Wild Cherry | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Mingo Junction, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1970–1979 |
| Labels |
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| Past members |
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Wild Cherry was an American funk rock band formed in Mingo Junction, Ohio, in 1970 that was best known for its song "Play That Funky Music".
Rob Parissi (lead vocals and guitar) was raised in the steel-mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. He graduated from Mingo High School in 1968 and formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio. [1] The band's name, 'Wild Cherry', was taken from a box of cough drops. [2] The band played the Ohio Valley region, the Northern West Virginia panhandle, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The original lineup included Ben Difabbio (drums and vocals) and Louie Osso (guitar and vocals) from Steubenville, Larry Brown (bass and vocals) from Weirton, West Virginia, Larry Mader (keyboard and vocals) from East Springfield, Ohio, and Ron Vallera (guitar and background vocals) from Steubenville, Ohio). Over time, the band members changed; Osso, Brown, Mader, and Vallera left the band and were replaced by Parissi's cousin, Coogie Stoddart (guitar and vocals), and Joe Buchmelter (bass). Buchmelter was soon replaced by Bucky Lusk.
In the early 1970s, several records were released under their own label, including "You Can Be High (But Lay Low)" and "Something Special On Your Mind", in 1971. The music at this stage was pure rock music. Wild Cherry eventually gained a record contract with Brown Bag Records, owned and operated by Terry Knight. [1] Brown Bag produced several demos and singles that were later distributed by United Artists, including "Get Down" (1973) and "Show Me Your Badge" (1973).
The band broke up, and Parissi left the music scene temporarily. He reformed the band in 1975. [1]
The new lineup consisted of Bryan Bassett (guitar/vocals), Allen Wentz (bass guitar/synthesizer/vocals), Ronald Beitle (drums), and Parissi. [1] As the group began to develop a following in the Pittsburgh area, disco was becoming increasingly popular, and they were repeatedly asked by listeners to play more dance music. [1] While brainstorming for new song ideas, Beitle recounted hearing a fan shout, "Are you white boys gonna play some funky music?" Parissi was inspired to write a song based on the phrase, so he began writing on a drink order pad with a pen borrowed from the bartender. After the band recorded the song, studio engineer Ken Hamann brought the band to the attention of Sweet City Records, distributed by Epic/CBS, which signed the group. [2] Parissi had intended to record the song as the B-side to a cover version of the Commodores' "I Feel Sanctified", but the label suggested it as the A-side instead. [3]
"Play That Funky Music" became a huge hit when released in 1976, peaking at number one on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts. [1] Both the single and Wild Cherry's self-titled debut album went platinum. [1] The band was named Best Pop Group of the Year by Billboard and received an American Music Award for Top R&B Single of the Year as well as a pair of Grammy nominations for Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo. [1]
"Play That Funky Music" was the only hit on the album, although "Hot to Trot" was a minor follow-up hit in some non-U.S. markets. The album featured contributions from keyboardist Mark Avsec, who soon thereafter became a permanent member of the band. None of Wild Cherry's three subsequent albums were very popular. Neither Electrified Funk (1977) (which contained the "Play That Funky Music" soundalike single "Baby Don't You Know") nor I Love My Music (1978) produced any top 40 hits, and Only the Wild Survive (1979) did not even produce a top 100 single. The band broke up in late 1979. [3]
Coogie Stoddart returned to perform with Wild Cherry, beginning with the tour to support Electrified Funk, and recorded I Love My Music with the band. Stoddart toured with the group, in support of I Love My Music, but left before Only the Wild Survive was recorded.
Wild Cherry's musical style has been described as funk rock [10] blue-eyed soul, [11] disco, [12] and R&B. [13] The band originally formed as a hard rock band. [13]
| Year | Album | US [14] | US R&B [15] | NLD [16] | NOR [17] | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Wild Cherry | 5 | 1 | 12 | 17 | |
| 1977 | Electrified Funk | 51 | 33 | — | — | |
| 1978 | I Love My Music | 84 | 54 | — | — | |
| 1979 | Only the Wild Survive | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||
| Year | Album | US [19] | US R&B [20] | CAN [21] | BEL (FL) [22] | GER [23] | NLD [16] | NZ [24] | UK [25] | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "You Can Be High (But Lay Low) / Tomorrow Morning" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1971 | "Something Special on Your Mind / You Took the Sun Away" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Get Down / I Wrote This Song for You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | "Get Down / Livin' & Lovin'" (reissue) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1973 | "Show Me Your Badge / Bring Back the Fire" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1975 | "Voodoo Doll / Because Your Love Is Mine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1976 | "I Feel Sanctified" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Play That Funky Music" | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 42 | 4 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 1977 | "Baby Don't You Know" | 43 | 41 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Hot to Trot" | 95 | 62 | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | ||
| "Hold On (With Strings)" | 61 | — | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "123 Kind of Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "I Love My Music" | 69 | 49 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "This Old Heart of Mine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Try a Piece of My Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||
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Donnie Iris is an American rock musician known for his work with the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry during the 1970s, and for his solo career beginning in the 1980s with his band, the Cruisers. He wrote the #2 Billboard hit, "The Rapper", with the Jaggerz in 1970 and was a member of Wild Cherry after the group had a #1 hit with "Play That Funky Music." He also achieved fame as a solo artist in the early 1980s with the #29 hit "Ah! Leah!" and the #37 hit "Love Is Like a Rock."
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"Play That Funky Music" is a song written by Rob Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The single was the first released by the Cleveland-based Sweet City record label in April 1976 and distributed by Epic Records. The performers on the recording included lead singer Parissi, electric guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session players Chuck Berginc, Jack Brndiar (trumpets), and Joe Eckert and Rick Singer (saxes) on the horn riff that runs throughout the song's verses. The single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 18, 1976; it was also No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over 2 million records and eventually sold 2.5 million in the United States alone.
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Wild Cherry is the first studio album by Wild Cherry, released in 1976. The album includes the group's only major single success, "Play That Funky Music".
Mark Avsec is an American rock keyboardist, songwriter, and producer. He was a member of the funk rock band Wild Cherry.
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I Love My Music is the third studio album by Wild Cherry, released in 1978. It includes "Don't Stop, Get Off", a single with no lyrics outside the title itself, sung in a strident voice, backed by horns playing a funky riff. Also featured on the album is "1 2 3 Kind of Love", which, while never released as a single, did receive radio airplay.
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Electrified Funk is the second studio album by the funk rock band Wild Cherry, released in 1977. It contains the track "Baby Don't You Know", which roughly continues the theme and story of their 1976 hit "Play That Funky Music" by effectively explaining that, contrary to popular belief, all of the band's members were white despite its typically-Black funk/R&B sound. The song peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their second-highest charting hit. It also contains a repeat of a song from the first album, "Hold On ", this time with added violins.
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Bryan Bassett is an American guitarist who has played with several notable bands, but is best known as a member of Wild Cherry in the 1970s who had a hit with "Play That Funky Music".
Robert Parissi is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as frontman for the American funk group Wild Cherry. He also wrote the group's only hit, the 1976 chart-topping "Play That Funky Music". He was raised in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. He graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of Mingo Junction along the Ohio River. The band played the Ohio Valley region, Wheeling, West Virginia and the rest of the Northern West Virginia panhandle, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The 2001 Club was a chain of franchised disco nightclubs begun in the Pittsburgh area in 1972 that eventually grew to one of the most successful disco franchises in the country.
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