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Venue

Koka Booth Amphitheatre

8003 Regency Pkwy., 27518, Cary, NC, US

www.boothamphitheatre.com

Capacity: 7,000

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Additional details

Doors open: 19:00

Concert in your area for Funk & Soul and Rock.

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Ohio Players biography

Ohio Players (formed in 1959) is an acclaimed American funk and R&B group who enjoyed their greatest success in the 1970s, notably with their No. 1 album “Fire”, hailing from Dayton, Ohio, U.S.

Originally comprised of vocalist/guitarist Robert Ward, bassist Marshall Jones, saxophonist/guitarist Clarence Satchell, drummer Cornelius Johnson, and trumpet/trombone player Ralph Middlebrooks in 1959, at this time the group was the backing band for the R&B group Falcons. Disappointed with Ward’s unreliable leadership, the band moved back to Dayton, Ohio, found a replacement in singer Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, and changed their name to the Ohio Players.

With the addition of trumpeter Bruce Napier, vocalist Charles Dale Allen, and trombonist Marvin Pierce, the group found modest success with their 1971 single “Pain”. The accompanyng LP “Pain” arrived shortly afterwards, followed a year later by the full-length “Pleasure”. Spawning their biggest hit to date, “Funky Worm”, “Pleasure” was influenced by the funk of Sly & the Family Stone, and made way for “Ecstasy” in 1973.

Following the release of 1974’s “Climax” the band signed with Mercury Records, and underwent a number of lineup changes. The Ohio Players subsequently became known for their sexually alluring LP covers, beginning with 1974’s “Skin Tight”, which spawned their most quintessential track to date “Jive Turkey”. The following year the Ohio Players enjoyed their greatest success with their No. 1 album “Fire”, led by the No. 1 title track and subsequent No. 1, “I Want to Be Free”. Heralded as the Ohio Players’ masterpiece, the record combined seductive soulful vocals, the groove and beat of funk, and the alluring poetry of R&B to create something timeless.

The band’s subsequent release, 1975’s “Honey” also found favour among fans and critics alike, aided by the instantly-recognisable smash hit single “Love Rollercoaster”. As the seventies marched on so did the Ohio Players, achieving their last R&B No. 1 in 1976 with the single “Who’d She Coo?”, taken from the full-length “Contradiction”. 1978’s full-length “Jass-Ay-Lay-Dee” proved to be the last release on Mercury Records, and after signing with Arista, released the studio album “Everybody Up” in 1979. Undeterred by falling sales, the band released a series of albums in the 1980s on the labels Boardwalk, Century Vista, and Track Record, including “Tenderness”, “Ouch”, and “Back”.

Live reviews

Formed in 1969, War were one of the first fusion bands to hit the mainstream in America, combining Soul, Funk, Rhythm and Blues, and even Latin to produce songs such as Low Rider, Spill the Wine and Summer. Over the last five decades there have been significant changes to the band’s line up with Lonnie Jordan the only surviving member. However, the songs and soul of the band remain and they continue to tour today.
Whilst their songs have stood the test of time well, some of the members haven’t faired quite as well. However, you would never be able to tell. The energy of the band’s more recent performances is relentless from start to finish and their love playing live can still be seen. In terms of a show, the only way to describe it would be a party. The band seems to be having just as much fun as the fans they perform for as their set is made up of all their hits. They don’t rest on their laurels however, the crowd regularly being treated to breakdowns, solos and improvisation from the masters of the trade.
After years of touring, War have nothing to prove and this evident during their shows. Pure fun and energy from start to finish makes them still one incredible live experience.

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will-foot

The Family Stone!!!
Good gosh almighty!
What a great show! Wonderful venue at Soundboard in the Motor City Casino in Detroit.
It was fantastic to hear all those great songs again!
The Family kicked it out of the ballpark!
Yes...this is a different iteration of the original group but the musicianship was absolutely superlative! Wonderful to see and hear Sly Stone's daughter! And Jerry blew the mess of of his saxophone!
I only wish they would have played longer. I will definitely be looking for their return!
Yes...we Danced To The Music!!!
And even though it is winter we had
Hot Fun In The Summertime!!!

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Gregorio1

Never mind the long-since-debunked urban legend that suggests, along various different lines depending on who you ask, that a scream at the song’s midpoint is actually the genuine sound of somebody being murdered whilst the tape was rolling - ‘Love Rollercoaster’ by Ohio Players is one of the greatest funk tracks of all time. Drummer Jimmy ‘Diamond’ Williams suggested that the band stayed silent over the urban legend “because you sell more records that way”, but the sheer quality of the irresistibly danceable track should have been enough in itself to propel it in the stratosphere; that the Ohio Players are now most commonly associated with this myth in the popular imagination suggests that they might have been ill-advised not to have nipped it in the bud. They had plenty of other big hitters of course, with ‘Fire’ also topping the U.S. charts, and the Players did enough to ensure that they were part of the inaugural group to be accepted into the R&B Hall of Fame last year. They didn’t perform, though, having played live for the last time - with a significantly different lineup to the classic one - in 2002. Don’t expect to see their famously lavish, irresistibly funky live show any time soon, either; the death of frontman Leroy ‘Sugarfoot’ Bonner last year will sadly have put paid to that.

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