Robert Parissi (born 29 December 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician, best known as frontman for the American funk group Wild Cherry.[1][2] He also wrote the group's only hit, the 1976 chart-topping "Play That Funky Music".[3] He was raised in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. He graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of Mingo Junction along the Ohio River. The band played the Ohio Valley region, Wheeling, West Virginia and the rest of the Northern West Virginia panhandle, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Rob Parissi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Parissi |
| Born | 29 December 1950 Mingo Junction, Ohio, U.S. |
| Origin | Steubenville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Formerly of | Wild Cherry |
After Wild Cherry disbanded in 1979 without another major hit, Parissi became a producer and dedicated himself to adult contemporary music. He writes and records smooth jazz and has collaborated with Steve Oliver and Will Donato.
Discography
editWith Wild Cherry
edit- Wild Cherry, 1976
- Electrified Funk, 1977
- I Love My Music, 1978
- Only the Wild Survive, 1979
Solo
edit- Late Bloomer, 2008
- Boca Ciega Bay, 2010
- Ocean Sunset, 2011
- East Coast Vibe, 2011
- The Real Deal, 2012
References
edit- ^ "Vanilla Ice's style freezes". The Telegraph-Herald. 1 February 1991. p. 1. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (1 April 2009). "Wild Cherry had a huge hit with the song during the 1970s disco era". MTV. p. 1. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
- ^ Adams, Deanna R. (13 January 2010). Cleveland's Rock and Roll Roots. Arcadia Publishing. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-7385-7786-9.