Just played and sung last night and at our condo Wednesday night pool party. Should've seen all the seniors dance on their artificial hips and replaced knees!
Some of the best rock and roll came from the 70s..This is Disco but, yeah 70s was a golden age for rock. When the 80s came along and the New Wave payola music came out was a dark age for modern music..
The 70's was amazing for the variety of music that all became popular --- you could spin the dial on the radio and hear a softie hit from the Carpenters or John Denver --- and then a straight ahead pop song from Elton John or Wings --- and then rock out to Led Zeppelin or KISS --- and then get the funk out with the Bee Gees or KC and the Sunshine Band --- so many different genres of music and they were ALL GOOD
I love the two black musicians playing horns in the background. Every time the camera focuses on them they're dancing like a boss. It's hilarious gold.
I haven't left yet, I still have upward of 2000 albums and an Akai turntable attached to my Marantz reciever behind my bar and when the Bourbon and miscellaneous hits just right I'm transformed.
That is some finger power. I've tried that on my horn but I keep pulling out the third slide all the time. I guess I should buy a really cheap horn to practise that detail.
The Midnight Special was awesome for the performers who wanted to REALLY do it live for the fans! So many good acts! Peter Frampton was a great one for example!
@@williamj.sheehan2001 Earth Wind & Fire refused to appear on Soul Train because Don Cornelius wanted the acts to lip synch their performances due to the set up time. EW&F said that would have taken away from the experience so they turned down every invitation to perform on the show. If you've seen their act live,you would understand.
My very favorite funky white boy song of all time!!!! The 2 guys in the horn section kill me with their groovin'. Classic. This funky song is 41 years old and will never go out of style. At 65 I still love this jam.
I was shocked and watch several times, they actually played it live on tv?? I mean at that time record houses forced artist to playback on those situations...
I was a very young (Black) Kid when this song dropped and it was one of the biggest songs EVER in the mid 70s in the "Hood". But with that opening Guitar Riff and the drums and Screech that followed,..the song had no choice but to be Banging.
Everything about this band was right. This tune has lasted for decades and is enjoyed as much today, as the day it was released. All good musicians, they did this song live as well or better than the record. Everyone is busy and working hard. When your trumpet player can spin his horn and dance and groove and sing like this guy, you've got a great band. I was around when they released this and for a LONG TIME had no idea the lead singer wasn't black. This was the only time I saw them, on this very show, and remember thinking what's wrong here. The dude could have stood side by side with Otis Redding or one of those great R&B people and if you didn't see him, you think he was one of the brothers.
I'm 78 and compared with the 'drab stuff' I hear today this is what I call fun: -) I have got back into music and written a few songs and here's one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FFoSJYoMJAI.html
@Vonuh Ulfhedinn No. I haven't seen any guitars, other than on tv. It so interesting how people know such things. I love tid bits I find in the comment section.
The drummer on this tune, Ron Biddle, just passed. Had the honor of working with him for awhile here in Pittsburgh. He was a very nice guy, R.I.P. Ron.
This was one of the best tunes to dance on roller skates... Back in the 70's and 80's I went every Saturday night for years... Now this (2019) Still love this 🎶 music...
In an interview a number of years ago, Rob Parissi (the lead singer on this song) said the band was playing bars in the east Ohio and southwest PA areas in the mid 1970s and they were seeing dwindling crowds as people started going to discos. Allegedly, someone in a Pittsburgh bar shouted at him one night: "Hey, are you white boys going to play any funky music?" Parissi said he thought about the comment and decided to try to use the phrase as part of a new song. The earliest version of the song was written on a bartender's drink pad that evening while the band was on their break. And the rest, as they say, is history....
I heard that the song is written about Wild Cherry's experience while playing a black club, when someone shouted out "play that funky music white boy" to the band. That comment turned into this song. I remember seeing these guys perform at my college a few times long before they were famous. Their talent was obvious then and continues today. Nice job guys.
This was a great performance. No lip sync, no finger sync, all live..... I wished for a more epic ending but it is what it was. heheh But it was solid and live. Good job.
That's what the Midnight Special delivered ...a lot of great, genuinely live performances like this one... Burt Sugarman and the crew deserve so many plaudits for that...
I have the drummer's drum set in my house right now. Ron passed away not long ago. Wild Cherry is originally from my area. My daughter is dating Ron's son.
I am from ohio and met them many years ago. Was at a concert in the day with mostly black attendees and they hit the stage the people were saying these guys are white. but it was still good music. Lived in stubenville ohio during the racial unrest and the riots in the sixties . we made it through those times toghether.
I heard this band have their statue erected in OH state as the peoples expression of gratitude to them being a source of pride for their folks out there.;
I remember being 16 in 1985 and only listening to hair metal like Ratt and Motley Crue and then suddenly I heard this song at a graduation party and I was like "HELL YEAH" and started doing my goofy white boy dance in the backyard LOL
I'm Black, and I loved Vanilla Ice. I couldn't understand all the hate directed toward him. Ice, Ice Baby was the bomb!! I still love it watch the video all the time on RU-vid.
Everything about this performance just works so wonderfully! The beat, the singing, the hair, the necklace, silver clothes and mostly their outstanding performance and showmanship! It was awesome back in '76 and still awesome 2021!
Look at the charisma wow looks like a Great Time look how much enthusiasm and passion they did with this live show oooh how I wish I can see many bands from the 70s in their primes ✌🏽♥️ timeless
Always loved this song!!! I remember having to listen to radio til this song came on so I could record it (couldn't afford lp back then). Believe I was recording onto an 8-track tape!!!
I have a copy of this on 45-- I can't get rid of it, as it reminds me of mixing drinks for my parents as a kid for their friends and neighbors on Saturday nights for crazy hilarious disco parties I am so happy I grew up with so much fun, mixed company, and terrific music. 💞
This is what music was all about, you could turn the radio on and know who was playing. Bands tried to find a sound that was theirs, unique music, song after song, now you turn the radio on and every damn song sounds the same
Damn right bro, I was 23 and had the best time of my life.... no Aids, Antibabypill, this Music and sports cars, just ask one babe, and she was giving her love......
I was 5 years old (circa 1975) when my auntie played this record. My auntie is gone now (and my being a family history buff), I'll never forget this song and doing the "bump" with my auntee. RIH Auntie!!!
@@tjplatina7184 - Agree with the OP. Way back when I was just listening to the tune and the funk and lead singer's voice...which sounded ABSOLUTELY black. ( It's not a big deal, more like a cool detail when singers embody the soul of the genre. The "color" of skin matters next to nothing. )
I still remember my dad gave me a surprise cassette tape of this particular Wild Cherry album when he was picking me up from school some 40 years ago. Imagine how excited I was then. R.I.P. dad.
It was great. But the Midnight Special had other great live performances: Heart “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You”; Redbone “Come and Get Your Love”; and despite a dubious costume choice, Todd Rundren’s “Hello, It’s Me”.
Wild Cherry answered the age old question "Can White Boys ever truly play that funky music?" with an emphatic "Hells Yeah we can! We can even add blistering guitar solos to that funk therefore increasing the funk by a factor of 10."
@@conniethesconnie I have been playing the keyboard since I was a child in the '60's. My wife bought me a bass for my birthday this year. I have been working on this song for a while, because I love the sound. I guess I am too white! :) I can keep up with the basic RIFF just fine, but still struggle when they change keys. It is a great song! It is harder than it sounds to play.
Crazy factoid: Mark Avsec, the keyboard player went on to join Donnie Iris for "Ah, Leah". Got so tired of seeing artists screwed over that he went to law school, and is now a high powered copyright lawyer in the music industry.
I was lucky to have a band with my three brothers from 1970 to 1986. I remember the first time we heard this come on the radio (we were probably cruising through McDonald's), all of us immediately said, "We've gotta learn this song!"
