Billboard Inferno

The Trammps' vocalist, baritone Jimmy Ellis, has passed away at the age of 74, it's been reported. Ellis is best known for belting out the 1976 disco smash hit, "Disco Inferno."

"Ellis' booming, joyous vocals brilliantly championed the celebratory fervor and atmosphere that made disco both loved and hated among music fans," Wikipedia states.

Other hits with The Trammps include "That's Where the Happy People Go" and "Hold Back the Night." "Disco Inferno" was included on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, and has famously been covered by Tina Turner and by Cyndi Lauper.

Meanwhile, what can I say about a Billboard dance/club chart in which the #1 spot is occupied by a song entitled "F U Betta?" Perhaps that Madonna continues to spiral upward with "Give Me All Your Luvin'," now up four spots from last week, at #5, in a mere three weeks on the chart. At #6 is the now downwardly mobile Kelly Clarkson with a weaker "Stronger."

Blush's ebulliant girl-group sound seems to have exuded some charm as their "Dance On" is at #11, having peaked at #1, and tenaciously charting for a total of 14 weeks.

X-Factor's Melanie Amaro's house-styled rendition of Otis Redding's "Respect" may not make you forget Aretha, but it may make you want to dance. She's up at #12, one spot ahead of Beyonce's "Love on Top," also nudging its way to the top. Also moving higher, at #14, is Yoko Ono and "She Gets Down on Her Knees."

Plumb refuses to drop from the Top 20, snuggled in at #17, which is where the song was ensconced last week. And Erasure's "Be with You" gets a little bounce, up from its previous #21 spot, back to 20.