Another great talent has passed away . Jimmy Ellis, 74, lead singer of the Philadelphia rhythm and blues band the Trammps, whose hit “Disco Inferno” was featured in the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever, died Thursday, March 8, in Rock Hill, S.C., from complications of Alzheimer’s disease, according to his daughter, Erika Stinson. Mr. Ellis grew up singing in church in Rock Hill before moving to the Philadelphia area, where he worked as a chauffeur and gardener. He also sang in bands like the Moods and the Exceptions, which scored a doo-wop hit in 1962 with “Down by the Ocean” on the Cameo-Parkway label. “Jimmy was straight out of church,” singer Bobby Eli, the guitarist who was a founding member of the Trammps and who played on all of the group’s recordings, said in an interview Friday. “The church never left him. And even for a church singer, he was unique. He had a scream on him that couldn’t be touched. He was the voice of the disco era for the Sound of Philadelphia, but he never wanted to be a disco singer. He considered himself a rhythm-and-blues singer.” The Trammps broke up in 1980. Mr. Ellis gave up pop music for a time and moved back to South Carolina, concentrating on gospel music. But he eventually returned to touring with the Trammps, working steadily through 2010. In addition to his daughter, Mr. Ellis is survived by his wife, Beverly; a son, Jimmy; and eight grandchildren. A memorial service was scheduled at the Central Church of God in Charlotte, N.C., for Friday, March 16. So sad. Alzheimer’s is such a terrible illness. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ellis family. R.I.P. Source WENN More On Bossip! Eff A Traveler’s Digest: 10 Countries With Beautiful BLACK Women Action! Stars That Were Offered Large Sums Of Money To Make Adult Movies…Did They Take It?! TwitterFiles: Tisha Campbell Says People Need To Leave Her Husband Out Of Will And Jada’s “Divorce” Crazy In Love: Women That Went A Little Cuckoo For The Men They Loved
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R.I.P. “Disco Inferno” Singer Jimmy Ellis, Of The Trammps, Dead At 74
