The Trammps were an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. The history of the Trammps grew from the 1960s group the Volcanos, who later became the Moods.
Their debut chart entry came via an upbeat cover version of the standard "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", which became a top 20 US R&B chart hit in 1972.
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 single "Disco Inferno" (1976), which was included on the Grammy Award-winning Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track in 1977, reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1978.
Other major hits included "Hold Back the Night" (1975) (UK No. 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 City on July 13–14, 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 Pink Parker EP" in 1977, and reached No. 24 in the UK Singles Chart, and top 60 in the US. In 2021, "Disco Inferno" was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry, together with "Can We Come Together" (from the album Where the Happy People Go).
- Ronnie Baker (1947–1990) - bass, vocals
- Ed Cermanski - keyboards
- John Davis - saxophone
- Jimmy Ellis (1937–2012) - lead vocals
- Dennis Harris - guitar
- Norman Harris (1947–1987) - guitar, vocals
- John Hart (1941–2008) - 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 Mc Donald (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
- Van Fields - vocals
- Lafayette Gamble - vocals
- Michael Natalini - drums
- 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 - only released in The Netherlands)
The Trammps has examples of:
- A Hell of a Time: Their most famous song "Disco Inferno"
, that provided the quote of the entry. - Inspired by…: Their song "Disco Inferno" was inspired by The Towering Inferno.
- Revolving Door Band: See the long list of band members above? Their number was high enough to have two versions of the group, with differing line-ups, that toured the nostalgia circuit in 2007.
- Ripped from the Headlines: Their song "The Night the Lights Went Out" was created to commemorate the electrical blackout that affected New York City on July 13–14, 1977.
