Died On This Date (March 8, 2012) Jimmy Ellis / Lead Singer Of The Trammps; Had Huge Hit With “Disco Inferno”
themusicsover Jimmy Ellis
DOB Unkown – March 8, 2012
Jimmy Ellis is best remembered the lead singer for the popular disco group, the Trammps. Formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1972, the R&B outfit first flirted with success with their unlikely cover of “Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart,” a song originally made famous by Judy Garland some 30 years earlier. The following year, they released “Love Epidemic,” widely considered their first disco song. In 1976, they put out what would become their signature tune, “Disco Inferno,” a high-energy dance number that went on to help define the disco era. The song wasn’t initially a big hit, but when it was re-released as part of the Saturday Night Fever film and soundtrack in 1978, it hit the mainstream and landed at #11 on the pop charts. The song then took on a life of its own as it was played in heavy rotation at discotheques around the world and virtually every disco-themed party ever since. Its celebratory refrain can still also be heard at most major sports arenas around the US. It has also been covered by the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner. In 2005, “Disco Inferno” was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. The Trammps’ other hits included “The Night The Lights Went Out” and “Disco Party.” Jimmy Ellis was 74 when he passed away in a nursing home on March 8, 2012.
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