| Ohio Players | |
| Landscape: | yes |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Alias: | The Ohio Untouchables |
| Origin: | Dayton, Ohio, United States |
| Years Active: | –present |
| Past Members: | See personnel |
Ohio Players are an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of the women were models featured in Playboy.
The singles "Funky Worm", "Skin Tight", "Fire", and "Love Rollercoaster", and their albums Skin Tight, Fire, and Honey, were awarded Gold certification.
On August 17, 2013, Ohio Players were inducted into the inaugural class of the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame that took place at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio.
The band formed in Dayton, Ohio, United States, in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables and initially included members Robert Ward[1] (vocals/guitar), Marshall "Rock" Jones (bass), Clarence "Satch" Satchell (saxophone/guitar), Cornelius Johnson (drums), and Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks (trumpet/trombone).[2] They were best known at the time as a backing group for The Falcons.
Ward had proved to be an unreliable leader, who would sometimes walk off the stage during gigs, forcing the group to stop playing. Eventually, the group vowed to keep playing even after he left. Ward and Jones got into a fistfight in 1964, after which the group broke up.[3]
Ward found new backups, and the group's core members returned to Dayton. They replaced Ward with 21-year-old Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner (guitar), who would become the group's frontman, and added Greg Webster (drums).[3] To accommodate Bonner's musical style preferences for the group ("R&B with a little flair to it") and to avoid competing with Ward, the group changed their format.[3] By 1965, the group had renamed themselves the Ohio Players, reflecting its members' self-perceptions as musicians and as ladies' men.[3]
The group added two more singers, Bobby Lee Fears and Dutch Robinson, and became the house band for the New York-based Compass Records. In 1967, they added vocalist Helena Ferguson Kilpatrick.
The group disbanded again in 1970. After again re-forming with a line-up including Bonner, Satchell, Middlebrooks, Jones, Webster, trumpeter Bruce Napier, vocalist Charles Dale Allen, trombonist Marvin Pierce, and keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison, the Players had a minor hit on the Detroit-based Westbound label with "Pain" (1971), which reached the top 40 of the Billboard R&B chart. James Johnson joined the group at this time as vocalist and saxophonist. Dale Allen shared co-lead vocals on some of the early Westbound material, although he was not credited on their albums Pain and Pleasure.[4] [5] It was at Westbound Records where the group met George Clinton, who admired their music. The two albums' avant-garde covers featured a spiked-black leather-bikini clad, bald model Pat "Running Bear" Evans, who would later grace additional Ohio Players albums, including Climax, Ecstasy, and Rattlesnake.[3] [6] [7] [8] [9]
The band's first big hit single was "Funky Worm", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 in May 1973. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A.[10] The band signed with Mercury Records in 1974. By then, 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 conguero Robert "Kuumba" Jones. Meanwhile, keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison recorded three albums on his own before joining Funkadelic as the force behind their hit One Nation Under a Groove. An internet story in advance of a June 2017 concert indicated that Billy Beck, Jimmy "Diamond" Williams, Clarence "Chet" Willis, and Robert "Rumba" Jones are still performing.[11]
The band had seven top 40 hits between 1973 and 1976. These included "Fire" (No. 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" (No. 1 on both the R&B and pop charts for one week in January 1976; another gold disc recipient).[10] The group also took on saxophonist James Johnson. The group's last big hit was "Who'd She Coo?" a No. 1 R&B hit in August 1976. It was their only success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 43 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1976.[12] Their title track "Ecstasy" from the 1973 album Ecstasy was sampled by Jay-Z on "Brooklyn's Finest", featuring The Notorious B.I.G. from the 1996 album Reasonable Doubt.[13]
In 1979, three members of the group went on to form Shadow,[2] [14] which released three albums. A reconfigured Ohio Players recorded through the 1980s, enjoying a minor hit single with "Sweat" (1988). They also released three albums in that decade, Tenderness, Ouch! and Graduation. Another collection, Orgasm, followed in 1993.[2]
In August 2013, the Ohio Players were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame at the Waetjen Auditorium of Cleveland State University as part of the inaugural class.
Classic lineup
Other members
Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:wind value:gray(0.5) legend:Wind_instruments id:guitar value:green legend:Guitar id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:perc value:claret legend:Percussion id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
BarData= bar:Bobby text: Bobby Lee Fears bar:Charles text: Charles Dale Allen bar:James text: James Johnson bar:Odeen text: Odeen Mays bar:Peewee text: Pee Wee Middlebrooks bar:Satch text: Satch Satchell bar:Merv text: Merv Pierce bar:Bruce text: Bruce Napier bar:Robert text: Robert Ward bar:Sugarfoot text: Sugarfoot Bonner bar:Chet text: Chet Willis bar:Rock text: Rock Jones bar:Darwin text: Darwin Dortch bar:Dutch text: Dutch Robinson bar:Junie text: Junie Morrison bar:Billy text: Billy Beck bar:Ronald text: Ronald Nooks bar:Cornelius text: Cornelius Johnson bar:Greg text: Greg Webster bar:Diamond text: Diamond Williams bar:Kuumba text: Kuumba Jones
PlotData = width:11 bar:Rock from:01/01/1959 till:07/01/1984 color:bass bar:Peewee from:01/01/1959 till:07/01/1984 color:wind bar:Satch from:01/01/1959 till:09/01/1979 color:wind bar:Cornelius from:01/01/1959 till:06/01/1963 color:drums bar:Robert from:01/01/1959 till:06/01/1963 color:guitar bar:Sugarfoot from:06/01/1963 till:01/01/2013 color:guitar bar:Greg from:06/01/1963 till:01/01/1974 color:drums bar:Dutch from:06/01/1963 till:06/01/1970 color:keys bar:Bobby from:06/01/1963 till:06/01/1970 color:vocals bar:Merv from:06/01/1970 till:06/01/1982 color:wind bar:Bruce from:06/01/1970 till:01/01/1974 color:wind bar:Junie from:06/01/1970 till:01/01/1974 color:keys bar:Charles from:06/01/1970 till:06/01/1972 color:vocals bar:James from:06/01/1972 till:01/01/1974 color:vocals bar:Diamond from:01/01/1974 till:end color:drums bar:Chet from:01/03/1977 till:end color:guitar bar:Kuumba from:01/03/1977 till:end color:perc bar:Billy from:01/01/1974 till:02/01/1988 color:keys bar:Billy from:06/01/2009 till:end color:keys bar:Darwin from:07/01/1984 till:end color:bass bar:Ronald from:02/01/1988 till:06/01/2009 color:keys bar:Odeen from:01/01/1995 till:end color:vocals
width:7 bar:Satch from:01/01/1959 till:09/01/1979 color:guitar bar:Diamond from:01/01/1974 till:end color:perc
width:3 bar:Satch from:01/01/1959 till:09/01/1979 color:vocals bar:Robert from:01/01/1959 till:06/01/1963 color:vocals bar:Sugarfoot from:06/01/1963 till:01/01/2013 color:vocals bar:Dutch from:06/01/1963 till:06/01/1970 color:vocals bar:James from:06/01/1972 till:01/01/1974 color:wind bar:Diamond from:01/01/1974 till:end color:vocals bar:Chet from:01/03/1977 till:end color:vocals bar:Junie from:06/01/1970 till:01/01/1974 color:vocals bar:Billy from:01/01/1974 till:02/01/1988 color:vocals bar:Billy from:06/01/2009 till:end color:vocals bar:Darwin from:07/01/1984 till:end color:vocals bar:Odeen from:01/01/1995 till:end color:keys
LineData = at:05/01/1969 layer:back at:02/01/1972 at:12/01/1972 at:09/01/1973 at:04/01/1974 at:11/01/1974 at:08/16/1975 at:03/01/1976 at:03/01/1977 at:12/01/1977 at:08/01/1978 at:01/01/1979 at:01/01/1981 at:12/01/1981 at:06/01/1984 at:08/01/1988
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop | US R&B | CAN [28] | |||||||||||||
| 1969 | Observations in Time | — | — | — | Capitol | ||||||||||
| 1972 | Pain | 177 | 21 | — | Westbound | ||||||||||
| Pleasure | 63 | 4 | — | ||||||||||||
| 1973 | Ecstasy | 70 | 19 | — | |||||||||||
| 1974 | Skin Tight | 11 | 1 | 15 |
| Mercury | |||||||||
| Fire | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| |||||||||||
| 1975 | Honey | 2 | 1 | 36 |
| ||||||||||
| 1976 | Contradiction | 12 | 1 | 26 |
| ||||||||||
| 1977 | Angel | 41 | 9 | 58 | |||||||||||
| Mr. Mean | 68 | 11 | 65 | ||||||||||||
| 1978 | Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee | 69 | 15 | — | |||||||||||
| 1979 | Everybody Up | 80 | 19 | — | Arista | ||||||||||
| 1981 | Tenderness | 165 | 49 | — | Boardwalk | ||||||||||
| Ouch | 201 | 52 | — | ||||||||||||
| 1984 | Graduation | — | 78 | — | Century Vista | ||||||||||
| 1988 | Back | — | 55 | — | Track Record | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales threshold) | Record label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop | US R&B | CAN | |||||||||||||
| 1972 | First Impressions | — | — | — | Trip | ||||||||||
| 1974 | The Ohio Players | — | 32 | — | Capitol | ||||||||||
| Climax | 102 | 24 | — | Westbound | |||||||||||
| 1975 | Greatest Hits | 92 | 22 | — | |||||||||||
| Rattlesnake | 61 | 8 | — | ||||||||||||
| 1976 | Gold | 31 | 10 | 28 |
| Mercury | |||||||||
| 1977 | The Best of the Early Years, Vol. 1 | — | 58 | — | Westbound | ||||||||||
| 1991 | The Best of the Westbound Years | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1993 | Orgasm: The Very Best of the Westbound Years | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1995 | Funk on Fire: The Mercury Anthology | — | — | — | Mercury | ||||||||||
| 1997 | The Best of Ohio Players | — | — | — | PolyGram | ||||||||||
| 2000 | 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection - The Best of Ohio Players | — | — | — | Mercury | ||||||||||
| 2008 | Gold [2008] [30] [31] | — | — | — | Island/Mercury | ||||||||||
| 2014 | Icon | — | — | — | Mercury | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [32] | US R&B | CAN | UK [33] | ||||||||||||
| 1967 | "A Thing Called Love" | — | — | — | — | First Impressions | |||||||||
| 1968 | "Trespassin'" | — | 50 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "It's a Crying Shame" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1969 | "Bad Bargain" | — | — | — | — | Observations in Time | |||||||||
| "Find Someone to Love" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1971 | "Pain (Part 1)" | 64 | 35 | 91 | — | Pain | |||||||||
| 1972 | "Pleasure" | — | 45 | — | — | Pleasure | |||||||||
| "Varee Is Love" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1973 | "Funky Worm" | 15 | 1 | 50 | — | ||||||||||
| "Ecstasy" | 31 | 12 | — | — | Ecstasy | ||||||||||
| "Sleep Talk" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1974 | "Jive Turkey (Part 1)" | 47 | 6 | 71 | — | Skin Tight | |||||||||
| "Skin Tight" | 13 | 2 | 19 | — | |||||||||||
| "Fire" | 1 | 1 | 5 | — | Fire | ||||||||||
| 1975 | "I Want to Be Free" | 44 | 6 | 51 | — | ||||||||||
| "Sweet Sticky Thing" | 33 | 1 | 60 | — | Honey | ||||||||||
| "Love Rollercoaster" | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | |||||||||||
| 1976 | "Fopp" | 30 | 9 | 43 | — | ||||||||||
| "Rattlesnake" | 90 | 69 | — | — | Rattlesnake | ||||||||||
| "Who'd She Coo?" | 18 | 1 | 63 | 43 | Contradiction | ||||||||||
| "Far East Mississippi" | — | 26 | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1977 | "Feel the Beat (Everybody Disco)" | 61 | 31 | — | — | Gold | |||||||||
| "Body Vibes" | — | 19 | — | — | Angel | ||||||||||
| "O-H-I-O" | 45 | 9 | 88 | — | |||||||||||
| "Merry Go Round" | — | 77 | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Good Luck Charm (Part 1)" | 101 | 51 | — | — | Mr. Mean | ||||||||||
| 1978 | "Magic Trick" | — | 93 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Funk-O-Nots" | 105 | 27 | — | — | Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee | ||||||||||
| "Time Slips Away" | — | 53 | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1979 | "Everybody Up" | — | 33 | — | — | Everybody Up | |||||||||
| 1981 | "Try a Little Tenderness" | — | 40 | — | — | Tenderness | |||||||||
| "Skinny" | — | 46 | — | — | |||||||||||
| "The Star of the Party" | — | 58 | — | — | Ouch | ||||||||||
| 1984 | "Sight for Sore Eyes" | — | 83 | — | — | Graduation | |||||||||
| 1988 | "Sweat" | — | 50 | — | — | Back | |||||||||
| "Let's Play (From Now On)" | — | 33 | — | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
Notes