Wild Cherry

Rob Parissi served as singer, guitarist, and songwriter for the one-hit wonders Wild Cherry, the band he first assembled back in 1970. Drawing from acts such as the Yardbirds and Sly & the Family Stone, the Pittsburgh, PA outfit took its name from a cough-drop variety and performed locally while securing a deal with Brown Bag Records, the imprint headed by ex–Grand Funk Railroad manager Terry Knight. No albums materialized on that label, however, and the original lineup disbanded in 1975. Discouraged, Parissi abandoned music altogether, liquidating the group’s gear and briefly running a steakhouse in town. His passion soon resurfaced, prompting him to assemble a fresh Wild Cherry roster that featured Mark Ausec on keyboards, Bryan Bassett on guitar, Allen Wentz on bass, and Ronald Beitle on drums.

Although the band remained rooted in rock, shifting audience tastes toward disco prompted repeated mid-set requests for the group to “Play that funky music.” Parissi responded by writing a track of the same name that fused funk and rock elements. The five musicians cut the song in a local studio, though they believed a cover of the Commodores’ “I Feel Sanctified” held greater commercial promise. An engineer’s acquaintance heard the new number, passed it along to Epic Records, and the label promptly signed the band.

In 1976 “Play That Funky Music” surged to the top of both the Billboard R&B and pop charts, earning platinum certification for both the single and the self-titled debut album. Subsequent honors included Billboard’s Best Pop Group of the Year designation, an American Music Award for Top R&B Single of the Year, and Grammy nominations for Best New Vocal Group and Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo. The dreaded sophomore jinx soon struck: 1977’s Electrified Funk produced no hits and quickly vanished, as did the later releases I Love My Music in 1978 and the pair of 1979 albums Only the Wild Survive and Don’t Wait Too Long. Wild Cherry dissolved that same year, after which Parissi resurfaced as a disc jockey in Wheeling, WV. Their solitary smash still draws dancers today, sustained by the post-breakup compilations Play the Funk and Super Hits.