The Players Association

The Players Association is a studio group based in New York, formed in 1977 by drummer and arranger Chris Hills and producer Danny Weiss. They began their music career on Vanguard Records in 1977 with the release of their debut album The Players' Association which featured leading jazz session musicians such as Joe Farrell, David Sanborn, James Mtume, Bob Berg, Mike Mandel, synthesist Marcus Barone, and Lorraine Moore on vocals. Their breakthrough came with the cover of "Disco Inferno", originally by The Trammps, which became an underground club hit in the United States and the United Kingdom. The track featured notable solos from trumpeter Jon Faddis, Michael Brecker, and David Sanborn. Following this success, they released another album Born to Dance (1977) and the single "Turn the Music Up!". Their second biggest hit, "Turn the Music Up!", peaked at number 8 in the UK Singles Chart and prompted a British tour. The group's popularity was more pronounced in the United Kingdom where they scored three chart singles including "Ride the Groove" (1979) which reached number 42, and "We Got the Groove" (1980), peaking at number 61. Between 1977 and 1981, The Players Association released five albums including You Angel You (1979), We Got The Groove! (1980), and Let Your Body Go! (1981). Following their disbandment, a posthumous compilation album titled "The Players Association + Turn the Music Up!" was released in 1998.