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Ohio Players

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Ohio Players
Ohio Players c. 1975
Ohio Players c. 1975
Background information
Also known asThe Ohio Untouchables (1959–1967)
OriginDayton, Ohio, United States
Genres
Years active1967 (1967)–present
Labels
Websitetheofficialohioplayers.com

Ohio Players are an American funk band formed in Dayton, Ohio. They were most popular in the 1970s and 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.

History

[edit]

1959–1967: Ohio Untouchables

[edit]

The members first came together in Dayton, Ohio, in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables. The group included members Robert Ward[3] (vocals/guitar), Marshall "Rock" Jones (bass), Clarence "Satch" Satchell (saxophone/guitar), Cornelius Johnson (drums), and Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks (trumpet/trombone).[4] They were best known at the time as a backing group for The Falcons.[5]

Ward 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.[6]

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).[5][6] 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.[6]

By 1967, the group had renamed themselves the Ohio Players, reflecting its members' self-perceptions as musicians and as ladies' men.[6]

The group added two more singers, Bobby Lee Fears and Dutch Robinson and became the house band for the New York–based Compass Records.[7] In 1970, the group disbanded temporarily.

1970–1972

[edit]

After re-forming with Bonner, Satchell, Middlebrooks, Jones, Webster, trumpeter Bruce Napier, vocalist Charles Dale Allen, trombonist Marvin Pierce and vocalist/keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison, the group had a minor hit on the Detroit-based Westbound label with "Pain" (1971; from their second album, Pain), which reached the Top 40 of the Billboard R&B record chart. James Johnson joined the group on the following album, Pleasure (1972) as vocalist/saxophonist, replacing Charles Dale Allen. The two albums' covers featured a black-leather-bikini-clad bald model, Pat "Running Bear" Evans, who would later appear on additional Ohio Players albums, including Climax, Ecstasy, and Rattlesnake.[6][8][9][10][11]

1972–1979: Success

[edit]

James "Diamond" Williams, drummer and vocalist, replaced Webster in 1972. The next year, the band released its first successful single, "Funky Worm", which reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and peaked at number 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.[12] The Ohio Players followed the single's success with the album Ecstasy later that year, but it failed to gain the same traction.[13] In 1974, Billy Beck joined on keyboards/vocals, replacing Morrison, just as the band signed with Mercury Records. With newfound label support, the group released Skin Tight (1974), Fire (1974; with the title track "Fire" going to number 1), and Honey (1975; with another number 1 hit, "Love Rollercoaster"). All three albums topped, or nearly topped the Billboard 200. Following the recording of Honey in 1975,[14] second guitarist/vocalist Clarence "Chet" Willis was added to the lineup, though he did not play on the group's next release Contradiction (1976). Robert "Kuumba" Jones joined on percussion in late 1977, after the release of Angel.[15] At the same time, the group appeared as themselves in the film "Mr. Mean" and released a corresponding soundtrack album. In 1978, the group released its final album for Mercury, Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee, and were dropped from the label, as the group's last successful single had been "Who'd She Coo?" a number 1 R&B hit in August 1976. It was their only success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1976.[16]

1979–1980s: Split

[edit]

Early in 1979, Jones was replaced by percussionists Rubens Bassini and Azzedin Weston, with whom the band recorded Everybody Up (1979) for Arista Records. Later that year, keyboardist Billy Beck, drummer James "Diamond" Williams, and guitarist Chet Willis departed to form Shadow,[4][17] which released three albums. Another collection, Orgasm, followed in 1993.[4]

Following the 1979 split, the Ohio Players entered a period rife with lineup changes. Guitarist/frontman Bonner, bassist Jones, and horn players Middlebrooks and Pierce kept the group anchored for the 1981 releases Tenderness and Ouch!, but between 1983 and 1984, all members except for Bonner departed. In the same period, Beck returned as keyboardist and principal songwriter, and this new reconstituted lineup (featuring a new horn section) released Graduation in 1984.[18]

1988–2020s

[edit]

In 1988, The Ohio Players released a "reunion" album, titled Back. It featured, for the first time in nearly a decade, Williams, Willis, and Robert "Kuumba" Jones. This core lineup hired sidemen and remained a stable touring act until Bonner retired from the group in 1997. Jones retired in 2019, dying in 2025, and Willis died in 2025 as well. As of 2026, Beck and Williams continue to perform with the Ohio Players.[19]

Personnel

[edit]

Current

[edit]
  • James "Diamond" Williams – drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals (1972–1979, 1988–present)
  • Billy Beck – keyboards, percussion, lead and backing vocals (1974–1979; 1983–present)
  • Darwin Dortch – bass, vocals (1984–present)
  • Ronald Nooks – keyboards (1988–2019, 2026–present)[20][21]
  • Rick Ward – guitar, vocals (2014–present)[22]
  • Christopher Bowman – guitar, vocals (2019–present)[23]
  • Kenneth Anderson – trumpet, vocals (2010s–present)[24]
  • Johnny Cotton – trombone, vocals (2010s–present)
  • Mike Allenby – saxophone (2022–present)[25]

Former members (1990s–2010s incomplete)

[edit]
  • Marshall "Rock" Jones – bass (1967–1970, 1971–1984; died 2016)
  • Clarence "Satch" Satchell – saxophone, flute, percussion, backing and lead vocals (1967–1970, 1971–1980; died 1995)
  • Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks – trumpet, saxophone, backing vocals (1967–1970, 1971–1984; died 1997)
  • Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner – guitar, percussion, lead and backing vocals (1967–1970, 1971–1997; died 2013)
  • Greg Webster – drums (1967–1970, 1971–1972; died 2022)
  • Bobby Lee Fears – vocals (1967–1970; died 2007[26])
  • Dutch Robinson – vocals, keyboards (1967–1970)
  • Walter "Junie" Morrison – keyboards, vocals (1970–1974; died 2017)
  • James Johnson – vocals, saxophone (1971–1972)
  • Charles Dale Allen – vocals (1971)
  • Marvin "Merv" Pierce – trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone, backing vocals (1972–1982)
  • Bruce Napier – trumpet (1972–1974)
  • Clarence "Chet" Willis – guitar, backing and lead vocals (1977–1979, 1988–2025 (touring 1975–77); his death)[27]
  • Robert "Kuumba" Jones – percussion (1977–1979, 1988–2019[28]; died 2025)[29]
  • Rubens Bassini – percussion (1979–1980; died 1985)[30]
  • Azzedin Weston – percussion (1979–1980)[31]
  • Jimmy Sampson – drums (1979–1981)[32]
  • Mike McDonough – guitar (1979–1981)[33]
  • Wes Boatman – keyboards (1979–1981)[34]
  • Michael "Slyde" Jennings – trombone (1980–1983)[35]
  • Vincent Thomas – percussion (1980–1981)[36]
  • Floyd Bailey – drums (1981–1983)[37]
  • Shaun "Shauni Maque" Dedrick – guitar, vocals[38] (1981–1983; died 2018)[39]
  • L. David Johnson – keyboards (1981–1982)[40]
  • Dean Simms – trumpet (1982–1984)[41]
  • Less Pell – trumpet, flugelhorn (1982–1984)
  • John Woods – trumpet, flugelhorn (1982–1984)
  • Mark "T–Bone" Casper – trombone (1983-1984)
  • Bryan Clemmens – keyboards, vocals (1983–1984)
  • Ronnie Cochran – drums (1983–1987)
  • Rob Fetters – guitar (1983–1987)[42]
  • Ronnie "Diamond" Hoard - lead vocals, guitar (1983–1987)[43]
  • Glynn Sewell – bass (1984)
  • Odeen Mays – keyboards, vocals (1995–2009, 2019–2026)[44]
  • Atlanta Horns – horn section (1990s)[45]

- Sam Skelton (saxophone)[46]

- Stutz Wimmer (saxophone)[47]

- Eric Alexander (trombone)

- Mike Barry (trumpet)

  • Uptown Horns – horn section (1990s)[48]

- Crispin Cloe (saxophone)

- Arno Hecht (saxophone)

- Bob Funk (trombone)

- Larry Etkin (trumpet)

  • Michael Turner – saxophone (?–2022)[49]

Timeline (incomplete)

[edit]

Ohio Untouchables (1959–67) personnel

[edit]
  • Marshall "Rock" Jones – bass (1959–1967; died 2016)
  • Clarence "Satch" Satchell – saxophone, flute, backing and lead vocals (1959–1967; died 1995)
  • Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks – trumpet, saxophone, backing vocals (1959–1967; died 1997)
  • Robert Ward – guitar, lead vocals (1959–1964; died 2008)
  • Cornelius Johnson – drums (1959–1964; died 2009)
  • Greg Webster – drums (1964–1967; died 2022)
  • Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner – guitar, percussion, lead vocals (1964–1967; died 2013)

Samples by other artists

[edit]

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.[50]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)		 Record label
US Pop
[51]		 US
R&B
[51]		 CAN
[52]
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! — 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.

Live albums

[edit]
  • Jam (1996, Mercury)
  • Ol' School (1996, Essential Music)
  • On Fire! (2023, Delta Music)

Compilation albums

[edit]
Year Album Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)		 Record label
US Pop
[51]		 US
R&B
[51]		 CAN
[52]
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 – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Ohio Players — — — Mercury
2008 Gold [2-CD][54][55] — — — Island/Mercury
2014 Icon — — — Mercury
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

[edit]
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
[51]		 US
R&B
[51]		 CAN
[52]		 UK
[56]
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" [A] 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

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Ankeny, Jason. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  2. ↑ Dove, Ian (February 15, 1975). "Three Soul Groups Sing at Music Hall". The New York Times. p. 16. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  3. ↑ "The Untouchable Soul of Robert Ward". Rubbercityreview.com. May 28, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 917/8. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  5. 1 2 McGinn, Andrew (May 30, 2009). "Ohio Players bassist retires to funky town — Jamestown". Springfield News-Sun. Cox Media Group. Archived from the original on October 3, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Season 4/Episode 31- 'The Story of The Ohio Players'". Unsung. July 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ https://www.sirshambling.com/artists_2012/F/bobby_lee_fears/index.php
  8. ↑ "The Bald & The Beautiful". art nouveau. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ "The Ohio Players Ladies". Hymie's Vintage Records. May 17, 2011. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ Sweetlocs (November 6, 2012). "10 Pioneering Models of Color". Eric Roberson Music. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ Uwumarogi, Victoria (February 12, 2014). "Black Beauties to Know and Love: Model Pat Evans". Madame Noire.
  12. ↑ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 332, 348, 349 & 362. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  13. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/ecstasy-mw0000263791
  14. ↑ https://www.houseofwheat.com/obituary/Clarence-Willis
  15. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/jass-ay-lay-dee-mw0000274544
  16. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 405. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  17. ↑ "Shadow Page". Soulwalking.co.uk.
  18. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news-robert-jones-kuumba-oh/26667962/?locale=en-US
  19. ↑ https://www.theofficialohioplayers.com/upcoming-events
  20. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-mw0000201195
  21. ↑ https://www.sandiacasino.com/event/tresure-2/
  22. ↑ https://vindyarchives.com/news/2014/aug/07/ohio-players-tap-rick-ward/
  23. ↑ https://www.thefactsnewspaper.com/post/ohio-players-october-13-16-2022
  24. ↑ https://www.skiptowne.com/the-band/kenny-anderson
  25. ↑ https://www.thefactsnewspaper.com/post/ohio-players-october-13-16-2022
  26. ↑ https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/BOBBYLEEFEARS/667854E
  27. ↑ https://www.houseofwheat.com/obituary/Clarence-Willis
  28. ↑ https://funknstuff.net/tir-jamesdiamondwilliams/
  29. ↑ https://www.houseofwheat.com/obituary/Robert-JonesKuumba
  30. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/rubens-bassini-mn0000353700
  31. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/azzedin-weston-mn0001758535
  32. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/tenderness-mw0000066198
  33. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-mcdonough-mn0001672628
  34. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/tenderness-mw0000066198
  35. ↑ https://www.mijenpublishing.mcjennings.com/mjp_bands.html
  36. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/tenderness-mw0000066198
  37. ↑ https://www.mijenpublishing.mcjennings.com/mjp_bands.html
  38. ↑ https://www.mijenpublishing.mcjennings.com/mjp_bands.html
  39. ↑ https://www.daytondailynews.com/lifestyles/dayton-funk-musician-dies/article_ba6cba91-7c11-51d9-9cc7-fe3708389b60.html
  40. ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/l-david-johnson-mn0001214525
  41. ↑ Stafford, Tom (July 16, 2023). "Springfield's Simms says playing Satchmo always a work in progress". Springfield News-Sun. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  42. ↑ https://robfetters.net/autobio
  43. ↑ https://journalofgospelmusic.com/gospel/apostle-ronnie-diamond-hoard-all-about-hymn/
  44. ↑ https://www.thefactsnewspaper.com/post/ohio-players-october-13-16-2022
  45. ↑ https://jazzsensibilities.com/modern-jazz/randy-hoexter-tomorrowsville-review/
  46. ↑ https://thevelvetnote.com/about-sam-skelton/
  47. ↑ https://www.connectsavannah.com/music-and-clubs/the-connect-5-shows-you-shouldnt-miss-this-week-20942441/
  48. ↑ https://crispinmusic.com/biography-crispin-cioe/the-uptown-horns/
  49. ↑ https://artsdouglas.org/cac-celebrates-black-history-month/
  50. ↑ "Breaking Down Every C Contributor For Jay-Z's 'Reasonable Doubt'". read.tidal.com.
  51. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "US Singles Charts > Ohio Players". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  52. 1 2 3 "Ohio Players". bac-lac.gc.ca. RPM. Archived from the original on November 26, 2024.
  53. 1 2 3 4 5 Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 192, 193 & 207. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  54. ↑ "Gold [2008] - Ohio Players | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. March 11, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  55. ↑ "Gold (2)". Muziekweb.nl. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  56. ↑ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 567. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
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