Artist of the Week: the Ohio Players

Sticking with long established acts for the moment, I have selected the Ohio Players as my Artist of the Week, this week. Originally formed as the Ohio Untouchables, way back in 1959 (gosh, they are as old as I am), in Dayton, Ohio, they reorganized as the Ohio Players after the Untouchables broke up, in 1963. With a funky R & B style, they achieved their greatest popularity in the 1970s. The Ohio Players released a series of albums with one word titles that evoked a sexual connotation, such as: Pain, Pleasure, Ecstasy, Fire, and Honey. Between Ecstasy and Fire, they released "Skin Tight," which was the first album of theirs that I bought. I loved the title song and it remains my favorite Ohio Players track, to date.
My second favorite was the title track from "Fire." Another well known hit for them was "Love Rollercoaster," which was eventually covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Another of their songs, "Fopp," was covered by Soundgarden. The Ohio Players have been sampled and copied by a number of R & B and Hip Hop artists. Anyone listening to their music will surely recognize elements that sound familiar. You can check them out on Myspace, at: http://www.myspace.com/ohioplayercentral . Add them as friends and tell them I sent you.