The Trammps

The Trammps

The Trammps are a US disco and soul group from Philadelphia, active from 1972 to 1980, and regarded as one of the early disco bands. The classic line-up includes Jimmy Ellis, Ron Kersey, Earl Young and Dennis Harris. Their sound sits within disco, Philly soul and soul.

Origins and early line-up

The group grows out of a 1960s act called The Volcanos, which later becomes The Moods. By the early 1970s, the line-up includes gospel-influenced singer Jimmy Ellis, drummer and bass vocalist Earl Young, and brothers Stanley and Harold “Doc” Wade. Members of MFSB play on recordings and in live work during the 1970s, and Robert Upchurch later joins. The band is produced by Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris and Earl Young, all key figures in the Philadelphia recording scene and MFSB mainstays who also contribute songs and perform on sessions.

Recordings and chart success

The Trammps first reach the charts with a 1972 cover of “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart”, which becomes a US R&B Top 20 hit. Their early releases appear on Buddah Records, including “Hold Back The Night”, which charts in the UK and on the Billboard R&B list in 1973, before a later reissue brings it onto the US Hot 100. The group then records for Philadelphia International subsidiary Golden Fleece before moving to Atlantic Records.

Their first disco-related track is “Love Epidemic” in 1973. Other significant singles include “Hold Back the Night” and “That’s Where the Happy People Go”. “Disco Inferno”, originally released in 1976, becomes their best-known recording; it reaches the UK pop chart and the US R&B chart, and after a reissue in 1978 it becomes a major US pop hit, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is included on the Grammy Award-winning Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and the song wins a Grammy. The soundtrack connection helps establish the group’s place in disco history.

Later recognition and versions of the group

In late 1977, the band releases “The Night the Lights Went Out” to mark the New York City blackout of 13 July 1977. “Disco Inferno” is later covered by Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper, while Graham Parker covers “Hold Back The Night” on The Pink Parker EP, taking it to number 20 in the UK Singles Chart and into the US Top 60. On 19 September 2005, “Disco Inferno” is inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York, where the original members perform together for the first time in 25 years.

Two versions of the group with different line-ups continue to tour. Earl Young’s Trammps also continue to record.

Jimmy Ellis

Jimmy Ellis dies on 8 March 2012 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.