Tyrone Garfield Kersey (April 7, 1949 – January 25, 2005), known as Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey, was an American keyboardist, songwriter, producer and arranger most known for writing the music to " Disco Inferno" by The Trammps. Kersey was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, Pennsylvania. He attended and graduated from Edison High School where he sang in the glee club and played football. He was a lifelong football fan and loved his Philadelphia Eagles. Kersey served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

from 1967 through 1972. While in the service he often played piano and keyboards at the local boards. There is where he gained the nickname "have mercy". It was the name the patrons would scream at him as he played because they loved his funky rhythms. Upon returning to Philadelphia, he re-acquainted himself with his longtime friend and musician Norman Harris. Norman was instrumental in Kersey becoming a studio musician at

Sigma Sound Studios Sigma Sound Studios was a recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.. It was founded in 1968 by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia. Located at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was one of the first studios in the United States ...

. He later became a member of the

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

band The Trammps. Kersey did not like the constant travel so he decided to quit the band and concentrate on producing and writing. In 1978 he received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

as producer for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

to '' Saturday Night Fever'' which included "Disco Inferno", which he co-wrote with Leroy Green. He was also a member of

MFSB MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom ...

and the Salsoul Orchestra. He moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1980 and continued his career as a sought after studio musician, producer and songwriter. Kersey suffered a stroke in 1997 and died in Philadelphia in 2005. In addition to co-writing "Disco Inferno", Kersey produced or co-wrote songs that reached the top 20 for other artists. He produced Stephanie Mills’ "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love" which charted at number #1 for two weeks on the R&B charts. It was Mills’ first number one single and would prove to be her most successful single. Ron Kersey was also the producer for her next single "If I Were Your Woman", a cover of the Gladys Knight and the Pips hit that reached number #1 for three weeks on the R&B charts for Stephanie Mills. In addition, he co-wrote "Every Drop of Your Love" for Stacy Lattisaw that peaked at #8 on the R&B charts. He co-wrote the classic slow jam "Send for Me" with his friend Sam Dees for Atlantic Starr which peaked at #16. For Evelyn "Champagne" King, he co-wrote "Kisses Don’t Lie" with Alex Brown peaking at #17 on the R&B charts. Kersey also appears on many

Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. ...

as a studio musician most notably ''

Teddy Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to: People Nickname * Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator * Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer * Tedd ...

'' by Teddy Pendergrass, ''Unmistakably Lou'' by Lou Rawls and ''

Message in the Music ''Message in the Music'' is a 1976 album by American R&B group the O'Jays. Released in 1976 on the Philadelphia International Records label. Recorded at the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with six of the eight tracks written and produce ...

'' by The O'Jays.

References

External links

*
Ron Kersey at Soulwalking.co.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kersey, Ron 1949 births 2005 deaths American disco musicians American music arrangers 20th-century American keyboardists American organists 20th-century American pianists Record producers from Pennsylvania Songwriters from Pennsylvania Musicians from Philadelphia Grammy Award winners MFSB members The Trammps members