The lead singer is Rob Parissi. He claims the idea for the song came during a show the band was doing in Pittsburgh. Allegedly, someone in the crowd shouted "Are you white boys gonna play some funky music?" Parissi says he was inspired to write a song based on the phrase; and that he began to do so on a drink order pad with a pen borrowed from the bartender.
I was 18, legal age in Texas then...when White Boy came on...tha whole damn club was on tha dance floor in our bell bottom jeans & platform shoes 😂 fond memories..
No shame in not knowing, you’re from a different generation and on the other side of the world. There are plenty of people that were around at the time here in the US and didn’t have a clue.
Midnight Special was a GREAT show to watch back in the ‘70s! Really excellent live performances, a nice contrast to all the canned lip-synced performances the groups did on shows like American Bandstand.
According to an interview with the lead singer; they were playing a club in Pittsburgh. They were still playing Led Zeppelin, Fog Hat, and Kiss. The audience was changing, and the rock and roll club had recently been turned into a disco. So during one of the breaks when the band was in their dressing rooms, someone stuck his head thru the door and said” you better play that funky music white boy”. So the bassest wrote the song from that line.
That's the funny thing: "Play that funky music, White Boy!" -- at the time it was popular, my stepdad was absolutely enraged when we turned it up on the car radio - he said "I know what they're REALLY saying!'" - and we tried to say, "Dad - Funky is actually a word" - but he wasn't havin' it - :)
Ah the older then you and me generation. They were great lol. Too bad they saw what they thought they did and listened the same way.. Cute older generation lol
.....his style was Black funk, and music has a color hun, ALL FORMS ARE DERIVED FROM BLACKS, crazy how you want to ignore our MASSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS. I am the first generation to grow up on HOP and from Compton, we told you to wear fitted caps and Jordans, and you did, we put in Hop and you do. Why is it so hard for you to see that hun, funk was and is Black, that's why they would always say PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC WHITE BOY, if it was the norm, we would not have said anything luv, he even said it. #next go dance off beat in a TIKTRASH video. Fool👈🏾💯🤣😂
I had that problem as a teen in the 70s assuming some artists were black when they were white ,like Wild Cherry It just goes to show you can not make assumptions about people 1976 was the year
I just came from your reaction to The Warning. What a difference coming from a 3 piece to a 22 piece.😀 I loved this song as a kid and I was mostly into hard rock and metal, but it's just so darn catchy.
I'm getting old, I missed him pointing out that an Australian Great was hosting the show, Miss Helen Reddy was a wonderful entertainer in her day, "I Am Woman" was her big hit.
When I was a kid,around 6/7 years old,my mind didn't work in the way"wow,those white guys sound like a black group"and I grew up listening to them.It didn't register to me until I was a young teen that those voices shouldn't be coming from a bunch of white men but since I grew up with them it gave me a better understanding of the music world and allowed me the opportunity to just enjoy the music
From one to another, listen to that funky music ginger boy! You turned several shades of red when he started singing! Ha ha, great and obviously authentic response! Keep up the good work! Peace!!☮
No , it's okay . I used to dance my little teeny bopper ass off down the local disco . My fave!! Always saw a big black guy singing it . UNTIL NOW!! So it's a revelation to me too . Wow, how I loved dancing to this . Wearing my first perfume . Smitty! Sweet . I love the way you get into things . You are so adorable. 😘!♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
I'll always remember this song from the summer of 1980 when I was riding my bicycle across DC - I was stopped at a red light when all of a sudden a group of Black kids, 8-9 years old surrounded me singing and dancing: "PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC WHITE BOY!" I just about laughed my ass off, it was so cute!
This song is actually their story. They were playing rock and couldn't get any gigs because disco was getting so popular. Someone at one of their gigs asked "Are you gonna play any of that funky music, white boy?" So they tried playing disco instead and got a lot more gigs. So they wrote a song about it. th-cam.com/video/2Hfe8-MAnXE/w-d-xo.html
The song is telling the true story of the Band. The opening act were black soul singers, and they were all partying together, when one of the Black guys said "Hey, you should drop the Rock and Roll, and just play Funk!. What started as a joke turned into a dare. They (Wild Cherry) wrote this song in a day or two, and played it at their next gig. Everyone was shocked, including friendfs, managers etc. Well This song skyrocketed to fame worldwide. The rest is history. They never made another record, but all of them made a ton of money, and the lead singer lives a lavish life in Florida with his trophy wife. Looks like fate smiled on them that day. True story.
What?? What?? You are groovin, dude. Nice reaction. I grew up 30 miles from Steubenville Ohio.and was in High school when this band rocked our world. They played it at our homecoming dance.
The lead singer of this group has Scottish ancestry. In some of the more current clips of this band he can be seen performing in his kilt. They have toured for years.
Black music reached far and wide around the world and influenced people's sound and style. Let them be proud to wear their thick white hair in afros. His style he's doing is funk music. The 70's rocketed lots of creative styles that spread everywhere. Great stuff from this era. I was a little child, but even in my growing years, we still listened to stuff that came out before and After I was born. I was 3 when this song came out.
1976 -77, play that funky music, WHITE BOY!! Loved to dance to it. They were a one hit wonder. I must add this to my list of songs to play at my funeral.
Pat, I'm really going to show my age here -- LOL!! I was 16 when this song came out (1976). A little band history here -- yes, they were pretty much a one hit wonder. The band is from my home town area -- they are actually from Mingo Junction, Ohio, USA (not Steubenville, Ohio as Helen Reddy said in the opening -- although Steubenville is the closest big town>>>of Dean Martin fame -- the 2 towns are within 5 miles of each other). My sister-in-law (now deceased) was related to one of the original band members -- her cousin, Ben Difabbio. Donnie Iris (of Jaggerz fame as well as a solo career) joined them replacing Ben. Before they became big, my brother had played with them. The horn players were extra for that performance. It is only a 5 piece, all white band. I grew up with these guys!! So, yes, this was quite a personal reaction for me! So glad you like them and LOL on not knowing they were an all white band!! Thanks Pat!!! 💕💕💕
paul allen Guess what? I googled it. Considering their next highest chart positions were at 43, 61, 69, & 95.....I’d say they were a ONE HIT WONDER. THEY NEVER EVEN CRACKED THE TOP 20 after Play that Funky Music.
PG , "The Midnight Special" was a great Live performance program . It aired Friday nights , After Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" . You will find some amazing live and prerecorded music in the episodes of this program, many available on TH-cam.
The lead singer is Donnie Iris formerly from The Jaggerz they had a hit called The Rapper in the early 70's they broke up and he formed Wild Cherry. After a few years they broke up and he formed Donnie Iris and The Cruisers who have had numerous hits like Ah Leaha, Agnes and Love is Like a Rock. Donnie is from Ellwood City PA a small town north of Pittsburgh and south of New Castle.
This song made people's heads turn when it first came out because people thought they were singing "Play that f****n music.." People couldn't believe that was actually on the radio
You are not the first to think that the band is not white. Between the title misleading many, and the dude’s voice sounding like a soul singer, it’s a very easy mistake. That was a great song “back in the day”! Lol As soon as it started, it was hard for me to keep still! Lots of fun on the dance floor with this song.
If you are interested, VoicePlay with Honey LaRochelle did this during the Sing-Off competition. It's a whole different song when a black woman is doing this. And don't feel bad about not knowing they were white. I had the same issue with the Righteous Brothers when my husband and I finally had enough money to buy their album, deep into our late 20s. We taped so much of our 45 rpm singles and for another 20 yrs before we finally got the cds for our music.
The Midnight Special came on Fridays at midnight (duh) but it showcased new bands or singers. It was an amazing show! Some of those bands got really big! I remember Minnie Ripperton came on once and we couldn't believe her voice! This song was a great dance tune or played at the roller skating rink. (dance skating was big in the 70s)
Here in Adelaide there was an AC/DC cover band called Bon 'n' All with the lead singer sounding like Bon Scott. One night I talked the lead singer (Graham, a fireman) into coming to the karaoke bar I did security at to give karaoke a go. He relented and sang Play That Funky Music! His voice suited perfectly! That was in 1998 and I haven't seen the band since...
1976 the album was released. it blew lots of minds back then...Most people only know them for 'play that funky music' (which is a classic) but they had a ton of great songs that never made it to the radio.
White Boy, That's the hook to the song. A white rock band playing white disco in a club in the hood, And the funky brothers in the club shouting white disco sucks You need some black Funk in your Music man! Come on white boys. Lay down some Boogie(Funky soul in the music). Now play some funky(good) music. Black disco was a slap-bass guitar-driven beat. The White disco was all sunshine Orchestra & kick-drum. White... Fly Robbin Fly... watch?v=oUPdG4DA42g... Black... Give Up The Funk... watch?v=gBWH3OWfT2Y WOOO!
"Wait...what? They're white"...yup that's the typical jaw dropping reaction!!! I remember when this came out in '76 and it was LIT...fond high school memories❣❣❣ #musicdonthavenocolor 🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥
Yes they are White. The story of how and why they are playing Funk, is in the song itself. They used to play Rock n Roll, but the Black warm up Funk Band was parting with them before the scheduled performance that night. One of the members of the Funk Band yelled over to the lead singer in Wild Cherry and said Hey..."Play that Funky Music white boy." And everyone in both bands (pretty liquored up by then) started laughing. A couple of days after that show, Wild Cherry actually started playing around with some Funky guitar riffs and came up with this song about a week later. They recorded it, and the rest is History. And yes, this one song made them all millionaires. I saw the lead singer tell this story only about a month ago on a talk show on TV. He now lives in Florida in a mansion and has a Ferrari in his garage, and a gorgeous young wife about 30 years younger than him. He's about my age, which is 64 years old. I was about 20 in 1976 when this song was released. Everybody loved this song, especially when they discovered the Band was white, like the song says. Thanks Pat (That's my name too.)
Ahhh...my youth just smacked me in the face! LOL Love it! TY! 1976! he's not only white, he's from Youngstown OHIO! LOL so many people thought this was a black band! I see you are one of those people! ;-D
I love the look on young peoples faces when they find out that Wild Cherry. The Righteous Brothers and K.C. and the Sunshine Band are White guys as if we don't have soul too..
I bought this on 45 when it first came out and I still have it . Since I still spin vinyl I drop it like a bomb once in awhile . It's like Ballroom Blitz , it gets everyone in a room moving.
Yes, it was 1976 times were just different then, I'm black,me and my white friends on the college campus would go to the disco club's all the time,we would be having a good time, man I miss those days and I miss those guys
Helps you understand that first video ever on MTV video killed the radio star because if you didn’t have a look it was tough and sometimes you just had no idea what an artist look like
1:43 Don't feel bad, I was a mear 15 when this hit the radio, and within a month I saw this on Midnight Special. Now you should react to Living Colour's Cult of Personality. That one took a few by surprise and wonderfully so.....back in the day..30yrs ago. When MTv played music, and reality shows were something 14yr olds wanted to watch.
This isn't one of KC and the Sunshine Band's songs. Rob Parissi ,lead vocalist and singer for Wild Cherry wrote the song and it became their only big hit.
Dang! I'm 54yts old and have Always Loved this tune. But Never ever did I know they were White either!! Whaaat!! Wow!! Haha!! One Midnight Special I have never seen. I grew up on all genres of music but Wow how stupid I Feel. LoL!
Donnie Iris, the singer of the jaggerz and his own band their hit "ah,leia" helped formed this band. Its a Pittsburgh thing. Review that song if you think this was vocal.
bruddah, the 70s had the most talented musicians, songwriters...along with most diverse of talent ever!! THIS was the bomb song for homecoming!! we grew up with MORE diversity than today's millennials...
Music is color blind. And is what all nations have in common.Btw when I fist heard this come out in like 1976 I didnt realize they were a almost totally white band.. Didnt really care either way. Still dont either. Boy your really stuck on that white thing lol
Its sad but modern times have changed so much. This was a time when music was music and nothing political or racist was the problem it is now. You listened to it and enjoyed it end of.
Been watching your Home Free reactions for a long time! Just stumbled across this. Loved your reaction! For another from this era that will blow your mind, check out Ram Jam “Black Betty”!
Latin White Italians from New York / '' Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music | The Story Behind The Song | Top 2000 a gogo''' video That lady is an Aussie/Helen Reddy
My first look at Boz Scaggs taught me not to be shocked that race doesn't define an artist. I still get surprised sometimes, but my reaction more like "Cool!" rather than "wth?"
"not just white......they are really white!"🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You are not the first to have their jaw drop.
The lead singer is Rob Parissi. He claims the idea for the song came during a show the band was doing in Pittsburgh. Allegedly, someone in the crowd shouted "Are you white boys gonna play some funky music?" Parissi says he was inspired to write a song based on the phrase; and that he began to do so on a drink order pad with a pen borrowed from the bartender.
the way that guy whips the trumpet around kills me every time. classic.
This was a fun song 40 years ago. Still is!
This is so funny and cool and fun.....!!!!
Love their hairs.....
I was 18, legal age in Texas then...when White Boy came on...tha whole damn club was on tha dance floor in our bell bottom jeans & platform shoes 😂 fond memories..
No shame in not knowing, you’re from a different generation and on the other side of the world.
There are plenty of people that were around at the time here in the US and didn’t have a clue.
Randy Andrews I didn’t! Born in USA & was alive & into music around this generation! Wow, Lol
Most people don't know that the rock band living color that did the song cult of personality were black either.
Midnight Special was a GREAT show to watch back in the ‘70s! Really excellent live performances, a nice contrast to all the canned lip-synced performances the groups did on shows like American Bandstand.
In the early 2000's they used to sell a DVD collection of the entire shows run on infomercials. If I had $400 I would have bought the whole thing.
Loved Midnight Special and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
Soul train too . The Isley brothers were one of the few acts to actually play their instruments on the show as they refused to perform otherwise .
I have the ENTIRE Midnight Special DVDs collection. Love it! Was so lucky to be a teenager in the 70s! I can still bust a move at 78!
According to an interview with the lead singer; they were playing a club in Pittsburgh. They were still playing Led Zeppelin, Fog Hat, and Kiss. The audience was changing, and the rock and roll club had recently been turned into a disco. So during one of the breaks when the band was in their dressing rooms, someone stuck his head thru the door and said” you better play that funky music white boy”. So the bassest wrote the song from that line.
That's the funny thing: "Play that funky music, White Boy!" -- at the time it was popular, my stepdad was absolutely enraged when we turned it up on the car radio - he said "I know what they're REALLY saying!'" - and we tried to say, "Dad - Funky is actually a word" - but he wasn't havin' it - :)
Ah the older then you and me generation. They were great lol. Too bad they saw what they thought they did and listened the same way.. Cute older generation lol
LOL!!!
Who's to say he was wrong? ;^)
Proof that good music has no colour, Nor should it.
.....his style was Black funk, and music has a color hun, ALL FORMS ARE DERIVED FROM BLACKS, crazy how you want to ignore our MASSIVE CONTRIBUTIONS. I am the first generation to grow up on HOP and from Compton, we told you to wear fitted caps and Jordans, and you did, we put in Hop and you do. Why is it so hard for you to see that hun, funk was and is Black, that's why they would always say PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC WHITE BOY, if it was the norm, we would not have said anything luv, he even said it. #next go dance off beat in a TIKTRASH video. Fool👈🏾💯🤣😂
....and proof would require a mass, not few MORON👈🏾💯🤨
.....and you don't own it, that's why you hate it!!! 🤣😂
Yup, he's a white boy, and he definitely played that funky music. Truth in advertising!
I had that problem as a teen in the 70s assuming some artists were black when they were white ,like Wild Cherry It just goes to show you can not make assumptions about people 1976 was the year
Ha...yeah, you want another surprise? Review "Summertime" by Mungo Jerry.
You'll get a hoot out of that one.
I know I get a laugh out of it
Loving
I just came from your reaction to The Warning. What a difference coming from a 3 piece to a 22 piece.😀 I loved this song as a kid and I was mostly into hard rock and metal, but it's just so darn catchy.
Midnight Special was a great show came on weekends. It and Don Kirschners Rock Concerts long before music videos.
Let's not forget about American Bandstand, and Soul Train. That was the superfecta of weekend music pre MTV.
I'm getting old, I missed him pointing out that an Australian Great was hosting the show, Miss Helen Reddy was a wonderful entertainer in her day, "I Am Woman" was her big hit.
Little River Band was big when I was in high school.
Who has sadly passed away since your comment. He should have known her.
When I was a kid,around 6/7 years old,my mind didn't work in the way"wow,those white guys sound like a black group"and I grew up listening to them.It didn't register to me until I was a young teen that those voices shouldn't be coming from a bunch of white men but since I grew up with them it gave me a better understanding of the music world and allowed me the opportunity to just enjoy the music
In the post-disco era, there was a sort of "war" between boogie and funk, and that's what he's talking about. Play that funky music, white boy!
I luv watching reactors when they are shocked at the fact that the band is not what they thought. ;-)
I am in my 50’s. Grew up with this song. I had no idea they were white either, even though it’s basically the main lyric! Lol!! 🤣
From one to another, listen to that funky music ginger boy! You turned several shades of red when he started singing! Ha ha, great and obviously authentic response! Keep up the good work! Peace!!☮
"They're white" 😮😲🤔🤔😂🤣😂🤣😂 that reaction was great Haha
I laughed for 5 minutes..😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I have 2 songs that I think you would like: 1) Ballroom Blitz by Sweet and 2) Sweet City Woman by Stampeders
Jo-Anne LeBel Love Ballroom Blitz
Ballroom Blitz is a banger🤟
Lol you know Stampeders? you must be a fellow Canadian :)
@@hmohns7035 Oh yes I am from Alberta. They are so good
@@jo-annelebel9819 After the Pop Stampeder's then he will need some "Wild Eyes" to unleash their beast.
No , it's okay . I used to dance my little teeny bopper ass off down the local disco . My fave!! Always saw a big black guy singing it . UNTIL NOW!! So it's a revelation to me too . Wow, how I loved dancing to this . Wearing my first perfume . Smitty! Sweet . I love the way you get into things . You are so adorable. 😘!♡♡♡♡♡♡♡
I'll always remember this song from the summer of 1980 when I was riding my bicycle across DC - I was stopped at a red light when all of a sudden a group of Black kids, 8-9 years old surrounded me singing and dancing: "PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC WHITE BOY!" I just about laughed my ass off, it was so cute!
This song is actually their story. They were playing rock and couldn't get any gigs because disco was getting so popular. Someone at one of their gigs asked "Are you gonna play any of that funky music, white boy?" So they tried playing disco instead and got a lot more gigs.
So they wrote a song about it.
th-cam.com/video/2Hfe8-MAnXE/w-d-xo.html
First off, that dog has the life. Next, SRV looked really pale as well in his videos...must be the lighting from the 70's and 80's
Haha, I thought that about the dog too. Absolutely chilling out, not a care in the world.
One of my all time favorite songs! My band use to do this and it was such a blast! Lol
They played this on the Grammy awards - and brought the house down.
The song is telling the true story of the Band. The opening act were black soul singers, and they were all partying together, when one of the Black guys said "Hey, you should drop the Rock and Roll, and just play Funk!. What started as a joke turned into a dare. They (Wild Cherry) wrote this song in a day or two, and played it at their next gig. Everyone was shocked, including friendfs, managers etc. Well This song skyrocketed to fame worldwide. The rest is history. They never made another record, but all of them made a ton of money, and the lead singer lives a lavish life in Florida with his trophy wife. Looks like fate smiled on them that day. True story.
The late 60's and into the 70's had the best bands that ever were!
Your face, too funny Pat! It was one of my favorites in high school.
I've never cared for which color a musician has, as long as I like the music
What?? What?? You are groovin, dude. Nice reaction. I grew up 30 miles from Steubenville Ohio.and was in High school when this band rocked our world. They played it at our homecoming dance.
The lead singer of this group has Scottish ancestry. In some of the more current clips of this band he can be seen performing in his kilt. They have toured for years.
Black music reached far and wide around the world and influenced people's sound and style. Let them be proud to wear their thick white hair in afros. His style he's doing is funk music.
The 70's rocketed lots of creative styles that spread everywhere. Great stuff from this era. I was a little child, but even in my growing years, we still listened to stuff that came out before and After I was born. I was 3 when this song came out.
1976 -77, play that funky music, WHITE BOY!! Loved to dance to it. They were a one hit wonder.
I must add this to my list of songs to play at my funeral.
Hint: There is a clue to his ethnicity in the title.......lol great reaction though
it's the hook, but the title is just 'play that funky music'
No mention of ethnicity in title.
DAMMM...THOUGHT THEY WERE BLACK TOO.
Pat, I'm really going to show my age here -- LOL!! I was 16 when this song came out (1976). A little band history here -- yes, they were pretty much a one hit wonder. The band is from my home town area -- they are actually from Mingo Junction, Ohio, USA (not Steubenville, Ohio as Helen Reddy said in the opening -- although Steubenville is the closest big town>>>of Dean Martin fame -- the 2 towns are within 5 miles of each other). My sister-in-law (now deceased) was related to one of the original band members -- her cousin, Ben Difabbio. Donnie Iris (of Jaggerz fame as well as a solo career) joined them replacing Ben. Before they became big, my brother had played with them. The horn players were extra for that performance. It is only a 5 piece, all white band. I grew up with these guys!! So, yes, this was quite a personal reaction for me! So glad you like them and LOL on not knowing they were an all white band!! Thanks Pat!!! 💕💕💕
Diane Ricciardi Stewart
I’m older than you! I remember too!
Unbelievably good music.
Timeless.
Amazing band white or black.
Donnie Iris - a blast from the past. Have to react to "Ah! Leah!"
Not one hit wonders. Google it. Wild Cherry charted 5 times in the 70s. This is just their best known song.
paul allen
Guess what? I googled it. Considering their next highest chart positions were at 43, 61, 69, & 95.....I’d say they were a ONE HIT WONDER.
THEY NEVER EVEN CRACKED THE TOP 20 after Play that Funky Music.
PG , "The Midnight Special" was a great Live performance program . It aired Friday nights , After Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" . You will find some amazing live and prerecorded music in the episodes of this program, many available on TH-cam.
The lead singer is Donnie Iris formerly from The Jaggerz they had a hit called The Rapper in the early 70's they broke up and he formed Wild Cherry. After a few years they broke up and he formed Donnie Iris and The Cruisers who have had numerous hits like Ah Leaha, Agnes and Love is Like a Rock. Donnie is from Ellwood City PA a small town north of Pittsburgh and south of New Castle.
This song made people's heads turn when it first came out because people thought they were singing "Play that f****n music.." People couldn't believe that was actually on the radio
You are not the first to think that the band is not white. Between the title misleading many, and the dude’s voice sounding like a soul singer, it’s a very easy mistake. That was a great song “back in the day”! Lol As soon as it started, it was hard for me to keep still! Lots of fun on the dance floor with this song.
If you are interested, VoicePlay with Honey LaRochelle did this during the Sing-Off competition. It's a whole different song when a black woman is doing this. And don't feel bad about not knowing they were white. I had the same issue with the Righteous Brothers when my husband and I finally had enough money to buy their album, deep into our late 20s. We taped so much of our 45 rpm singles and for another 20 yrs before we finally got the cds for our music.
The Midnight Special came on Fridays at midnight (duh) but it showcased new bands or singers. It was an amazing show! Some of those bands got really big! I remember Minnie Ripperton came on once and we couldn't believe her voice! This song was a great dance tune or played at the roller skating rink. (dance skating was big in the 70s)
Lol that song is actually their story ... they were an all-white rock band who found the funk lol
Same thing with K.C. and the sunshine band. Never knew he was white until the first time seeing them on tv.
Me too..
Loved it always!!! That solo was NASTY!!
There was a lot of "blue-eyed soul" back in the 60s and 70s.
Funk is not dependent on skin color. it all about the size of the Fro. 🥰✌
Here in Adelaide there was an AC/DC cover band called Bon 'n' All with the lead singer sounding like Bon Scott. One night I talked the lead singer (Graham, a fireman) into coming to the karaoke bar I did security at to give karaoke a go. He relented and sang Play That Funky Music! His voice suited perfectly!
That was in 1998 and I haven't seen the band since...
1976 the album was released. it blew lots of minds back then...Most people only know them for 'play that funky music' (which is a
classic) but they had a ton of great songs that never made it to the
radio.
Lyle...l o v e your reaction! 1970s Trivia: this is what the coolest of us used to do at 11:30pm on Saturdays...before SNL!
I see you! Always rub nose, cough, shake head rocking. Keep it up. Great to see your reactions😅😂🎉
The Disco Era was patronized by all races. Naturally their music sound the same
White Boy, That's the hook to the song. A white rock band playing white disco in a club in the hood, And the funky brothers in the club shouting white disco sucks You need some black Funk in your Music man! Come on white boys. Lay down some Boogie(Funky soul in the music). Now play some funky(good) music. Black disco was a slap-bass guitar-driven beat. The White disco was all sunshine Orchestra & kick-drum. White... Fly Robbin Fly... watch?v=oUPdG4DA42g... Black... Give Up The Funk... watch?v=gBWH3OWfT2Y WOOO!
Us folks in the far east too thought them as black musicians as far back as about 40years ago. Thank u youtube.
I love your reaction. A lot of people were surprised that the lead singer was white. Great song.
"Wait...what? They're white"...yup that's the typical jaw dropping reaction!!! I remember when this came out in '76 and it was LIT...fond high school memories❣❣❣ #musicdonthavenocolor 🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥
Yes they are White. The story of how and why they are playing Funk, is in the song itself. They used to play Rock n Roll, but the Black warm up Funk Band was parting with them before the scheduled performance that night. One of the members of the Funk Band yelled over to the lead singer in Wild Cherry and said Hey..."Play that Funky Music white boy." And everyone in both bands (pretty liquored up by then) started laughing. A couple of days after that show, Wild Cherry actually started playing around with some Funky guitar riffs and came up with this song about a week later. They recorded it, and the rest is History. And yes, this one song made them all millionaires. I saw the lead singer tell this story only about a month ago on a talk show on TV. He now lives in Florida in a mansion and has a Ferrari in his garage, and a gorgeous young wife about 30 years younger than him. He's about my age, which is 64 years old. I was about 20 in 1976 when this song was released. Everybody loved this song, especially when they discovered the Band was white, like the song says.
Thanks Pat
(That's my name too.)
Ahhh...my youth just smacked me in the face! LOL Love it! TY! 1976! he's not only white, he's from Youngstown OHIO! LOL so many people thought this was a black band! I see you are one of those people! ;-D
I love the look on young peoples faces when they find out that Wild Cherry. The Righteous Brothers and K.C. and the Sunshine Band are White guys as if we don't have soul too..
Yeah and you can't forget AWB or Bobby Calwell.either
Don’t forget Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald. They were great too. Classic blue eyed soul.
the average white band
Great reaction! I don't think you are alone in being surprised.
I bought this on 45 when it first came out and I still have it . Since I still spin vinyl I drop it like a bomb once in awhile . It's like Ballroom Blitz , it gets everyone in a room moving.
😆 I still remember when I first found out this group was white. Loved your reaction.
Yes, it was 1976 times were just different then, I'm black,me and my white friends on the college campus would go to the disco club's all the time,we would be having a good time, man I miss those days and I miss those guys
Helps you understand that first video ever on MTV video killed the radio star because if you didn’t have a look it was tough and sometimes you just had no idea what an artist look like
The whole country had the same reaction when the song first came out. So you are not alone!
Can't believe people didn't know or don't know, that Wild Cherry, Kc And The SunShine Band et als, are white. I "knew" right off, at 18 yr's old.
"The dude is white". Classic. The same reaction I had the first time I saw them.
1:43 Don't feel bad, I was a mear 15 when this hit the radio, and within a month I saw this on Midnight Special.
Now you should react to Living Colour's Cult of Personality. That one took a few by surprise and wonderfully so.....back in the day..30yrs ago.
When MTv played music, and reality shows were something 14yr olds wanted to watch.
One of those songs that you have to move to - movin' to the groovin'!
Australian accent, Scotland flag, Manchester United hat... You're a riddle wrapped up in an enigma, Bro 😉
Guess you haven’t heard Casey & the Sunshine Band from USA back in the 70s .This was one if their songs back when disco was popular. Fun reaction!
What?
Jan Kreps although this sounds like a KC song, they never recorded this song. Wild Cherry And KC and the sunshine band were contemporaries.
This isn't one of KC and the Sunshine Band's songs. Rob Parissi ,lead vocalist and singer for Wild Cherry wrote the song and it became their only big hit.
KC & The Sunshine Band got the same reaction 😂
Dang! I'm 54yts old and have Always Loved this tune. But Never ever did I know they were White either!! Whaaat!! Wow!! Haha!! One Midnight Special I have never seen. I grew up on all genres of music but Wow how stupid I Feel. LoL!
Again one member is Donnie Iris. His later hit with the cruisers "Ileia"
Wild Cherry were a complete one hit wonder. The song was written after Rob Parissi was told that he had to play funky to succeed.
This just proves that music has no color or race, good music is just good music.
Ha haha!!! This just came up on my feed~I forget how old this song is! I thought EVERYONE knew~ Its cool~ That makes me old, DAMN! Lol!
I love your reaction to finding out he was white. It's in the lyrics, somebody turned around and said play the funky music, white boy, talking to him.
Donnie Iris, the singer of the jaggerz and his own band their hit "ah,leia" helped formed this band. Its a Pittsburgh thing. Review that song if you think this was vocal.
Your expression was priceless!! Loved it!! ❤
bruddah, the 70s had the most talented musicians, songwriters...along with most diverse of talent ever!! THIS was the bomb song for homecoming!! we grew up with MORE diversity than today's millennials...
LOL! "Um, hey, what? . . . . Ah?" "The dude is white. Huh?" Hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very cool dog. I have several just like that.
Good reaction as usual.
Helen Ready is one you should preview too !!
Love your reaction. Love the song. TY PG.
Hahaha really classic pat your reaction🖐🤣 wild cherry jam went well at parties. Great reaction man
Check out some KC and the Sunshine Band....
Love your reactions. That doggo is living the dream! LOL
Music is color blind. And is what all nations have in common.Btw when I fist heard this come out in like 1976 I didnt realize they were a almost totally white band.. Didnt really care either way. Still dont either. Boy your really stuck on that white thing lol
Its sad but modern times have changed so much. This was a time when music was music and nothing political or racist was the problem it is now. You listened to it and enjoyed it end of.
If you want your mind blown. Check out The Edgar Winter Band - Tobacco Road. Not just white...Albino.
I laughed w/you on this one , and cried on " I can't make you love me, Teddy Swims". Georgia, USA here.
Been watching your Home Free reactions for a long time! Just stumbled across this. Loved your reaction! For another from this era that will blow your mind, check out Ram Jam “Black Betty”!
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Loved your reaction this gave me the giggles real disco hit
Latin White Italians from New York / '' Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music | The Story Behind The Song | Top 2000 a gogo''' video That lady is an Aussie/Helen Reddy
I saw them on TV back when this song was a new radio hit. I was just as surprised when I saw they were white.
I was 7 years old lol this song is soo popular in my country..
My first look at Boz Scaggs taught me not to be shocked that race doesn't define an artist. I still get surprised sometimes, but my reaction more like "Cool!" rather than "wth?"