Wild Cherry may have only had one big hit, but they've gotten quite a bit of mileage out of 1976's "Play That Funky Music". Helen Reddy introduces the band in this clip from The Midnight Special:
So, they're from Steubenville, Ohio. Its most famous citizen happens to be iconic entertainer Dean Martin, who obviously never taught these guys anything about staying power on the charts.....
Mark Avsec, the keyboardist, moved on to a fairly successful project with Ohio/Pennsylvania area legend Donnie Iris after Wild Cherry disbanded. Donnie Iris and the Cruisers charted a half-dozen singles, three in the top 40, during the first half of the 1980's.
ReplyDeleteAh, yeah, I remember Donnie Iris. Could've been a bigger star had he not run into such chart traffic.
ReplyDeleteReminded myself the tune was used in this commercial back in the 90's for Kenwood...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7QHNWmsVp8
I think other sponsors have licensed the song, too.
ReplyDelete