Jimmy
Ellis, lead singer of the soul/disco group, the Trammps, died
Thursday, March 8, 2012, at the age of 74. Vocal group harmony
fans also know Jimmy Ellis from his earlier groups, the Cordells,
Whirlwinds and Exceptions. While much has been written about
the Trammps (and they are also among our favorites), we thought we'd
cover a little of Jimmy Ellis' earlier pre-Trammps career.
Jimmy
Ellis was born in Rock Hill, SC, on November 15, 1937. He
first began singing in church, in South Carolina. After moving
to Philadelphia, Jimmy began singing in a vocal group called the
Cordells, along with Earl Young, Val Walker and Russell Boston.
The group signed with the Bargain label in 1962. Their
first record was the upbeat, "The Beat Of My Heart".
(From
the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
Changing their name to the Whirlwinds, Ellis' group
signed with Philips records. There they re-recorded
"The Beat of My Heart," this time changing the title to "Heartbeat".
"Heartbeat by the Whirlwinds
By 1964, Jimmy Ellis and the Whirlwinds had evolved
into a group called the Exceptions. Their first release was
"Down By The Ocean" for the small Philly record label, PRO.
The record was a huge hit in Philly and was soon picked up and
released by the Cameo label.
(From
the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
The
Exceptions' "Down By The Ocean"
By the late 1960's Jimmy Ellis and the Exceptions had
moved from doo wop into soul music. The signed with the
Groovy Grooves label and had two releases, "Baby You Know I Need
You" (GG 161) and "Danny Boy" (GG 167). "Baby You Know I Need
You" is a great Northern Soul side. A couple of years ago, an
unreleased alternate version of the Exceptions' "Baby You Know I
Need You" was found and posted to YouTube. We've posted that
below. Listen to how much Jimmy Ellis sounds like his later
leads with the Trammps.
Unreleased acetate of Jimmy Ellis & the Exceptions
singing "Baby You Know I Need You"
from YouTube
(From
the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
By 1972, Jimmy Ellis and Earl Young from the
Exceptions combined with Stanley Wade and Harold Wade from the
Volcanos. Adding some of the finer Philly musicians from TSOP,
they formed the Trammps. Their first release was an updated
version of the Coasters' "Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart".
Of course, the Trammps went on to become huge stars with songs like
"Disco Inferno," "Hold Back The Night" and dozens of others.
But we'll leave that story for others to tell.
Copyright © Classic Urban Harmony LLC, 2012. All
Rights Reserved.
![[New!]](images/smallnew.gif){kind=small}