The group performs Saturday night, April 2, at the Rrazz Room in New Hope, Pa., with opener Corey Daye. Watch video
Philadelphia legends The Trammps are hot again, thanks to a certain presidential hopeful using one of their biggest songs.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has been heating up the campaign trail using the group's disco hit, "Disco Inferno," inviting supporters to "Feel the Bern" while blasting the song's well known chorus, "Burn Baby Burn."
"It's a big complement that Bernie would use our song," said Mike Lang, manager of Stan Wade's Trammps. "But when you look at it, he's our age."
The group performs Saturday night, April 2, at the Rrazz Room in New Hope, Pa., with opener Corey Daye.
The Trammps will heat up The Rrazz Room on April 2 in New Hope, Pa. While it's easy to imagine the now 74-year old political candidate boogying to disco in the '70s, Trammps group member and vocalist David Dixon said that singer Jimmy Ellis, who passed away in 2012, would have been flattered to be back on the national radar.
"I think Jimmy would have loved it," he said. "It's not the first time we were involved in politics because we did (Philadelphia Governor) Ed Rendell's inauguration and of course we did "Disco Inferno" twice for him.
"And Jimmy loved it. Jimmy was there and he loved being a part of all the politics," Dixon said.
In addition to Dixon, Stan Wade's Trammps features original members Wade, vocalist Jimmy Williams, Keith Elmore and Gil Morrow.
The Trammps began in Philadelphia in 1972 featuring Ellis, Harold Doc Wade, Stanley Wade and Earl Young. They spelled the name of the group "The Trammps" with two m's on purpose--they were "high class tramps" that could afford more than one "m."
The groups' first recording, "Zing Went the Strings Of My Heart" - a remake of a 1943 Judy Garland song - reached #17 on the R&B chart and #64 on the pop charts that summer.
Buddha Records released several of the Trammps' hits, including "Hold Back The Night " and "Where Do We Go From Here."
The group then signed with Atlantic Records, and became one of the labels biggest disco recording acts. Their first album with Atlantic netted the hit, "Where the Happy People Go", which reached #27 on the pop charts.
Other Trammps hits on Atlantic included "The Night The Lights Went Out" (about the famous New York City blackout) and "Soul Bones," featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica.
In 1977, the group hit it big with "Disco Inferno," and the group was recognized as the best performing group by one of New York's most popular clubs, 2001 Space Odyssey, the location for the motion picture, Saturday Night Fever.
The soundtrack for that album-which included hits by The Bee Gees, Tavares and Yvonne Elliman--won for best album at the Grammy Awards. Every artist on the record received a Grammy Award for their contribution.
"There was a little argument about who got to keep the card," he said. "It wound up going to the Bee Gees, of course."
Since then, "Disco Inferno" has been used in more than 40 television shows and films, most recently in "The Big Bang Theory."
Dixon--who joined the group 25 years ago and has performed with every original member--said the group's music has resonated with the public simply because it's fun.
"We are keeping the original music alive," he said. "I am keeping alive what I was taught by Jimmy and Stan Wade as well as Doc, and the way they wanted their music represented."
While there are two versions of The Trammps on the touring circuit--Dixon said there is room for everybody.
"People tell us they think our version, what we do, the Stan Wade Trammps that we have the truest version of the disco era and the disco feel," he said. "For some it may be confusing but for Trammp aficionados it's not too confusing. They know who they want to see."
"That is what we try to do. We try to stay true to the original," he continued. "We haven't changed the steps in 30 years. We still do the same harmonies and we try to do everything the way we have always done it. The way Jimmy Ellis did it. And people do appreciate it."
Anyone interested in attending the New Hope show can call (215) 862-2081 or look online at www.therrazzroom.com/events.
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