The Trammps
The Trammps | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels |
|
| Past members |
|
| Website | Official website |
The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands.
The band's first major success was their 1972
History
1970s
The history of the Trammps grew from the 1960s group the Volcanos, who later became the Moods.[1] With a number of line-up changes by the early 1970s, the band membership included gospel-influenced lead singer Jimmy Ellis, drummer and singer (bass voice) Earl Young, with brothers Stanley and Harold 'Doc' Wade. Members of the Philadelphia recording band MFSB played with the group on records and on tour in the 1970s with singer Robert Upchurch joining later. The group was produced by the Philadelphia team of Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris and Young, all MFSB mainstays who played on the recording sessions and contributed songs.
Their debut
Their first few recordings were released on Buddah Records, including "Hold Back the Night", which was a hit on the Billboard R&B chart in 1973, before a re-release saw it climb in the UK two years later. Several R&B hits followed during a stay with Philadelphia International subsidiary Golden Fleece (run by Baker-Harris-Young) before they signed to Atlantic Records.
Their
In a time when real soul groups, especially of the uptempo persuasion, have become as rare as snail darters, the Trammps fill a gap.
— Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981)[4]
Other major hits included "Hold Back the Night" (1975) (
Their signature song "Disco Inferno" has been
Dissolution and aftermath
On September 19, 2005, the group's "Disco Inferno" was inducted into the
By 2007, two versions of the group, with differing line-ups, toured the nostalgia circuit.[9]
On March 8, 2012, lead singer Jimmy Ellis died at a nursing home in Rock Hill, South Carolina (where he was born on November 15, 1937), at the age of 74. The cause of death was not immediately known but he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[2]
The music journalist Ron Wynn noted: "the Trammps' prowess can't be measured by chart popularity; Ellis' booming, joyous vocals brilliantly championed the celebratory fervor and atmosphere that made disco both loved and hated among music fans."[1]
On June 30, 2019, the Trammps appeared on HBO's Big Little Lies, Season 2, episode 4 entitled "She Knows".
Stan Wade died in January 2021.[10]
Band members
- Ronnie Baker (1947–1990) – bass, vocals
- Ed Cermanski – keyboards
- John Davis – saxophone
- Jimmy Ellis (1937–2012)[11] – lead vocals
- Dennis Harris – guitar
- Norman Harris (1947–1987) – guitar, vocals
- John Hart (1941–2008)[12] – organ
- Reuben Henderson – saxophone
- Rusty Jackmon – bass
- Fred Joiner – trombone
- Gene Jones (a.k.a. Gene Faith) – original lead vocalist
- Steve Kelly – vocals
- Ron Kersey b. Tyrone G. Kersey (1945–2005) – keyboards
- Barrington McDonald (1942–2007) – guitar
- Cubby St Charles – vocals
- Roger Stevens – trumpet
- Michael Thompson – drums (stopped 1995)
- Robert Upchurch – vocals
- Harold "Doc" Wade – guitar, vocals
- Stanley Wade – bass, vocals (d. 2021)
- Harold Watkins – trombone
- Priestly Williams – trumpet
- Earl Young (b. 1940) – drums, vocals
Later members
- Jerry Collins – vocals
- Jimmy Wells – lead vocals[13]
- Van Fields – vocals
- Lafayette Gamble – vocals
- Michael Natalini – drums
Stan & Doc Wade & Robert Upchurch Trammps (original) current touring group
- Ed Cermanski – keyboards
- Harold "Doc" Wade – vocals
- Robert Upchurch – vocals
- Jimmy Wells – vocals
- Lafayette Gamble – vocals
- Van Fields – vocals
- Sheppie Fitts – drums
- Rusty Stone – bass
- David Rue – guitar
- AC King – saxophone
- Carmen Tornambe – trumpet
Discography
- Trammps (1975)
- The Legendary Zing Album (1975)
- Where the Happy People Go (1976)
- Disco Inferno (1976)
- The Trammps III (1977)
- The Whole World's Dancing (1979)
- Mixin' It Up (1980)
- Slipping Out (1980)
- This One Is for the Party (1984)
See also
- List of Billboard number-one dance club songs
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart
- Ron Kersey, a one-time band member and songwriter
- "Hate It or Love It", a single by The Game sampling "Rubber Band"
References
- ^ a b c d Wynn, Ron. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ a b Dys, Andrew (March 9, 2012). "'Disco Inferno' singer Jimmy Ellis of Rock Hill dies at 74". The Rock Hill Herald. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012.
- ^ "US Charts > The Trammps". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- )
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "GRAHAM PARKER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
- ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "British single certifications – Trammps – Disco Inferno/Can We Come Together". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Rizik, Chris (May 19, 2007). "The Trammps". SoulTracks. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "Stan Wade (The Trammps | Ben Schwag". 3hatsmusic.com. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "Jimmy Ellis Dies at 74; Lead Singer in Dance Band Trammps". The New York Times. March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
- ^ "John Hart Jr._ 67_ an original Trammp". Article.wn.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "Trammps Biography". Lyricsvault.net. Retrieved July 10, 2021.