The music journalist Ron Wynn has noted that "the Trammps' prowess can't be measured by chart popularity; Ellis' booming, joyous vocals brilliantly championed the celebratory fervor and atmosphere that made disco both loved and hated among music fans." The first disco-related track they released was "Love Epidemic" back in 1973. That made them trailblazers of its pop and soul fueled sound.
The history of the Trammps grew from a 60s-era group, called "The Volcanos", which later became "The Moods". With a number of line-up changes by the early 1970s, the band membership included gospel-influenced lead singer, Jimmy Ellis, drummer and bass singer, Earl Young, with brothers, Stanley and Harold 'Doc' Wade. Members of the Philadelphia recording band, MFSB played with the group on records and on tour in the 70s with singer, Robert Upchurch joining later. The group was produced by the Philadelphia team of Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris and Young, all MFSB mainstays who played on the recording sessions and contributed songs.
Their debut chart entry came via an upbeat cover version of the standard, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", which became a Top 20 US R&B chart hit in 1972.
Their first few recordings were released on Buddah Records, including "Hold Back The Night" which was a hit in the UK and on the Billboard R&B chart in 1973, before a re-release saw it climb the U.S. Hot 100 two years later. Several R&B hits followed during a stay with Philadelphia International subsidiary, Golden Fleece (run by Baker-Harris-Young) before they signed to Atlantic Records.
Their single "Disco Inferno" (1976), which was included on the Grammy Award winning Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977,[3] reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1978.[4]
Other major hits included "Hold Back the Night" (1975) (UK #5) and "That's Where the Happy People Go" (1976). In late 1977, the Trammps released the song "The Night the Lights Went Out" to commemorate the electrical blackout that affected New York City on July 13, 1977.
Their signature song, "Disco Inferno", has been covered by Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper. In addition, Graham Parker covered "Hold Back The Night" on the "The Pink Parker EP" in 1977, and reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart, and Top 60 in the US.
On September 19, 2005, the group's "Disco Inferno" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York. The song was part-written by Ron Kersey, a producer-arranger and a member of MFSB, who also played with Trammps in the 1970s for a time. During the ceremony, the original band members performed together for the first time in 25 years.
Two versions of the group, with differing line-ups, currently tour the nostalgia circuit. On March 8, 2012, lead singer Jimmy Ellis died at a nursing home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at the age of 74. The cause of death was not immediately known but he suffered from Alzheimers' disease.
Earl Young's Trammps still continue to record and as at August 2014 have recently released "Get your lovin while you can" written by the Steals brothers renowned for their Philly hits such as 'Could it be I'm falling in love' for The Detroit Spinners.
Website: http://thetrammps.net/
Joy to the World
The Trammps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
The Trammps' song Joy to the World is a Gospel song with lyrics that reflect the joy and hope brought by the arrival of the Lord. The song starts by proclaiming the arrival of the King to Earth, with a call to prepare our hearts and celebrate with nature. The chorus repeats this message, emphasizing the joy and the need to remember it by employing songs that remind people of the joy found in calling upon the Lord.
The second verse shifts towards an emphasis on the Savior's reign and His rule over fields, floods, rocks, hills, and plains. The verse emphasizes the repeating joyful sounds. The last verse indicates the hope brought by the Savior's arrival. This hope extends to bringing blessings and removing thorns, swelling into a new spring of blessings that will reach the heart of the people as far as the curse is found. The final words are describing the Savior's rule of the world with truth and kindness, making people realize the righteousness of God and the power of His love.
Line by Line Meaning
Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let happiness fill the world, for the Lord has arrived and is among us.
Let earth receive her King;
May the earth welcome and embrace its King.
Let every heart prepare Him room,
May every heart make space for the Lord and welcome Him into our lives.
And Heaven and nature sing,
Even the heavens and nature itself celebrate and sing of His coming.
And Heaven and nature sing,
Both heaven and nature are awed and singing His praises.
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.
Both the heavens and the natural world sing in unison.
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Rejoice in the world, for the Savior reigns and rules over all.
Let men their songs employ;
Let us all use our voices to sing and make music in His honor.
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
All of creation, including fields, floods, rocks, hills, and plains, make a beautiful sound in unison.
Repeat the sounding joy,
Let us all continue to sing and make joyful noise to Him.
Repeat the sounding joy,
Keep the happiness and the music going, and repeat the joyful sounds.
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.
Sing it again and again, never ceasing the joyful sounds.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
May we put an end to all the sins and the sorrows in the world.
Nor thorns infest the ground;
May the ground be free of thorns and other painful obstacles.
He comes to make His blessings flow
The Lord arrives to spread His blessings and bring joy to all.
Far as the curse is found,
His blessings are vast and cover every inch of the earth where the curse exists.
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
His blessings spread far and wide, covering where the curse once was.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
The Lord maintains order and harmony in the world through His truth and grace.
And makes the nations prove
Through His love, He brings the nations together in harmony and unity.
The glories of His righteousness,
The Lord's righteousness shines and is seen by all.
And wonders of His love,
His love is a wonder and amazes us all.
And wonders of His love,
His love is so wondrous that it deserves to be repeated and celebrated.
And wonders, wonders, of His love.
His love is a never-ending wonder and a constant source of joy and amazement.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TRADITIONAL, BRIAN SCOTT BENNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind