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Biography
Refimprove|date=April 2010Infobox musical artist | | name = Ohio Players| image =| caption =| image_size =| background = group_or_band| alias = The Ohio Untouchables| origin = Dayton, Ohio|Dayton , Ohio , United States | instrument =| genre = Funk Rhythm and blues|R& B Soul music|Soul | occupation =| years_active = 1959& ndash;1997| label = Westbound Records|Westbound , Mercury Records|Mercury , Boardwalk Records|Boardwalk | associated_acts =| website = http://www.myspace.com/theofficialohioplayers| past_members = Cornelius Johnson Walter Morrison|Walter "Junie" Morrison Leroy Bonner Marshall "Rock" Jones Robert "Rumba" Jones Billy Beck (musician)|Billy Beck Wes Boatman Mervin Pierce Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks (deceased) Jimmy Sampson Vincent Thomas James "Diamond" Williams Clarence Willis Greg Webster Bruce Napier Andrew Noland Clarence "Satch" Satchell (deceased) Bobby Lee Fears Dutch Robinson Robert Ward (Deceased) The Ohio Players were an United States|American funk and Rhythm and blues|R& B musical ensemble|band , most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit record|hit songs " Fire (Ohio Players song)|Fire " and " Love Rollercoaster ".
Biography
The band formed in Dayton, Ohio|Dayton , Ohio in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables, and initially included members Robert Ward (blues musician)|Robert Ward ( human voice|vocals / guitar ), Marshall "Rock" Jones ( bass guitar|bass ), Clarence "Satch" Satchell ( saxophone /guitar), Cornelius Johnson ( drum s), and Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks ( trumpet / trombone ). They were best known at the time as a backing group for Detroit 's The Falcons . The Ohio Untouchables broke up in 1963 with Ward leaving for a solo career, but the core members of the group returned to Dayton and the following year added Gregory Webster (drums) along with Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner (guitar), who would become the group's front man. The group added two more singers, Bobby Lee Fears and Dutch Robinson, and became the house band for the New York City|New York based Compass Records in 1967.
The group disbanded again in 1970. After again reforming with a line-up including Bonner, Satchell, Middlebrooks, Jones, Webster, trumpeter Bruce Napier, vocalist Charles Dale Allen, trombonist Marvin Pierce and keyboardist Walter Morrison|Walter "Junie" Morrison , the Players had a minor hit on the Detroit-based Westbound record label|label in 1971 with "Pain," which reached the Top 40 of the Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Hot R& B/Hip-Hop Songs|R& B record chart|Chart . Dale Allen shared co-lead vocals on some of the early Westbound material, although he was not credited on their albums Pain and Pleasure .
The band's first big hit single was " Funky Worm ", which reached #1 on the Billboard R& B chart and made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1973. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a music recording sales certification|gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in May of that year.cite book|first=Joseph|last=Murrells|year=1978|title=The Book of Golden Discs |edition=2nd |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd |location=London|pages=332, 348, 349 & 362 |isbn= 0-214-20512-6 The band signed with Mercury Records in 1974. By this time, their line-up had changed again, with keyboardist Billy Beck instead of Morrison and Jimmy "Diamond" Williams on drums instead of Webster. On later album releases, they added second guitarist/vocalist Clarence 'Chet' Willis and conga player Robert "Rumba" Jones.
The band had seven Top 40 hits between 1973 and 1976. These included " Fire (Ohio Players song)|Fire " (#1 on both the R& B and pop chart for two weeks and one week respectively in February 1975 and another million seller) and " Love Rollercoaster " (#1 on both the R& B and pop charts for one week in January 1976; another gold disc recipient). The group's last big hit was " Who'd She Coo? " a #1 R& B hit in August 1976. It was their only success in the United Kingdom , where it peaked at #43 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1976.cite book |first=David |last= Roberts |year=2006 |title=British Hit Singles & Albums |edition=19th |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |location=London |isbn=1-904994-10-5 |page=405
Clarence Satchell (born April 15, 1940) died December 30, 1995 after suffering a brain aneurysm , http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1995.html Thedeadrockstarsclub.com (1995) Accessed April 2010 Ralph Middlebrooks (born August 20, 1939) died in November 1997, http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1996.html Thedeadrockstarsclub.com (1996) Accessed April 2010 and Robert Ward (born October 15, 1938) died at home December 25, 2008.cite web |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/mar/04/music-obituary-robert-ward-soul-blues |title=Obituary: Robert Ward |author=Cartwright, Garth |date=March 4, 2009 |work=The Guardian |publisher=guardian.co.uk |accessdate=2011-06-29 Marshall Jones resides in Jamestown, Ohio .cite web |url= http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/entertainment/music/ohio-players-bassist-retires-to-funky-town-jamestown-130160.html |title=Ohio Players bassist retires to funky town — Jamestown |author=McGinn, Andrew |date=May 30, 2009 |work=Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun |publisher= |accessdate=2011-06-29
Discography
Studio albums
Year
Album
Peak chart positions
Certifications ( List of best selling music artists
Record label
US cite web
US R& B cite web
CAN cite web
1968
Observations in Time
—
—
—
—
Capitol Records
1972
Pain (Ohio Players album)
177
21
—
align="left"
US: Gold cite web|url= http://www.corporateartists.com/the_ohio_players.html|title=US Certifications > Ohio Players|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |accessdate=2012-01-14
Westbound Records
Pleasure (album)
63
4
—
—
1973
Ecstasy (Ohio Players album)
70
19
—
—
1974
Skin Tight
11
1
15
align="left"
US: Platinum cite web|url= http://www.corporateartists.com/the_ohio_players.html|title=US Certifications > Ohio Players|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |accessdate=2012-01-14
Mercury Records
Fire (Ohio Players album)
1
1
17
align="left"
US: Platinum cite web|url= http://www.corporateartists.com/the_ohio_players.html|title=US Certifications > Ohio Players|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |accessdate=2012-01-14
1975
Honey (Ohio Players album)
2
1
36
align="left"
US: Platinum cite web|url= http://www.corporateartists.com/the_ohio_players.html|title=US Certifications > Ohio Players|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |accessdate=2012-01-14
1976
Contradiction (album)
12
1
26
align="left"
US: Gold cite web|url= http://www.corporateartists.com/the_ohio_players.html|title=US Certifications > Ohio Players|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |accessdate=2012-01-14
1977
Angel (Ohio Players album)
41
9
58
—
Mr. Mean (album)
68
11
65
—
1978
Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee
69
15
—
—
1979
Everybody Up
80
19
—
—
Arista Records
1981
Tenderness
165
49
—
—
Boardwalk Records
Ouch!
201
—
—
—
1984
Graduation
—
—
—
—
Century Vista
1988
Back
—
55
—
—
Track Record
"& mdash;" denotes the release failed to chart or was not certified
Live albums
Year
Album
Peak chart positions
Record label
US
US R& B
CAN
1996
Jam
—
—
—
Mercury Records
1997
'' Ol' School
—
—
—
Castle Records
"& mdash;" denotes the release failed to chart
Compilation albums
Year
Album
Peak chart positions
Certifications ( List of best selling music artists
US: Gold cite web|url= http://www.corporateartists.com/the_ohio_players.html|title=US Certifications > Ohio Players|publisher= Recording Industry Association of America |accessdate=2012-01-14
Mercury Records
1977
The Best of the Early Years, Vol. 1
—
58
—
—
Westbound
1995
Funk on Fire: The Mercury Anthology
—
—
—
—
Mercury
1998
Orgasm: The Very Best of the Westbound Years
—
—
—
—
Westbound
2000
The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Ohio Players
—
—
—
—
Mercury
2008
Gold
—
—
—
—
Island Records
"& mdash;" denotes the release failed to chart or was not certified
Singles
Year
Single
Peak chart positions
US cite web
US R& B cite web
CAN
1967
"Neighbors"
—
—
—
1968
"Trespassin'"
—
50
—
"It's a Crying Shame"
—
—
—
1969
" Here Today and Gone Tomorrow "
—
—
—
" Over the Rainbow "
—
—
—
1971
"Pain (Part 1)"
64
35
91
1972
"Pleasure"
—
45
—
"Varee Is Love"
—
—
—
1973
" Funky Worm "
15
1
50
"Ecstasy"
31
12
—
"Sleep Talk"
—
—
—
1974
"Jive Turkey (Part 1)"
47
6
71
"Skin Tight"
13
2
19
" Fire (Ohio Players song)
1
1
5
1975
"I Want to Be Free"
44
6
51
" Sweet Sticky Thing "
33
1
60
" Love Rollercoaster "
1
1
2
1976
"Fopp"
30
9
43
"Rattlesnake"
90
69
—
" Who'd She Coo? " ref label
18
1
63
"Far East Mississippi"
—
26
—
1977
"Feel the Beat (Everybody Disco)"
61
31
—
"Body Vibes"
—
19
—
"O-H-I-O"
45
9
88
"Merry Go Round"
—
77
—
"Good Luck Charm (Part 1)"
101
51
—
1978
"Magic Trick"
—
93
—
"Funk-O-Nots"
105
27
—
"Time Slips Away"
—
53
—
1979
"Everybody Up"
—
33
—
1981
"Try a Little Tenderness"
—
40
—
"Skinny"
—
46
—
"The Star of the Party"
—
—
—
1984
"Sight for Sore Eyes"
—
83
—
1988
"Sweat"
—
50
—
"Let's Play (From Now On)"
—
33
—
"& mdash;" denotes the release failed to chart
; Notes
note label|Note1|A|A"Fire" also peaked at #10 on the Hot Dance Club Songs|Hot Dance Club Play chart.
note label|Note2|B|B"Who'd She Coo? " also peaked at #43 on the UK Singles Chart .
Million sellers
Gold discs, due to records selling at least one million copies, were awarded to the singles " Funky Worm ," "Skin Tight," " Fire (Ohio Players song)|Fire ," and " Love Rollercoaster ;" plus to their albums Skin Tight , Fire (Ohio Players album)|Fire , and Honey (Ohio Players album)|Honey .
See also
List of number-one hits (United States)
List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
References
Reflist
External links
http://theofficialohioplayers.com/ Ohio Players Official website
http://www.wlatalent.com/roster/ohio_players/artistprofile.htm Ohio Players at Wenig-LaMonica Associates
Category:Musical groups established in 1959 Category:American dance music groups Category:American funk musical groups Category:Mercury Records artists Category:Musical groups from Dayton, Ohio
