The Ohio Players were one of the premier funk bands of the 1970s, topping the R&B and pop charts with the classic singles "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster."
The Ohio Players formed in Dayton, Ohio, in 1959; the group backed a number of local acts before breaking out on their own during the mid-1960s. Singer/guitarist Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner, bassist Marshall "Rock" Jones, saxophonist/guitarist Clarence "Satch" Satchell and trumpeter Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks made up the core of the ever-changing Ohio Players lineup during the band's golden era, which commenced when they signed to Detroit's Westbound Records for a series of LPs famed for their propulsive funk grooves as well as their provocative cover photos.
The smash title track of 1974's Skin Tight launched the Ohio Players to mainstream recognition, setting the stage for chart-topping LPs like Fire and Honey, the latter featuring the blockbuster "Love Rollercoaster," a track long rumored to contain audio evidence of a real-life murder. The Ohio Players' commercial fortunes declined in the second half of the 1970s, and they dissolved in 1981 but reunited on multiple occasions in the decades to follow.
