Wild Cherry

Wild Cherry was a funk rock band music from the 1970s that was formed by lead singer/guitarist Rob Parissi (born Robert Parissi on December 29, 1950 in Mingo Junction, Ohio) in 1970. The band’s name was taken from a box of cough drops.

The band’s original lineup consisted of Ben Difabbio, Louie Osso, Larry Brown and Larry Mader; however, the lineup would changed over time. Osso, Brown & Mader would later leave the band, and they were replaced with Rob’s cousin, Coogie Stoddart and Joe Buchmelter (who would soon be replaced by Bucky Lusk).

During the early ’70s, Wild Cherry (who performed rock music at the time) released several records under their own label, such as the tracks “You Can Be High (But Lay Low)” & “Something Special” in 1971. The band eventually gained a record deal with the Brown Bag Records label; however, they broke up and Rob Parissi temporarily left the music business.

In 1975, Rob reformed Wild Cherry with new members Bryan Bassett, Allen Wentz and Ronald Beitle. As the band began to develop a following in the Pittsburgh area, disco music started becoming popular and listeners repeatedly kept asking them to play more dance music.

While brainstorming some new song ideas, Ronald Beitle recalled a fan shouting, “Are you white boys gonna play some funky music?” which inspired Rob to write a song based on the phrase called “Play That Funky Music”. He began writing the song on a drink pad with a pen borrowed from a bartender.

After Wild Cherry recorded “Play That Funky Music”, studio engineer Ken Hamann brought the band to the attention of the Sweet City Records label (which was distributed by Epic/CBS Records) who signed them to the label. Rob originally planned to record the song as the B-side to a cover version of The Commodores’ song, “I Feel Sanctified,” but the label suggested it as the A-side instead.
In 1976, “Play That Funky Music” was released as a single and became a hit for Wild Cherry, topping the Billboard Hot 100 & Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart. It also peaked at #12 on Billboard’s National Disco Action Top 30 chart (staying on the chart for 12 weeks).

The song earned Wild Cherry an American Music Award for “Top R&B Single of the Year.” It was also nominated for two Grammy Awards for “Best New Vocal Group” & “Best R&B Performance by a Group or Duo.” Billboard magazine named them the “Best Pop Group of the Year.”

In 1988, “Play That Funky Music” was covered by rock band Roxanne, which was a moderate hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1990, rapper Vanilla Ice released his own version of “Play That Funky Music.” However, Rob Parissi was not credited as one of the writers in the song. He was later rewarded $500,000 in a copyright infringement lawsuit over the song.
In June of 1976, Wild Cherry released their self-titled debut album which peaked at #5 on the Billboard 200, topped Billboard’s R&B Albums chart and was certified Platinum.
In April of 1977, the band released their sophomore album, “Electrified Funk” which peaked at #51 on the Billboard 200 and #33 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The lead single, “Baby Don’t You Know” peaked at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #41 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 7 weeks).

The follow-up singles from the album, “Hot To Trot” (which peaked at #95 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #62 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart) & “Hold On (With Strings)” (which peaked at #61 on the Billboard Hot 100) didn’t make a lot of impact on the charts.

Coogie Stoddart returned to perform with Wild Cherry beginning with the tour to support “Electrified Funk” and recorded with the band on their third album.
In 1978, Wild Cherry released their third album, “I Love My Music” which peaked at #84 on the Billboard 200 and #54 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart.
The title song peaked at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #49 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart (staying on the chart for 8 weeks). Before the band began recording their fourth studio album, Coogie Stoddart left the band again.
In 1979, they released their fourth and final album, “Only the Wild Survive” which failed to chart at all nor did the single, “Try a Piece of My Love.” It was also the only album to feature rock singer Donnie Iris (who was a member of rock band The Jaggerz) as a performer.

In late 1979, Wild Cherry disbanded. In the years since, some of the band’s members continued to stay active in the music business.

In the early ’80s, Marc Avsec teamed up with Donnie Iris to form Donnie Iris & the Cruisers, and scored a hit song with “Ah! Leah!” Marc also teamed up with fellow Crusier member Kevin Valentine to record music under the name Cellarful of Noise in 1985. These days, he works as a copyright lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio.

Allen Wentz moved to New York City to become a session syntheist, playing on various records & jingles. He has worked with artists such as Breeze, Sylvester and Lizzy Mercier Descloux.

Bryan Bassett become a producer & engineer at King Snake Studio in Sanford, Florida. He has performed with rock bands such as Molly Hatchet & Foghat. He also served as a board governor for the Florida Chapter of NARAS.

Ron Beitle performed with several rock bands such as Nied’s Hotel Band in Lawrenceville, Pennysylvania. In 2017, he died from complications of bladder cancer at the age of 63.

Rob Parissi moved to Miami, Florida in 1979 and formed a tour band with musician Bobby Caldwell. In 1980, he moved to New York City, met members of Billy Squier’s band and did recording sessions with them. At the same time, he co-wrote songs with Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Kent, co-producing the album “Dedication” (along with Gary U.S. Bonds and Bruce Springsteen) which sold over 500,000 copies.

These days, Rob resides in Florida, writing & recording music in the adult contemporary and smooth jazz genres. In 2012, he released an all-vocal album called “The Real Deal.”

On August 11, 2013, the people of Rob’s hometown in Mingo Junction, Ohio renamed the longest street there as Rob Parissi Boulevard, and declared August 11th as Rob Parissi day. He and his wife, Illona established a scholarship endowment for his former consolidated high school (now called Indian Creek High School) & returns every year to do a charity fundraiser for the scholarship endowment.

To see a video for “Play That Funky Music,” go to:

To see a video for “Baby Don’t You Know,” go to:

To see a video for “Hot to Trot,” go to:

To see a video for “Hold On (With Strings),” go to:

To see a video for “I Love My Music,” go to:

To see a video for “Try a Piece of My Love,” go to: