|
THE
TRAMMPS
"Body Contact Contract"
(N. Harris, B. Gray, Jimmy Hendricks)
Produced & By Norman Harris
For Baker, Harris & Young Productions
Vocals By:
Jimmy Ellis, Robert Upchurch, Earl Young,
Harold Wade & Stanley Wade.
Atlantic Records Inc.
1976
-
INCREDIBLE
|
|
Disco's most soulful vocal group began in the '60s as The Volcanos,
and were also called The Moods. Gene Faith was the original lead
vocalist, with Earl Young, Jimmy Ellis, guitarist Dennis Harris,
keyboardist Ron Kersey, organist John Hart, bassist Stanley Wade, and
drummer Michael Thomas. But by the time they'd gone through various
identities and emerged as the Trammps in the mid-'70s, the lineup
featured lead vocalist Ellis, Harold and Stanley Wade, Robert
Upchurch, and Young.
The Trammps began in Philadelphia
in 1972 featuring vocalist, Jimmy Ellis, Harold Doc Wade, Stanley Wade and Earl
Young and traveled with as many as 11 members, culled from the ranks of the
busiest and best musicians, many of whom also played for Gamble and Huff's
Philly International and later for Vince Montana's Salsoul Orchestra. The
Trammps' first recording, Zing Went the Strings Of My Heart, a
remarkable remake of a tune originally recorded by Judy Garland in 1943, was
recorded at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios in 1972 and was a bona fide chart
hit, reaching #17 on the R&B chart and #64 on the pop charts that summer. Within
the next few years, Buddah Records recorded several of the Trammps' hits,
including Hold Back The Night which reached #40 on the pop
charts and #10 on the R&B charts and Where Do We Go From Here,
reaching #44 on the R&B charts in 1974.
In mid-1975, the Trammps became
one of Atlantic Records hottest Disco recording acts. Their first album with
Atlantic yielded tracts Hooked for Life and Where the
Happy People Go which became their biggest pop hit to date reaching #27
and continues to rank as one of the most recognizable songs of its era. Other
Trammps hits on Atlantic included, Disco Party, Body Contact, I Fell
Like I've Been Livin' (On The Dark Side Of The Moon), The Night The Lights Went
Out, and Soul Bones, which features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder.
The pinnacle of the Trammps career was their Atlantic sound track, Disco
Inferno. In 1977 Disco Inferno, was the hottest song
on the International Disco scene and the group was recognized as the best
performing group by one of New York's most popular clubs, 2001 Space Oddesey,
the location for the motion picture, Saturday Night Fever. The soundtrack for
the movie, which included Disco Inferno, was the industries
biggest selling album to date and won the Trammps a Grammy Award in 1979.
The group remained intact until 1980 at which time they disbanded and embarked
on solo careers. A re-formulated incarnation of The Trammps resurfaced in 1997
to record "Mighty High" with former disco queen Gloria Gaynor.
The song itself, a previous gospel/disco hit for The Mighty Clouds Of Joy in
1975, sounds fresh and invigorated. The (new) Trammps.
Throughout the years, the Trammps
have made many tours throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and
South America.
Currently the Trammps, original
members, Jimmy Ellis, Harold Doc Wade, Stanley Wade and Dave Dixon. The Trammps
tour nationally and internationally with musicians from the original touring
group.
|
