Play That Funky Music - wikipedia Play That Funky Music `` Play That Funky Music '' Single by Wild Cherry from the album Wild Cherry B - side `` The Lady Wants Your Money '' Released April 1976 Format 7 - inch single Genre Funk rock Length 5 : 00 ( album version ) 3 : 12 ( single version ) Label Epic Songwriter ( s ) Rob Parissi Producer ( s ) Rob Parissi Wild Cherry singles chronology `` Get Down '' ( 1973 ) `` Play That Funky Music '' ( 1976 ) `` Baby Do n't You Know '' ( 1977 ) `` Get Down '' ( 1973 ) `` Play That Funky Music '' ( 1976 ) `` Baby Do n't You Know '' ( 1977 ) `` Play That Funky Music '' is a song written by Rob Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The single was the first released by the Cleveland - based Sweet City record label in April 1976 and distributed by Epic Records. The performers on the recording included lead singer Parissi, electric guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session players Chuck Berginc, Jack Brndiar ( trumpets ), and Joe Eckert and Rick Singer ( saxes ) on the horn riff that runs throughout the song 's verses. The single hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 18, 1976 ; it was also number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over 2 million records and eventually sold 2.5 million in the United States alone. The song was listed at No. 93 on Billboard magazine 's `` All - Time Top 100 Songs '' in 2018. It was also the group 's only U.S. Top 40 song. Contents 1 Chart performance 1.1 Weekly charts 1.2 Year - end charts 1.3 Certifications 2 Vanilla Ice version 2.1 Weekly charts 2.2 Year - end charts 3 Other cover versions 4 Usage in other media 5 See also 6 References Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1976 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 5 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 6 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) 42 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 7 US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles US Billboard National Disco Action Top 30 12 US Cash Box US Record World Year - end charts Chart ( 1976 ) Position Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 88 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) 34 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 16 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 29 US Billboard Hot 100 5 US Cash Box Chart ( 1977 ) Position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 55 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales Canada ( Music Canada ) Gold 75,000 United Kingdom ( BPI ) Silver 200,000 United States ( RIAA ) ( Digital ) Gold 500,000 United States ( RIAA ) ( Physical ) Platinum 2,500,000 shipments figures based on certification alone Vanilla Ice version `` Play That Funky Music '' Single by Vanilla Ice from the album To the Extreme B - side `` Ice Ice Baby '' Released 1989 ( album track ) 1990 ( single ) Format CD single Genre Hip hop Length 4 : 45 Label SBK Songwriter ( s ) Rob Parissi Producer ( s ) Vanilla Ice Vanilla Ice singles chronology `` Play That Funky Music '' ( 1989 ) `` Ice Ice Baby '' ( 1989 ) `` Play That Funky Music '' ( 1989 ) `` Ice Ice Baby '' ( 1989 ) American rapper Vanilla Ice later released a song featuring an interpretation of `` Play That Funky Music ''. Based on this single, the independent record label Ichiban Records signed Vanilla Ice to a record deal, releasing the album Hooked in January 1989, containing `` Play That Funky Music '' and its B - side, `` Ice Ice Baby ''. Songwriter Robert Parissi was not credited. Parissi was later awarded $500,000 in a copyright infringement lawsuit. Although it did not initially catch on, its B - side, `` Ice Ice Baby '', gained more success when a disc jockey played that track instead of the single 's A-side. Following the success of `` Ice Ice Baby '', `` Play That Funky Music '' was reissued as its own single ( with new lyrics ), and peaked at no. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and no. 10 in the UK. Weekly charts Chart ( 1990 -- 1991 ) Peak Position Australia ( ARIA ) 13 Austria ( Ö3 Austria Top 40 ) 19 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 16 Canada ( RPM 10 Dance ) Canada ( RPM 100 Hit Tracks ) 13 Finland ( Suomen virallinen lista ) Germany ( Official German Charts ) 19 Ireland ( IRMA ) Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 14 Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) 12 New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 7 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 14 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 10 US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Hot Dance Music / Maxi - Singles Sales 42 US Billboard Hot R&B Singles 22 US Billboard Hot Rap Singles 7 US Cash Box Year - end charts Chart ( 1991 ) Position Canada ( RPM Dance Tracks ) 44 US Billboard Hot 100 57 Other cover versions An edited version of `` Play That Funky Music '', without `` white boy '', was released for radio airplay around the Boston area, as the original version was briefly banned in that area upon its original release. In place of `` white boy, '' the words, `` hey, funky music '', were substituted ( Epic cat # AE7 1107 ). That version is now a collector 's item. In 1988, the band Roxanne reached number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a cover version. Canadian saxophonist Warren Hill covered the song on his 2005 album PopJazz. Usage in other Media The song appears on the soundtrack of the film Evolution ( 2001 ) and on the open show Ces Gars - Là, a French - Canadian show on V Télé featuring the stand - up comic Sugar Sammy and Simon - Olivier Fecteau. See also List of Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles of 1976 List of Cash Box Top 100 number - one singles of 1976 List of number - one R&B singles of 1976 ( U.S. ) References Jump up ^ Prato, Greg. `` Wild Cherry -- Artist Biography ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 12, 2014. the group was accosted nightly between sets by fans who wanted them to `` Play that funky music. '' It was n't long before Parissi took heed and penned a song under the same title, an infectious ditty that merged funk and rock together. Jump up ^ Scott, Jane ( April 30, 1976 ). `` Discotakes ''. The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. ^ Jump up to : `` National Disco Action Top 30 / Billboard Hot Soul Singles '' ( PDF ). Billboard. September 4, 1976. Retrieved January 2, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Platinum Singles Top ' 76 -- ' 77 Years ''. Billboard. Vol. 90 no. 34. August 26, 1978. p. 114. ISSN 0006 - 2510. Jump up ^ `` Greatest of All Time -- Hot 100 Songs ''. Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- Chart Positions Pre 1989 Part 4 ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Wild Cherry -- Play That Funky Music '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Top RPM Singles : Issue 4356a. '' RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Wild Cherry -- Play That Funky Music ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Wild Cherry -- Play That Funky Music '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Wild Cherry -- Play That Funky Music '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Charts.nz -- Wild Cherry -- Play That Funky Music ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The Hot 100 ''. Billboard. September 18, 1976. Retrieved January 2, 2017. Jump up ^ `` CASH BOX Top 100 Singles -- Week ending SEPTEMBER 11, 1976 ''. Cash Box. Archived from the original on September 2, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The Singles Chart '' ( PDF ). Record World. September 11, 1976. p. 29. ISSN 0034 - 1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Jaaroverzichten 1976 '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top 200 Singles of ' 76 ''. RPM. Vol. 26 no. 14 & 15. Library and Archives Canada. January 8, 1977. Retrieved March 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 - Jaaroverzicht van 1976 '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Jaaroverzichten -- Single 19 '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits for 1976 ''. The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved July 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` The CASH BOX Year - End Charts : 1976 ''. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012... Cash Box. Jump up ^ `` Forum -- ARIA Charts : Special Occasion Charts -- Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts -- 1970s ''. Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 1, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Canadian single certifications -- Wild Cherry -- Play That Funky Music ''. Music Canada. Jump up ^ `` Certified Awards ''. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 15, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` RIAA -- Gold & Platinum Searchable Database -- Play That Funky Music ''. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 12, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Behind The Music : Vanilla Ice. Moment occurs at 10 : 45 ^ Jump up to : `` Ultratop.be -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Westfahl, Gary ( 2000 ). `` Legends of the Fall : Behind the Music ''. Science Fiction, Children 's Literature, and Popular Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 0 - 313 - 30847 - 0. ^ Jump up to : `` Official Singles Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Australian-charts.com -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music ''. ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Austriancharts.at -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music '' ( in German ). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Dance / Urban -- Volume 53, No. 13, March 02 1991 ''. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Top Singles -- Volume 53, No. 13, March 02 1991 ''. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Pennanen, Timo ( 2006 ). Sisältää hitin -- levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 ( in Finnish ) ( 1st ed. ). Helsinki : Tammi. ISBN 978 - 951 - 1 - 21053 - 5. Jump up ^ `` Offiziellecharts.de -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music ''. GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- Play That Funky Music ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Charts.nz -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Vanilla Ice -- Play That Funky Music ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 29, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` To the Extreme -- Awards ''. AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 3, 2013. Jump up ^ `` CASH BOX Top 100 Pop Singles -- Week ending FEBRUARY 9, 1991 ''. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012... Cash Box. Jump up ^ `` Dance / Urban -- Volume 55, No. 3, December 21 1991 ''. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 12, 2014. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits for 1991 ''. The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Allen, Craig ( October 13, 2012 ). `` Meet Wild Cherry ( PHOTOS, VIDEOS ) ''. New Jersey 101.5. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ `` The Hot 100 ''. Billboard. April 9, 1988. Retrieved March 25, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Warren Hill 's -- Popjazz ''. Smooth-jazz.de. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Jump up ^ Roy, Marie - Josée ( April 18, 2014 ). `` `` Ces gars - là '' : Simon - Olivier Fecteau et Sugar Sammy, nouveau duo terrible de V ( VIDÉO ) ``. Le Huffington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2015. Vanilla Ice Main albums Hooked / To the Extreme Mind Blowin ' Hard to Swallow Bi-Polar Platinum Underground W.T.F. ( Wisdom, Tenacity and Focus ) Live album Extremely Live Compilations Back 2 Back Hits The Best of Vanilla Ice Remix album Vanilla Ice Is Back ! Singles `` Play That Funky Music '' `` Hooked '' `` Go Ill '' `` Ice Ice Baby '' `` Satisfaction '' `` I Love You '' `` Stop That Train '' `` Ninja Rap ( song ) '' `` Cool as Ice ( Everybody Get Loose ) '' `` Rollin ' in My 5.0 '' `` Road to My Riches '' `` Get Loose '' `` The Wrath '' `` Roll ' Em Up '' `` Too Cold '' `` S.N.A.F.U. '' `` Stomping Through the Bayou '' `` A.D.D. '' `` Unbreakable '' `` Ice Ice Baby 2001 '' `` Nothing Is Real '' `` Get Your Ass Up '' `` Tha Weed Song '' `` Hot Sex '' `` Elvis Killed Kennedy '' `` Detonator '' `` Survivor '' `` Ninja Rap 2 '' `` Under Pressure ( Ice Ice Baby ) '' `` Born on Halloween '' `` Rock Star Party '' Related articles Cool as Ice Cool as Ice ( soundtrack ) The Vanilla Ice Project List of motocross riders Discography Juggalo Psychopathic Records Gathering of the Juggalos Wild Cherry Members Rob Parissi Allen Wentz Bryan Bassett Ronald Beitle Mark Avsec Donnie Iris Coogie Stoddart Studio albums Wild Cherry ( 1976 ) Electrified Funk ( 1977 ) I Love My Music ( 1978 ) Only the Wild Survive ( 1979 ) Compilations Play the Funk ( 2000 ) Super Hits ( 2002 ) Singles `` Show Me Your Badge / Bring Back the Fire '' ( 1973 ) `` Play That Funky Music '' ( 1976 ) `` I Feel Sanctified '' ( 1976 ) `` Baby Do n't You Know '' ( 1977 ) `` Hold On ( With Strings ) '' ( 1977 ) `` Hot to Trot '' ( 1977 ) `` 123 Kind of Love '' ( 1978 ) `` This Old Heart of Mine '' ( 1978 ) `` Try a Piece of My Love '' ( 1979 ) Promos `` Get Down '' ( 1972 ) `` Show Me Your Badge '' `` Hold On ( With Strings ) '' ( 1977 ) `` Do n't Wait Too Long / Try a Piece of My Love '' ( 1979 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Play_That_Funky_Music&oldid=859891804 '' Categories : 1976 songs 1976 singles 1990 singles Debut singles Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles Billboard Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Songs number - one singles Epic Records singles Songs about music Wild Cherry ( band ) songs Vanilla Ice songs Hidden categories : CS1 Dutch - language sources ( nl ) CS1 Finnish - language sources ( fi ) Use mdy dates from November 2013 Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Canadatopsingles Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Germany2 Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for UK Certification Table Entry usages for Canada All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2011 Singlechart usages for Australia Singlechart usages for Austria Singlechart making named ref Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart usages for Switzerland Talk Contents About Wikipedia Cymraeg Español Português Edit links This page was last edited on 17 September 2018, at 00 : 01 ( UTC ). 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Question: who sang the hit 1976 song play that funky music
Answer: Wild Cherry