Was a tenor sax ‘the ticket’ into the White House?

Did the doo-wop song “You Can’t Sit Down” influence the outcome of America’s 1992 presidential election? “Shoo-boppity-bop and dippity-dip.” 

That translates to “a definite maybe.” The late Sir Charles Wheeler, a journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London, followed the Democrat party’s candidate Bill Clinton during the final days of the presidential campaign.

 

Wheeler’s BBC report included mention of Clinton’s jam session with The Dovells at a campaign rally in Cherry Hill, N.J., on the eve of the election. Clinton hoisted a tenor saxophone and belted out a few bars from a rockin’ oldie, “You Can’t Sit Down.” The band and the crowd went wild. Who knows how many people were home watching “on the telly?”

 

Wheeler went out on a limb to conclude that Clinton’s sax session may have helped more than it hurt.

 

The 1992 election was a rare three-way contest. The other contenders were: incumbent President George H. W. Bush, a Republican; and Ross Perot, a wealthy businessman, running as an independent. This trio of candidates were all lefthanded.

 

Neither Bush nor Perot was noted for his musicality. Bush was good at pitching horseshoes and sky diving. Perot enjoyed snow skiing and powerboat racing.

 

When the votes were counted, it was Clinton, the sitting governor of Arkansas, who heard the sweet song of victory.

Back to The Dovells: The group recorded “You Can’t Sit Down” in 1963; it rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The tune began as an instrumental, performed in 1959 by The Bim Bam Boos, a group that faded into obscurity.

 

Michael Jack Kirby, creator of the Way Back Attack music history website, said: “The Dovells marveled in 1961 at the instrumental version of ‘You Can’t Sit Down’ by the Phil Upchurch Combo, with the scorching sax track…and decided to do a vocal version.”

 

Bill Clinton was a big fan of The Dovells, and he extended the group an invitation to perform at 1993 Presidential Ball. The Dovells came back again in 1997 for Clinton’s second-term inauguration gala.

 

It seems as if the only celebrity who saw the band more often than President Clinton was Dick Clark of “American Bandstand.” 

In their heyday, The Dovells were one of Clark’s favorite go-to acts, because of their high energy. The group was part of the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars tour in autumn 1963. 

The tour bus pulled out of Wichita, Kan., on Nov. 21, 1963. “It was an arduous, seven-hour, 400-mile trip to their next stop in Dallas, Texas, for a show scheduled on Nov. 22,” reported Barry Levine of the Albany (Ga.) Herald. 

“Arriving in Dallas about 8 a.m., Clark and several of the performers decided to stand on the hotel steps and wave to the motorcade transporting President John F. Kennedy; his wife, Jackie; and Texas Gov. John Connally, and his wife, Nellie, through downtown Dallas later that morning. 

“Three blocks after the motorcade passed the hotel, Kennedy (age 46) was assassinated and Connally was seriously wounded,” Levine wrote. 

The Caravan of Stars show was cancelled that night as the nation was in shock, and all performers expressed condolences. 

The nation grieved again on April 18, 2012, when Dick Clark died at age 82. He was nicknamed “America’s Oldest Teenager.” 

One who expressed his sympathy at the time was Jerry Gross, lead singer of The Dovells. “Dick Clark was a legend who helped a lot of acts, including us, gain stardom and have many, many hit records. The entertainment world will sorely miss Dick Clark.” 

Ram-a-lama-ding-dong.