Wild Cherry hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with their classic disco hit “Play That Funky Music” on September 18, 1976. The track was released off the group’s self-titled album and featured the B-side "The Lady Wants Your Money.”When the track hit number one on the chart, it claimed the top spot from "(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" by KC & the Sunshine Band. Wild Cherry held on in the top spot through October 2, 1976 when "A Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band claimed the top spot.At the time the song was written, Wild Cherry was playing mostly hard rock, but got an increasing number of requests for funk and disco songs as the 1970s progressed. Drummer Ron Beitle came up with the initial concept during a show at the 2001 club in Cleveland, Ohio when he shouted that frontman Robert Parissi should “play some funky music, white boy!”