Disco Inferno - The Trammps

Biography The Trammps

The Trammps were an American disco and soulband, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The band's first major success was with their 1972 cover version of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart". 

The first disco track they released was "Love Epidemic" in 1973. However, they are best known for their Grammy winning song, "Disco Inferno", originally released in 1976 becoming a UK pop hit and US R&B hit, then re-released in 1978 and becoming a US pop hit. 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."

The seeds of the Trammps grew from the 1960s outfit, the Volcanos, who later became the Moods. With a number of line-up changes by the mid 1970s the band membership included Jimmy Ellis, Barrington McDonald (guitarist and a founding member), Norman Harris and Earl Young with Stanley Wade plus Robert Upchurch joining later on. Their debut chart entry came via their upbeat cover version of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", a Top 2             0f US R&B chart hit in 1972.

Their single "Disco Inferno" (1976), which was included on the Grammy Award winning Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977, reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1978.

Other major hits included "Hold Back the Night" (1975) (UK #5) and "That's Where the Happy People Go" (1976). In late 1977, the Trammps released the song "The Night the Lights Went Out" to commemorate the electrical blackout that affected New York on July 13, 1977.

Their signature song, "Disco Inferno", has been covered by Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper. In addition, Graham Parker covered "Hold Back The Night" on the "The Pink Panther EP" in 1977, and reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart, and Top 60 in the US.

On September 19, 2005, the groups' signature record "Disco Inferno" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York. During the ceremony, the original band members performed together for the first time in twenty five years.

Two versions of the group, with differing line-ups, currently tour the nostalgia circuit.

On March 8, 2012, lead singer Jimmy Ellis died at a nursing home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at the age of 74. The cause of death was not immediately known but he suffered from Alzheimers' disease.

^{The Trammps Official Website}

Disco Inferno - The Trammps

Disco Inferno - Where we go from now

Disco Inferno lyrics

(Burn baby burn)
(Burn baby burn)
(Burn baby burn)
(Burn baby burn)

To my surprise one hundred storeys high
People getting loose y'all
Getting down on the roof
Folks are screaming out of control
It was so entertaining
When the boogie started to explode
I heard somebody say

(Burn baby burn) disco Inferno
(Burn baby burn) burn that mother down
(Burn baby burn) disco Inferno
(Burn baby burn) burn that mother down

Satisfaction came in a chain reaction
(Burnin)
I couldn't get enough
So I had to self-destruct
The heat was on, rising to the top
Everybody is going strong
And that is when my spark got hot
I heard somebody say

(Burn baby burn) disco Inferno
(Burn baby burn) burn that mother down
(Burn baby burn) disco Inferno
(Burn baby burn) burn that mother down

Up above my head
I hear music in the air
That makes me know
There's a party somewhere

Satisfaction came in a chain reaction
I couldn't get enough
So I had to self-destruct
The heat was on, rising to the top
Everybody is going strong
And that is when my spark got hot
I heard somebody say

(Burn baby burn) disco Inferno
(Burn baby burn) burn that mother down
(Burn baby burn) disco Inferno
(Burn baby burn) burn that mother down

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