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Philly soul drummer Earl Young of the classic rhythm section of Baker, Harris and Young, kept the beat on countless hits coming out of the City of Brotherly Love during the 60's, 70's and mid 80's. As the third of the core rhythm section that included bassist Ron Baker and guitarist Norman Harris, Young played on hits by The Intruders, The O'Jays, Barbara Mason, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, The three Degrees, the Village People and many others. The trio was the integral part of MFSB, and studio aggregation that was the house band for Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records (PIR). He also played on numerous releases issued by other Philly area labels and co-formed Baker, Harris and Young Productions having hits with First Choice, Loleatta Halloway, Love Committee and other acts on the Cayre Brothers' Salsoul Records out of New York City. In his early twenties Young was called by Stevie Wonder to join him on his tour of Japan. With the passing of his partner, Earl put together a new group called Earl Young’s Trammps.
They scored their first hit in 1972 on Buddah Records with an uptempo, pre-disco dance remake of Judy Garland's "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart."
Soon the Trammps fully hooked into the then-hot Philly music scene, and with songwriter/producers Baker, Harris and Young, began recording a string of dance oriented albums. While the heavily orchestrated, beat heavy arrangements of the Disco Era now sound passé, back in 1974 it was pretty incredible stuff, and the Trammps were at the front of the wave with songs like "Hooked for Life" and "Where Do We Go From Here." They were taking the smooth, impeccably lush sounds coming from Philly-mates Gamble & Huff and Thom Bell, and melding them into a much hotter, dance-imperative groove that would soon sweep the nation in the hands of others.
The Trammps' 1976 and '77 albums, Where the Happy People Go and Disco Inferno were joyous dance masterpieces, and were the group's high points. While the lyrics were often lightweight (or in the case of songs like "Body Contact Contract," - a song using trite legalese terms as metaphors for love - downright absurd) the grooves were irresistible, and the group laid down some of the hottest cuts that of the era, including the two title cuts as well as "(I Feel Like I've Been Living on) The Dark Side of the Moon," and "Soul Searchin' Time."
By the time of their 1978 release, Trammps III, the quality of their material had begun to slide and an attempt to expand their repertoire through the addition of several ballads, such as the minor hit "Season For Girls," failed. They would release a couple more albums, The Whole World's Dancing and Mixin' It Up, but neither approached the quality of the group's mid 70s work.
Today the group consists of Earl Young, Adrian Jackson, Curtis McBride and Bunny Sigler. In recent years they have appeared on several TV show, They include "The Oprah Winfry Show", "Ricki Lake", "VH1", etc. the group has a reputation for being boisterous and jubilant with their harmonies and sound. They rock the audiences around the world, and have performed at such venues as the Greek theatre, Madison Square Garden, various casinos in Atlantic city, Las Vegas, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun to name a few. The group is at its best during private functions such as the Carol M Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
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