Earl Young | |
|---|---|
 Young in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Earl Donald Young (1940-06-02)June 2, 1940 (age 85) |
| Genres | Soul,R&B,disco |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, drummer, bass vocalist |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
Earl Donald Young (born June 2, 1940) is aPhiladelphia-baseddrummer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s as part of thePhilly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader ofThe Trammps[1] who had a hit record with "Disco Inferno". Young, along withRonnie Baker andNorman Harris (the trio best known as Baker-Harris-Young), was the owner of the Golden Fleecerecord label.[2]
Young is seen as the inventor of thedisco-style of rock drumming[3] (inHarold Melvin & The Blue Notes's "The Love I Lost" from 1973), and is often credited with popularizingfour-on-the-floor bass drum beats, and as being the first drummer to make extensive and distinctive use of thehi-hat cymbal (i.e. fast, rhythmic and crisp use of open and closed hi-hats) throughout the playing time of an R&B song. This led to DJs favoring his recordings because they could hear the cymbal quite easily in their headphones as they "cued up" records to be mixed.[4]
In the mid-sixties Young played drums on many recordings for the Philadelphia-based record label "ARCTIC" (Records), on which his own band "The Volcanos" (later renamed The Trammps) was signed (e.g. The Ambassadors – "Ain't Got The Love Of One Girl (On My Mind)", Della Humphrey - "Let's Wait Until Dark",Kenny Gamble - "The Jokes on You", in 1969 the whole the Ambassadors LP "Soul Summit"[5]). He also played for the Philadelphia-based record label "Phil L.A. Of Soul" onCliff Nobles & Co. - "Love Is All Right (The Horse)" in 1968 (aJesse Martin production), a popularNorthern Soul classic.
Young featured prominently on manyPhiladelphia International Records (PIR) recordings before moving on toSalsoul Records as part of the house band for the label. He recorded extensively at Philadelphia'sSigma Sound Studios as part of the group of musicians knows asMFSB. In a 2005 interview withModern Drummer magazine, bassistAnthony Jackson was asked whether he recalled working with Young: "Yes, of course. That was back in the days when I was working withGamble & Huff in Philadelphia. I didn't get to do too much with Earl because I was usually playing withBilly Paul's band, and Norman Farrington was on drums. But as I continued working for Gamble & Huff, I did a few sessions with Earl. My big Earl project was theO'Jays' "For The Love Of Money". I was astounded by his power. It may not come through on the records, but he is an ass-kicker. Listen to a classic Earl Young track likeHarold Melvin & The Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now". There's noclick track. Earl had the drummer's equivalent of perfect pitch. I only saw the term referred to once, and it's called 'infallible rhythm.' Nobody has absolutely perfect time, but you find people likeBuddy Rich andTony Williams who can play without the time drifting. I've also seen studio drumming greatJames Gadson demonstrate infallible rhythm. I've seen him overdub drums on a track without a click track, and it's just perfect. I haven't spoken to Earl Young since we cut that record, but I've never forgotten those sessions. Earl stands as one of the great drummers. I'll never forget the impact that he made."[6]
In 1989, newcomersTen City sought out Young to work on their first album for thehouse music scene, and even commissioned Young toremix of some of the material and as a session drummer.
In September 2008, Young joined some other ex-MFSB musicians on the Carl Dixon/Bobby Eli session at Eli's Studio E in Philadelphia where four new songs were recorded. The rhythm section included Young, Eli, Dennis Harris (the cousin of the Philadelphia guitaristNorman Harris) on guitar, Jimmy Williams (bass guitar), T Conway (keyboards) and Rikki Hicks (percussion). Vocalists on the session were the Philadelphia harmony groupDouble Exposure performing "Soul Recession", and Chiquita Green.
In 2024 he was featured in thePBS seriesDisco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.[7]
In 1979, Young received aGrammy Award for Album of the Year for theSaturday Night Fever soundtrack.[8]
The Philadelphia Music Alliance (PMA) has honored Young with five bronze plaques on the Walk of Fame on Broad Street. He is recognized as a member of the Trammps, the peerless rhythm section Baker, Harris & Young, along with the Philadelphia International Records studio orchestra MFSB and the Salsoul Orchestra, as well as John Davis & the Monster Orchestra.[9]
In 2016, Young was inducted into theMusicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
In 2025, a street in North Philadelphia was renamed 'Earl Young Way' in his honor.[10]
