5000 Volts is the name of a British disco recording act that achieved success throughout Europe during the 1970s. The group consisted of vocalists Tina Charles and Martin Jay, with a changing group of session musicians.
They released several singles in the mid-1970s, but did not achieve success until radio stations began playing the B-side to their 1975 single, “Bye Love”. The song, “I’m on Fire”, was released in its own right and became a major hit throughout Europe, peaking at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart; and at number 1 on the German and Swedish Singles Charts and also number 10 in South Africa. It was also a major top 10 hit in Australia and charted in the United States where it reached number 26, competing against Jon Gilstrap’s version of the song, which hit number 78.
Although Tina Charles provided the vocals, she was not publicly acknowledged as the group’s singer and for the band’s 1975 appearance on BBC Television’s Top of the Pops they were fronted by singer/actress Luan Peters.
In 1975, the group was expanded by record producer Tony Eyers into a permanent five piece, with the inclusion of Martin Cohen (bass and vocals), Kevin Wells (drums) and Mike Nelson (keyboards). Subsequent singles failed to attract widespread interest in the UK, although the group became popular in South Africa and Germany. Charles left the group after a dispute with the record label and continued with her solo career. She was replaced by Linda Kelly. The next single “Doctor Kiss Kiss” reached number 8 in the United Kingdom, and number 6 in South Africa, but the band struggled to maintain public interest. The group disbanded in 1978.
Martin Jay launched a solo career without success, before returning to his earlier role as a session musician, working for bands such as Enigma, Tight Fit in 1981 and the UK Mixmasters in 1990. In 2012, Tina Charles and Martin Jay reunited to re-record some of their hits. The album Reunited was the result of their reunion.
