The lyrics, which consist of the single word “dynomite,” a catchphrase of Jimmie Walker on the television show “Good Times,” simply repeat throughout the song,

Bazuka was a rhythm-and-blues group in the mid-1970s, and “Dynomite” was their only hit of any note, a true one-hit wonder. Their next song, “Love Explosion,” made the Billboard Hot 100 at the modest position of No. 92. The group itself didn’t form on its own. A producer named Tony Camillo gathered together several studio musicians in New York. As you might expect, both tracks are extremely tight musically, but one gimmick song followed by a song with uninspired lyrics did not catch on. The group just sort of melted away, the members going on to other gigs.

“Good Times”

Long before “The Cosby Show” became a ratings juggernaut, “Good Times” featured a Black family as the protagonists. Instead of the later show’s upper middle-class milieu, “Good Times” portrayed a hardworking, yet poor, family in the Chicago projects. Still, the family was shown to have good family values even in the face of poverty. The eldest child, James Evans Jr., was played by American actor Jimmie Walker. The character had a catchphrase that was on everyone’s lips in the mid-1970s: Dynomite! About the time that that phrase took off in popularity, the show changed its course. Before that, the show tackled serious social topics with comedy. Thereafter, the show’s producers relied more and more on the antics of Walker’s character, which bordered on clowning. John Amos, who played the father, James Evans Sr., disapproved of the change. He gave the producers an ultimatum, and Norman Lear himself fired him from the show, killing off his character in a road accident in 1976 at the end of season three.

Tony Camillo

Camillo was a brass player with exceptional chops. In fact, he was good enough to earn a place in any symphony orchestra for which he auditioned on either trumpet or horn. He was Julliard-educated. But, Camillo tired of classical music for some reason and moved into the realm of popular music. He was instrumental, pardon the pun, in the success of Gladys Knight and the Pips. Perhaps the biggest hit he produced was “Midnight Train to Georgia.”

Other Bazuka Songs

The group’s other songs never amounted to much, despite their obvious skills on their instruments. Two of them managed to reach the charts in the United Kingdom, but that was the extent of their success. Today, you won’t find any of Bazuka’s songs on terrestrial radio, but the Sirius Satellite Radio channel “70s on 7” will play them from time to time.

Lyrics

Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite
Dynomite

Listeners of music from the 1990’s, might also appreciate the song Adams song by Blink 182