R&B/Soul
United States
Wild Cherry
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About Wild Cherry
Hometown
Mingo Junction, OH, United States
Born
1970
Genre
R&B/Soul
The disco group Wild Cherry may be one-hit wonders, but they gave the world a perennial dance-floor filler in the form of 1976’s “Play That Funky Music.”
• Ohio-born singer and guitarist Rob Parissi formed Wild Cherry as a rock group in 1970. He got the band name from a box of cough drops.
• After a fruitless record deal, Parissi broke up the band in 1975. He eventually put together a new lineup and began playing to audiences that were increasingly interested in disco music.
• Inspired by audience jeers, Parissi wrote the disco-inflected single “Play That Funky Music,” which landed them a deal with Epic Records.
• “Play That Funky Music” reached No. 1 on both the pop and R&B charts and earned Wild Cherry and two Grammy nominations: Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo, Group or Chorus.
• The group’s self-titled 1976 debut album topped the R&B albums chart and went platinum.
• Wild Cherry released three more albums that failed to match the success of their breakthrough effort. They disbanded in 1979.
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