'Disco Inferno' Singer Jimmy Ellis Dead at 74
"Disco Inferno" soul singer Jimmy Ellis died on Thursday in Rock Hill, S.C. at age 74 his family confirmed.
The former lead singer of The Trammps, a renowned American disco band, died of complications stemming from Alzheimer's disease, his daughter, Erika Stinson, told the New York Times.
The Trammps experienced great success after releasing a cover version of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" in 1972, which reached the Top 20 R&B charts the same year.
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Four years later, the iconic group released its renowned hit song "Disco Inferno," which immediately became an international success and won The Trammps its first ever Grammy Award in 1979.
The song, which was featured in the hit 1970s film "Saturday Night Fever," helped rake in $15 million in album sales, making it the second highest selling soundtrack of all time behind "The Bodyguard."
"Disco Inferno" significantly impacted the '70s disco era after being featured as background music in the "Saturday Night Fever" movie. However, the group struggled to maintain the same high success levels with later songs.
The Trammps grew in popularity in the U.K. during the disco era, where the group's 1976 hit "Hold Back The Night" debuted at no. 5 on national pop charts.
The song saw the group receive its highest pop chart debut in Britain, as "Disco Inferno" had only reached number 16 on the same charts during the same year.
Ellis, who was always praised by fans for his sharp vocals, became a gospel singer as a teenager and would later sing with R&B groups like the Volcanoes and the Exceptions.
He leaves behind his wife, Beverly; three brothers, Johnny, George Robert and Charles; a sister, Alice Ruth; a son, James III; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Ellis' memorial is scheduled to be held on March 16 at the Central Church of God in Charlotte, North Carolina.
