Jimmy Ellis, lead singer of the 70s disco band The Trammps, died this week at the age of 74. Ellis’ daughter, Erika Stinson, said her father passed away Thursday’s in Rock Hill, South Carolina from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. A memorial service is scheduled for next week in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Trammps formed in the early 70s with Ellis, Norman Harris and Earl Young as some of the first members. The band’s first major success came in 1972 when their cover of Judy Garland’s “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” made the top 20 US R&B chart. Their best known hit is 1976’s “Disco Inferno.” The single was featured in the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta and Karen Lynn Gorney. The film’s soundtrack won a Grammy Award. Other Trammps hits include “Hold Back the Night” and “That’s Where Happy People Go.”
In addition to daughter Erika, Ellis is survived by his wife, Beverly; a son, James III; four siblings; eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
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