James Ellis, 'Disco Inferno' singer, dies

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- James T. Ellis, who belted out the refrain "Burn, baby burn!" in a 1970s-era disco hit that's still played in modern sports arenas, has died. He was 74.

Ellis, frontman for The Trammps, died yesterday at a nursing home, said David Turner of Bass-Cauthen Funeral Home in Rock Hill. A cause of death was not immediately known.

The Trammps released "Disco Inferno" -- the song with the popular refrain -- in 1976.

The song was featured in the iconic movie "Saturday Night Fever," its soundtrack winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978. "Disco Inferno" soared to No. 11 on Billboard's Hot 100 on May 27, 1978.

Turner said a memorial service will be held today in Charlotte, N.C.

-- AP