1976 No. 1 classic rock hit became a timeless classic

When the Ohio-based rock band Wild Cherry released their very first song, they had no idea it would still have a huge cultural impact 50 years later.

"Play That Funky Music" was released in April 1976 through the Cleveland-based Sweet City record label as the band's debut and lead single. Sung and written by Rob Parissi and instruments played by band members Bryan Bassett, Allen Wentz and Ron Beitle, along with Chuck Berginc and Jack Brndiar on trumpet, and Rick Singer and Joe Eckert on saxophone, the hit was crowned the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Soul Singles Chart for three weeks. It also hit certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 2.5 million units in the United States alone and was ranked at 93rd place on Billboard's "Greatest of All Time Hot 100 songs" in 2018.

Originally forming in 1970 as a cover rock band, Wild Cherry was having difficulty booking shows due to the rise of the decade's disco era. While playing a show in Pittsburgh to a predominantly black audience, an audience member asked the band, "Are you going to play some funky music, white boy?" which inspired "Play That Funky Music" and is an actual lyric in the chorus. The song immediately starts with an iconic guitar riff, then continues with drums, horns and a cowbell. The scat-talking vocals and catchy chorus instantly made this song memorable, and a great mix of the dance, disco and rock genres. Despite its success now, it took years for a record label to pick up the band and the song due to the "white boy" lyric, but Sweet City Records in Cleveland "took that song to New York and they signed us," said Bassett.

"Play That Funky Music" also led the band to win an American Music Award and garner two Grammy nominations. It was the opening track to their debut album, Wild Cherry, which consists of nine tracks that were mostly written by Parissi. Their self-titled debut peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Wild Cherry eventually disbanded in 1979 after releasing four studio albums. All of the other members went on to pursue their own careers and form their own groups. Despite having huge success with "Play That Funky Music," they are often deemed a one-hit wonder and ended up splitting up due to the intense pressure they received to transition from a hard rock band to a funk/disco group. In a Q&A Parissi did with music writer Michael Limnios in November 2023, the 75-year-old musician revealed that the hit "wrote itself" and "it was exactly what I was living through at the time."

"All the songs I wrote for Wild Cherry were stories of love, life on the road, in the band, about real life and they're still stories being played out through all generations today," Parissi said. "I only wrote about what I lived, the good, bad and ugly. I never take our longevity for granted, and I'm humbly grateful for its 'legs.'"

"Play That Funky Music" and the rest of Wild Cherry's discography are available to listen to on all streaming platforms.

Related: 1974 Hit Ranked Among Best 'Classic Rock Songs' of All Time Became a Timeless Anthem