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“The Slop” originated
in the Philadelphia black community but it may have started in
Delaware or Baltimore and made it big in Philly. The Slop during
the 1950's was introduced to the public on the TV Show 'Bandstand'.
It began in the late fifties as a couples dance, without touching.
The style morphed here and there from the fifties into the sixties,
becoming even more popular in the sixties on the Philly dance
scene at the Jerry Blavat dances and on his “Discophonic
Scene” dance show. The dance made its way up and down the
east coast, as far north as NYC
and as far south as Washington, D.C. |
| In Philadelphia there were a number of
slop styles. The steps and count were all the same but the way
one did the slop was a dead giveaway as to what part of the city
of Philadelphia you were from. There was a distinct South Philly
style and distinct Kensington style. In Norristown there was a
west end slop style and an east end slop style. The kids from
the west end (mostly preppy) used more arm motion in
their style of slop (it was cool looking but no evidence of
bad-boy or bad-girl in the style.)
Now down in the east end, the guys slipped their hands in their
pockets and hiked up their pants when they did the slop (these
were the “hoods” who wore tight black pants and Italian
import shoes with Cuban heels). The east-end girls would slop
lifting their skirts with two fingers just a bit above one knee
to shoe either their slip or a “little leg.” In Norristown
there was also a slop line-dance. Line-dances were huge in
the Philly and suburb area in the mid-sixties.
One famous song of the 1950s
was 'At the Hop' by Danny and the Jr's. A main part in the lyrics
goes like:
"You... can roll it, You can "Slop it," and can
stroll it at the hop, When the record starts spinnin' You "Chalypso"
when you "Chicken" at the hop, Do the dance sensation
that's sweeping the Nation ... at the Hop."
American Swing dance has
a couple of steps borrowed from this dance, including The Lindy
Hop and West Coast Swing. During the 1960s gained some popularity
as a solo couples fad dance in Paris, France as well.
(Many thanks to Jim Fillman for much of the above info on the
slop)
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Music Titles with Slop |
| 1950's - The Slop - Louis Jordan (Decca) |
Back Slop - Baby Earl & the Trini Dads [Listen] |
| 1958 - Hard Times - The Slop - Noble "Thin Man" Watts |
Big Top Slop - The Hop-Cats |
| 1958 - Slop Time - The Shirelle's [Listen] |
Chinese Slop - Paul & Four-Most |
| 1959 - Slop - Charles Mingus [Listen] |
Cosmic Slop - P Funk All-Stars [Listen] |
| 1960 - The Slop - The Olympics (Jasper Love, Mingus) |
(dance the) Mess Around (Checker) |
| 1961 - The Slop - Aki Aleong & His Teen Twenty |
Dance the Slop With Me - Mike Roger & Machine Guns [Listen] |
| 1962 - Georgia Slop - Jimmy McCracklin ('Big' Al Downing) |
Do The Slop - Dave "Baby" Cortez |
| 1962 - Slop Around - Buddy Guy |
Eurovisions Slop - Blue Sound Inc. |
| 1962 - Slop Well - Gus Derse & The Kill Jerks [Listen] |
Georgia Slop - George Gilmore and the Giblets |
| 1962 - The Slop - Chubby Checker [Listen] |
Hi-Heal Sneakers - (Dancers did the slop to this song) |
| 1963 - Done Done The Slop - Ervin Rucker [Listen] |
Hop Slop - The Hop-Cats |
| 1963 - Mokum Slop - The Hondos [Listen] |
Let's Slop - Mike Roger & Machine Guns |
| 1964 - Come On Let's Do The Slop - Eddy & the Crazy Jets [Listen] |
Let's Do the Slop - Rene and his Alligators |
| 1964 - Strato Slop - The Stratofires [Listen] |
Pork Chop Beer Slop - The Hekawis |
| 1968 - Slop Beatin' - Bill Haley |
Slop, the - Chet Atkins | Hasil Adkins | Chet "Poison" Ivy |
| 1973 - Cosmic Slop (Funkadelic) |
Slop Beat, the - The Teen Beats |
| 1974 - Hard Times - The Slop - The Band |
Slop Jar Blues - Donald Byrd | Jelly Roll Kings [Listen] | |
| 1987 - Slop Bucket - Noble "Thin Man" Watts |
Slop Time - The Sherrys [Listen] |
| At The Hop - Danny and the Jr's. |
Stop Slop - Jack Hammer [Listen] |
| Atomic Slop |
Why Don't You Slop With Me |
Burlesque 
