LEROY “Sugarfoot ” BONNER des OHIO PLAYERS nous a quitté

Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, the flamboyant front man of the Ohio Players, has died at age 70. As the lead guitarist and vocalist on many of their biggest hits, including “Love Rollercoaster,” “Fire” and more, Bonner was among the most respected and beloved funk men of the 70s and 80s, and he continued to perform well into the 21st Century. He will be missed.

One of the funkiest groups in the funkiest decade, the Ohio Players became the template for a generation of Midwest jamming groups. Formed in Dayton, Ohio in 1959 as the Ohio Untouchables, the group initially included members Robert Ward (vocals/guitar), Marshall “Rock” Jones (bass), Clarence “Satch” Satchell (saxophone/guitar), Cornelius Johnson (drums), and Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks (trumpet/trombone). When Ward, the group leader, broke the act up in the early 60s, the remaining members reformed with additions Gary Webster (drums) and the auspicious young guitarist, Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, and later added trumpeter Bruce Napier, trombonist Marvin Pierce, and keyboardist Walter “Junie” Morrison…..Read Full Biography

Here is the official announcement of Sugarfoot’s death

Official Family Announcement of the Passing of Leroy Sugarfoot BonnerYesterday, Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner passed away quietly in his hometown of Trotwood-Dayton, OH. While his family, friends, colleagues, and fans mourn his passing they celebrate fondly his memory, music, and legacy.Sugarfoot, or Foot, or Sugar, was the founding and cornerstone artistic talent of OHIO PLAYERS and the face and sound of the OHIO PLAYERS brand, which he knit together and launched in 1964 with former members of The Ohio Untouchables. With a career spanning 56 years, he passed barely short of his 70th birthday.

Humble yet charismatic, soft spoken and of few words, the weight of his thoughts, lyrics, and music has influenced countless other artists, songs, and trends.  He will be missed but not forgotten as his legacy and music lives on.  More details and an official historical perspective of his career will soon be forthcoming.

His Facebook page is available to all to post comments, reflections, and testimonials of this wonderful and gifted man:
https://www.facebook.com/sugarfootsohioplaye

Watch “Unsung” episode on the Ohio Players

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Posted January 27th, 2013 by administrator

The Ohio Players were an American funk and R&B band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit songs “Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster“.

[edit]Biography

The band formed in Dayton, Ohio in 1959^[1] as the Ohio Untouchables, and initially included members Robert Ward (vocals/guitar), Marshall “Rock” Jones (bass), Clarence “Satch” Satchell (saxophone/guitar), Cornelius Johnson (drums), and Ralph “Pee Wee” Middlebrooks (trumpet/trombone). They were best known at the time as a backing group for Detroit‘s The Falcons.^[1]

The Ohio Untouchables broke up in 1963 with Ward leaving for a solo career, but the core members of the group returned to Dayton and the following year added Gregory Webster (drums) along with Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner (guitar), who would become the group’s front man.^[1] The group added two more singers, Bobby Lee Fears and Dutch Robinson, and became the house band for the New York based Compass Records for Vocalist Helena Ferguson Kilpatrick in 1967 who had just returned from Gershwin’s European Tour of Porgy and Bess.

The group disbanded again in 1970. After again reforming with a line-up including Bonner, Satchell, Middlebrooks, Jones, Webster, trumpeter Bruce Napier, vocalist Charles Dale Allen, trombonist Marvin Pierce and keyboardist Walter “Junie” Morrison, the Players had a minor hit on the Detroit-based Westboundlabel in 1971 with “Pain,” which reached the Top 40 of the Billboard R&B Chart. Dale Allen shared co-lead vocals on some of the early Westbound material, although he was not credited on their albums Pain and Pleasure.

The band’s first big hit single was “Funky Worm“, which reached #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and made the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1973. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in May of that year.^[2] The band signed with Mercury Records in 1974. By this time, their line-up had changed again, with keyboardist Billy Beck instead of Morrison and Jimmy “Diamond” Williams on drums instead of Webster. On later album releases, they added second guitarist/vocalist Clarence ‘Chet’ Willis and conga player Robert “Rumba” Jones.

The band had seven Top 40 hits between 1973 and 1976. These included “Fire” (#1 on both the R&B and pop chart for two weeks and one week respectively in February 1975 and another million seller) and “Love Rollercoaster” (#1 on both the R&B and pop charts for one week in January 1976; another gold disc recipient).^[2] The group’s last big hit was “Who’d She Coo?” a #1 R&B hit in August 1976. It was their only success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at #43 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1976.^[3]

Clarence Satchell (born April 15, 1940) died December 30, 1995 after suffering a brain aneurysm,^[4] Ralph Middlebrooks (born August 20, 1939) died in November 1997,^[5] and Robert Ward (born October 15, 1938) died at home December 25, 2008.^[6] Marshall Jones resides in Jamestown, Ohio.^[1]

[edit]Discography

[edit]Studio albums

[edit]Live albums

[edit]Compilation albums

[edit]Singles

Notes

• ^A “Fire” also peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Disco Action chart.
• ^B “Who’d She Coo?” also peaked at #43 on the UK Singles Chart.

[edit]Million sellers

Gold discs, due to records selling at least one million copies, were awarded to the singles “Funky Worm,” “Skin Tight,” “Fire,” and “Love Rollercoaster;” plus to their albums Skin Tight, Fire, and Honey.^[2]

[edit]See also

• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)

[edit]References

[edit]External links

• Ohio Players Official website – domain for sale
• Ohio Players at Wenig-LaMonica Associates
• Ohio Players on Myspace

• Ohio Players at Allmusic