The Trammps were soul innovators of the 1970s, injecting dance-inspiring beats in to their sound. Their true contribution to the genre, however, would not be fully realized until after the band's demise, which stunted the fame of the Trammps during their actual time on the charts. The group's original name was the Volcanoes and later the Moods. They were led by Gene Faith on vocals along with Earl Young, Jimmy Ellis, Dennis Harris, Ron Kersey, John Hart, Stanley Wade and Michael Thomas. While the lineup changed almost continuously for the group, the most well-known incarnation of the Trammps features Ellis as the lead singer, Robert Upchurch on vocals, Stanley Wade on bass, Harold Wade on guitar and Earl Young on drums. Also in the mix at times was Norman Harris.

They first had a hit in 1972 with Buddah Records with a remake of a Judy Garland Song, "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart." The track reached number 17 on the R&B charts and led to the song being included on the Legendary Zing Album. The band hailed from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the dance music scene in the city was growing at the time the Trammps were making music. They were influenced by the sounds of the area and added in their own twist to make their style unique.

The Trammps grew in popularity throughout the early and mid 1970s, leading up to the group signing to Atlantic Trecords and releasing Where the Happy People Go and Disco Inferno. The title track from the latter was featured on the 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever, which turned it into a major hit. Their trip to the top was short-lived, however as their next album, Trammps III, failed to provide to same fame for the group. The group released a couple of albums afterward before breaking up in the early 1980s.