Ohio Players Tour Dates Now Listed Online! (March 2002)
Our sister site WFNK.com has just opened a huge database listing all funk and soul troudates! It's called the LiveFunk Database and it's located at http://wfnk.com/cgi-bin/livefunk.cgi and you guessed it - OP is in there along with tons of other funk and soul artists. Never miss the funk when it comes to your town again!
Hear OP online, some small changes, and a teaser (October 2000)
I've made a few link improvements as well as cleaning up some behind the scenes stuff. I haven't heard any news from the band in a while, but I suggest keeping an eye on Pollstar to see when they are playing. Also, I received a great tour program from 1976 that I plan on scanning and putting up on the site. It's got great photos and quotes from the guys at the height of OP funk power. Look for that before Christmas.
Oh and one more thing: The WFNK Radio Nutwork features a great station called WFNK Radio that plays lots of Ohio Players, especially the more obscure stuff! Check it out at http://wfnk.com/radio.
OP Webcast to be Rebroadcast June 9, 2000 (June 2000)
If you missed the great webcast from the House of Blues in March, HOB.com is re-running the show. It is free up to 56k modem users, and they also offer a broadband stream for a few bucks. I caught the 'cast back in March and it was a great performance with a great set-list. Check out the details by clicking the banner above or click here.
Webcast Rescheduled for March 30 (March 2000)
The House of Blues website was down for the entire weekend, so we were all dissapointed when we were unable to access the exclusive Ohio Players webcast. This was after we were upset about the Windows-only high bandwidth streams available. Luckily HOB has rescheduled the webcast for this Thursday March 30 at 9pm PST. The show was actually taped in February so it's not clear why we have to wait until then and fight through a possibly sluggish server, but we won't know until we try on Thursday. The direct link to the Ohio Players Webcast page is here.
Ohio Players perform live on the internet! (March 2000)
If you can't catch OP in your town, or even if you can, head over to the House of Blues website at http://www.hob.com on March 24th and check out the upcoming pay-per-view webcast of OP live! It looks like the lower bandwidth streams are free, but to experience Dayton fungk in it's broad bandwidth beauty you have to charge up the old credit card. I believe the price is under $10 so it should be well worth it. The show starts at 6pm pacific, but I think it is available for 24hours. Of course, check with the HOB website for all the details. If you can't find the link to the OP show page, go directly to it here.
OP CD review at WFNK.com (March 2000)
The monthly funk magazine WFNK.com has devoted some space to OP this month - a review of the Ol' School CD here. Also be sure to check out the back issues of WFNK.com for more great Ohio Players material.
A few more tour dates (March 2000)
Here are a few more 2000 dates OP just added:
Mar 11 - Sunrise, FL - Alligator Alley
May 27 - Hartford, CT - Downtown Hartford
July 28 - Cincinnati, OH - Cinergy Field
Sept 27 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
Hey, we have tour dates! (February 2000)
The first payoff from our meeting with Diamond is some official OP Tour Dates! Most definitely head out and support the guys if they come near your town. The band is stronger than ever. Here's where you can catch the OP in the next few weeks:
Feb 7 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum **taping of "Fire" for inclusion in the R&B Hall of Fame in Seattle
Feb 11 - West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues **for the live webcast
Feb 12 - Indio, CA - Fantasy Springs Casino **with Chaka Khan
Diamond contacts Brainstorm Media - Good Things™ are sure to follow (February 2000)
OP drummer and leader James "Diamond" Williams recently contacted DJ Raz here at Brainstorm Media to compliment him on the site and to arrange a meeting to discuss further web plans. We are very excited about this opportunity and hope to have some news regarding this "official" arrangement soon.
Pee Wee Passes (November 1997)
We have confirmation that Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks, a founding member of the Ohio Players and in the band for almost 30 years (!) has passed away. Sorry I have no further details regarding cause or exact date. Please email with further information.
Clarence "Satch" Satchell dies (January 1996)
This was sent from Darrell Johnson. The article is in the Jan. 29, 1996 issue of "Jet" magazine. Page 18 reads as follows:
Clarence G. Satchell, one of the key organizers and a former musicians with the popular '70s R&B group the Ohio Players, recently died from a brain aneurysm in Dayton, OH. He was 55. A saxophonist and flutist, Satchell, who went by the stage name Satch, left the Grammy-nominated soul group in 1978. The Ohio Players are known for such tunes as "Skin Tight", "Fire", "I Want To Be Free" and "Love Roller Coaster". He is survived by his wife, Rafat Nasrin Satchell, his father, a son, five daughters and six grandchildren.
