Ohio Players

American funk and R&B band

For the Black Keys album, see Ohio Players (album).

Ohio Players

Ohio Players c. 1975

Background information
Also known as| The Ohio Untouchables
Origin| Dayton, Ohio, United States
Genres|

* Funk[1]
* progressive soul[2]

Years active| 1967 (1967)–2022
Labels|

* Capitol
* Westbound
* Mercury
* Arista
* Boardwalk

Past members| See personnel

Ohio Players were an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They 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]

The members first came together in Dayton, Ohio, United States, in 1959, as the Ohio Untouchables and initially 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. In 1967 they also added vocalist Helena Ferguson Kilpatrick.

The group disbanded again in 1970. After again re-forming with a line-up including Bonner, Satchell, Middlebrooks, Jones, Webster, trumpeter Bruce Napier, vocalist Charles Dale Allen, trombonist Marvin Pierce and vocalist/keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison, the Players had a minor hit on the Detroit-based Westbound label with "Pain" (1971), which reached the top 40 of the Billboard R&B chart. James Johnson joined the group at this time as vocalist and saxophonist. Dale Allen shared co-lead vocals on some of the early Westbound material, although he was not credited on their albums Pain and Pleasure.[7][8] It was at Westbound Records where the group met George Clinton, who admired their music. The two albums' avant-garde covers featured a spiked-black leather-bikini clad, bald model Pat "Running Bear" Evans, who would later grace additional Ohio Players albums, including Climax, Ecstasy, and Rattlesnake.[6][9][10][11][12]

The band's first big hit single was "Funky Worm", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and peaked at No. 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.[13] The band signed with Mercury Records in 1974. By then, their line-up had changed again, with keyboardist Billy Beck instead of Morrison and Jimmy "Diamond" Williams on drums instead of Webster. On later album releases, they added second guitarist/vocalist Clarence "Chet" Willis and conguero Robert "Kuumba" Jones. Meanwhile, keyboardist Walter "Junie" Morrison recorded three albums on his own before joining Funkadelic as the force behind their hit One Nation Under a Groove. An internet story in advance of a June 2017 concert indicated that Billy Beck, Jimmy "Diamond" Williams, Clarence "Chet" Willis, and Robert "Rumba" Jones were still performing.[14]

The band had seven top 40 hits between 1973 and 1976. These included "Fire" (No. 1 on both the R&B and pop chart for two weeks and one week respectively in February 1975 and another million seller) and "Love Rollercoaster" (No. 1 on both the R&B and pop charts for one week in January 1976; another gold disc recipient).[13] The group also took on saxophonist James Johnson. The group's last big hit was "Who'd She Coo?" a No. 1 R&B hit in August 1976. It was their only success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 43 on the UK Singles Chart in July 1976.[15] 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.[16]

In 1979, three members of the group went on to form Shadow,[4][17] which released three albums. A reconfigured Ohio Players recorded through the 1980s, enjoying a minor hit single with "Sweat" (1988). They also released three albums in that decade, Tenderness, Ouch! and Graduation. Another collection, Orgasm, followed in 1993.[4]

In August 2013, the Ohio Players were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame at the Waetjen Auditorium of Cleveland State University as part of the inaugural class.

## Personnel

[edit]

Classic lineup

* Marshall "Rock" Jones – bass guitar (1959–1984)
* James "Diamond" Williams – drums, chimes, percussion, lead and backing vocals, timbales, congas (1972–1980; unknown–2022)
* William "Billy" Beck – piano, grand piano, organ, Hammond B-3 organ, Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, RMI Electra piano, clavinet, ARP Odyssey, ARP string ensemble, percussion, lead and background vocals (1974–1988; unknown–2022)
* Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner – guitar, percussion, lead and background vocals (1964–1997)
* Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks – trumpet, trombone and background vocals (1959–1984)
* Clarence "Satch" Satchell – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, percussion, lead and background vocals (1959–1980)
* Marvin "Merv" Pierce – trumpet, flugelhorn, valve trombone and background vocals (1972–1982)

Other members

* Robert Ward – guitar (1959–1964)
* Cornelius Johnson – drums (1959–1964)
* Gregory "Greg" Webster – drums (1964–1972)
* Bobby Lee Fears – vocals (1964–1970)
* Dutch Robinson – vocals, keyboards (1964–1970)
* Helena Ferguson Kilpatrick – vocals (1967–unknown)
* Charles Dale Allen – vocals (1970?–unknown)
* Bruce Napier – trumpet (1972–1974)
* Walter "Junie" Morrison – keyboards, vocals (1970–1974)
* James Johnson – vocals, saxophone (1971?–unknown)
* Clarence "Chet" Willis – guitars (1977–1980)
* Robert "Kuumba" Jones – congas (1977–2022)
* Wes Boatman – keyboards (1980–1981)
* Jimmy Sampson – drums (1981–1982)
* Dean Simms – trumpet (1980s)[18]
* Ronnie “Diamond” Hoard - Lead Vocals (on all of “Graduation” album) and Guitar

### Timeline

[edit]

## Deaths

[edit]

* Clarence Satchell (April 15, 1940 – December 30, 1995) died after suffering a brain aneurysm at age 55.[19]
* Ralph Middlebrooks (August 20, 1939 – November 15, 1997) died of cancer.[20][21]
* Vincent Thomas ("Venny Wu") (January 26, 1958 – February 16, 2008) died of cancer in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas.
* Robert Ward (October 15, 1938 – December 25, 2008) died at home.[22]
* Cornelius Johnson (July 12, 1937 – February 1, 2009).[23]
* Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner (March 14, 1943 – January 26, 2013) died of cancer at age 69.[24]
* Marshall "Rock" Jones (January 1, 1941 – May 27, 2016) died of cancer in Houston, Texas, at age 75. He was the last surviving member from the Ohio Untouchables line-up.[5][25][26]
* Walter "Junie" Morrison (1954 – January 21, 2017) died at age 62.[27][28]
* Shaun Dedrick died on May 2, 2018, at age 55, following an illness, in Dayton, Ohio.
* Gregory "Greg" Webster (January 4, 1938 – January 14, 2022)[29] died at age 84. He was the last surviving member of the original Ohio Players line-up.[30]
* Clarence "Chet" Willis died in March 2025, at the age of 74.[31]

## Discography

[edit]

### Studio albums

[edit]

Year  | Album  | Peak chart positions  | Certifications
(sales threshold) | Record label

|
|
|
|

US Pop
[32] | US
R&B
[32] | CAN
[33]
1969  | Observations in Time | —  | —  | —  |  | Capitol
1972  | Pain | 177  | 21  | —  |  | Westbound
Pleasure | 63  | 4  | —  |
1973  | Ecstasy | 70  | 19  | —  |
1974  | Skin Tight | 11  | 1  | 15  |

* US: Platinum[34]

| Mercury
Fire | 1  | 1  | 17  |

* US: Platinum[34]

1975  | Honey | 2  | 1  | 36  |

* US: Platinum[34]

1976  | Contradiction | 12  | 1  | 26  |

* US: Gold[34]

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! | 201  | 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
[32] | US
R&B
[32] | CAN
[33]
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  |

* US: Gold [34]

| 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][35][36] | —  | —  | —  |  | 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

|
|
|

[32] | US
R&B
[32] | CAN
[33] | UK
[37]
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

* A "Fire" also peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Disco Action chart.

## See also

[edit]

* List of artists who reached number one in the United States
* Unsung

## 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. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 917/8. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
5. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d e "Season 4/Episode 31- 'The Story of The Ohio Players'". Unsung. July 4, 2011. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019.
7. ^ "Pain - Ohio Players | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
8. ^ "Pleasure - Ohio Players | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
9. ^ "The Bald & The Beautiful". art nouveau. November 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 1, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
10. ^ "The Ohio Players Ladies". Hymie's Vintage Records. May 17, 2011.[permanent dead link]
11. ^ Sweetlocs (November 6, 2012). "10 Pioneering Models of Color". Eric Roberson Music. Archived from the original on May 25, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
12. ^ Uwumarogi, Victoria (February 12, 2014). "Black Beauties to Know and Love: Model Pat Evans". Madame Noire.
13. ^ a b 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.
14. ^ "R&B and funk music to take over the Rose this week". Dayton.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
15. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 405\. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
16. ^ "Breaking Down Every C Contributor For Jay-Z's 'Reasonable Doubt'". read.tidal.com.
17. ^ "Shadow Page". Soulwalking.co.uk.
18. ^ Stafford, Tom (July 16, 2023). "Springfield's Simms says playing Satchmo always a work in progress". Springfield News-Sun. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
19. ^ Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1994 - 1995". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
20. ^ Doc Rock. "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1996 - 1997". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
21. ^ "In Remembrance Ralph Middlebrooks". Discomuseum.net. August 20, 1939. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
22. ^ Cartwright, Garth (March 4, 2009). "Obituary: Robert Ward". The Guardian. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
23. ^ "Ohio Players Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
24. ^ "My WTLC Playlist honors Leroy 'Sugarfoot' Bonner of the Ohio Players". Tlcnaptown.com. January 28, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
25. ^ Robinson, Amelia. "Legendary Ohio Players member dies". Dayton.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016.
26. ^ Vacher, Peter (May 27, 2016). "Ohio Players bassist Marshall Jones dies at 75". Philadelphia Tribune. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
27. ^ Kaufman, Gil (February 16, 2017). "Ohio Players Keyboardist and Producer Walter 'Junie' Morrison Dies". Billboard. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
28. ^ Grow, Kory (February 16, 2017). "Junie Morrison, Parliament-Funkadelic and Ohio Players Member, Dead at 62". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
29. ^ "Gregory A. Webster, Sr. 1938 ~ 2022 (age 84)". House of Wheat Funeral Home, Inc. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
30. ^ Franks, Sarah (January 14, 2022). "JUST IN: Ohio Players original drummer and leader Greg Webster dies". Dayton.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
31. ^ "Clarence "Chet" Willis of The Ohio Players dies at 74". Soul Tracks. March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
32. ^ a b c d e f "US Singles Charts > Ohio Players". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
33. ^ a b c "Ohio Players". bac-lac.gc.ca. RPM.
34. ^ a b c d e Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 192, 193 & 207. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
35. ^ "Gold [2008] \- Ohio Players | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. March 11, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
36. ^ "Gold (2)". Muziekweb.nl. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
37. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 567\. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.

## External links

[edit]

* Ohio Players at Wenig-LaMonica Associates
* Ohio Players at AllMusic
* Ohio Players discography at Discogs
* StarVista Live channel, Aug 29, 2020 - 2019 All Access Pass Interview with The Ohio Players (video)

* v
* t
* e

Ohio Players

* Marshall "Rock" Jones
* Clarence "Satch" Satchell
* Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks
* Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner
* Andrew Noland
* Gary Webster
* Bobby Lee Fears
* Dutch Robinson
* Walter "Junie" Morrison
* Bruce Napier
* Marvin "Merv" Pierce
* Billy Beck
* Jimmy "Diamond" Williams
* Robert Ward

Studio albums|

* Observations in Time
* Pain
* Pleasure
* Ecstasy
* Skin Tight
* Fire
* Honey
* Contradiction
* Angel
* Mr. Mean
* Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee
* Everybody Up
* Back

Live albums|

* Ol' School

Compilation albums|

* Climax
* Gold

Singles|

* "Funky Worm"
* "Fire"
* "Sweet Sticky Thing"
* "Love Rollercoaster"
* "Who'd She Coo?"

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* 2
* BnF data
* 2

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX

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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template