Amoeba Music

By Lee Hildebrand

The raw, syncopated street funk that placed The Ohio Players on the top of Billboard’s R&B chart five times during the mid-1970s—and twice at #1 on the pop charts—had its roots in an earlier era of rhythm and blues. The Dayton-based band was formed in 1960 by Georgia-born singer/guitarist Robert Ward, whose distinctive style was influenced by gospel artists Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Howard Carroll of The Dixie Hummingbirds. Originally a trio that called itself The Ohio Untouchables, a name drawn from the popular series The Untouchables starring Robert Stack, the band began taking on additional members immediately. Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks, a trumpeter,... Read More

Genre:

Soul, Funk

City Of Origin:

Dayton, ,Ohio United States

Formed Date:

1959