70s Music Artist watch: Trammps

This Philadelphia group were once named the Volcanoes and then the Moods, before settling down to be The Trammps after many tries in the 1960s to get a hit, it really was not until 1972 when they broke through into the mainstream charts with the hit "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart", which incredibly was a hit in 1934, with Judy Garland doing a cover in 1938 in the film "Now Listen". The Trammps band members during the 70s were mainly Norman Harris who died in 1987, he was a founder member of MFSB Mother Father Sister Brother label, and worked with artists like Eddie Holman, and First Choice, cheesy 70s music from them.

Also in the group was Stanley Wade,Robert Upchurch and Earl Young who was the founder member of the group.

"Zing Went The String To My Heart" lyrics

Later that year they had another minor hit called "Sixty Minute Man", which was originally a hit in 1951 for the Dominoes. It only charted at number 40 in the UK, and here it is.

Lyrics to "Sixty Minute Man"

Into 1973 with two low level singles that are not ever played now, and two more in 1974 that got absolutely nowhere at all. Enter 1975 one single that peaked at number 70, and things were looking bad for the Trammps.

1976 and it is all change for a huge number 5 in the UK with "Hold Back The Night".

"Hold Back the Night", the group's third dance-floor hit, began life as "Scrub Board", an instrumental B-side. Re-cut with the soaring vocal talents of Jimmy Ellis, it bumped its way into the Top 10 and caught the ear of the London-born R&B singer and one-time Mod Graham Parker, who made his own version of the hit, and charted too.

Lyrics to"Hold Back The Night"

The group was back in the big time now, or so they thought. The next hit did not do very well in the 70s music charts, and was called "That's Where The Happy People Go", followed by another small hit "Soul Searchin' Time".

Then it was another breakthrough in 1976 which charted high in the UK and the US, with "Disco Inferno", from their album m of the same name. The song actually is referring to the early 70s blockbuster film "The Towering Inferno". The single was a hit, but it's single release was only part of the story. For the very next year it was included on an album and a film soundtrack called "Saturday Night Fever", need less to say the song was again all over the radio and TV, making the group and unforgettable part of the disco 70s music phenomena.

James Ellis was also singing on this track and he died in March 2012 from complications on Alzheimer disease he was 74.