by black musicians. The original members were: Dave Somerville - Lead, Ted Kowalski - Tenor, Phil Levitt - Baritone, and Bill Reed - Bass. In the dance, two lines of dancers, men on one side and women on the other, face each other, moving in place to the music. Each paired couple then steps out and does a more elaborate dance up and down between the rows of dancers. Popularized through exposure on the daily American Bandstand program in late 1957, the Stroll stands as one of the few nationally-popular line dances of the 50s and 60s |
