Disco Inferno – The Trammps | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#11) and R&B (#9); 1978
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Beginning in 1965 with Storm Warning, as The Volcanos, The Trammps were intimately intertwined with the Philadelphia music scene. As the house band at The City of Brotherly Love’s Uptown Theater, the group members honed their skills behind all the leading soul stars of the day.
In particular, Earl Young, The Trammps’ bass singer and highly talented drummer, arranged, played and sang on hundreds of national hits by everyone from The Spinners to The Jacksons.
Their mid-70’s dance records, such as Hold Back The Night, made The Trammps favorites at Brooklyn’s disco 2001 Odyssey. Thus, they were a shoo-in for the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever when the club served as the location for the movie’s dance sequences. The Trammps got a Grammy when SNF won 1978’s Best Album of the Year award.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey
Lyrics Written by:
- Leroy Green
- Ron “Have Mercy” Kersey
Awards:
- Won Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group (1979)
- Inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame (2005)
- Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording (1979)
- Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices (1979)
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).