When Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, it put again placed a focus on the legacy of “Philly” Soul. The success, in recent years, of Philadelphia based acts like Boyz II Men, Jill Scott, The Roots, Musiq, Eric Roberson, Jaguar Wright, Kindred the Family Soul and of course the timeless presence of Patti Labelle has helped give the very idea of Philly Soul contemporary cache. But all too often memories of the classic days of Philly Soul fail to recall the impact of Philly based doo-wop acts, which featured high-pitched lead vocalist and many of the forgotten musicians and producers that gave the city its signature sound.
At the height of their power, Gamble and Huff managed Philadelphia International Records (the groundbreaking black boutique label) and presided over a music publishing company known as “Mighty Three Publishing.” The third member of that triad was Thom Bell, a stanchly independent, Caribbean bred musician and producer who always resisted joining the Philly International’s camp. Instead Bell chose to free-lance giving him the liberty to work with artists that he wanted to work with. The product of that independence are definitive Soul recordings from The Delfonics, The Stylistics and The Spinners. Here’s a playlist of some of the best of the Thom Bell Sessions:
“La-La (Means I Love You)”—The Delfonics (1968)
“Can You Remember?”—The Delfonics (1968)
The Delfonics were the first Philly Soul group that Thom Bell had regular success with. They would never reach the super-group status of groups like The Stylistics and The Spinners, but like their New York City based peers The Main Ingredient, they were the quintessential East-Coast Soul harmony group of the late 1960s. “La-La (Means I Love You)”, co-written with William Hart, from the Delfonics album of the same title, is just timeless, from the simplicity of the lyrics: “Now I don’t wear a diamond ring and I don’t even have song to sing, all I know is la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…la mean, I love you,” to the earnestness of lead singer William Hart’s soaring falsetto. “Can You Remember?” was a product of the same session. The genius of both songs song was not lost on a young Michael Jackson—a big fan of Hart—who recorded a handful of Bell compositions including “Can You Remember?” on the Jackson Five’s first Motown recording Diana Ross Presents and “La La” on The Jackson Five’s ABC (1970) recording.
“People Make the World Go ‘Round”—The Stylistics (1971)
As would be a regular occurrence with Bell, once he did all that he could with a group, he would move on to the next challenge. That next challenge was Russell Thompkins, Jr. and the Stylistics. Thompkins, who is one of the most legendary falsettos of all time, fit perfectly into Bell’s Philly-Soul sensibilities. What Bell was able to bring into the mix (literally) that he didn’t with The Delfonics were lush arrangements. With new writing partner Linda Creed in tow, the Stylistics recorded a string of classic recordings including, “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “Betcha by Golly Wow” and “Break Up to Make Up”. Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Al Green, notwithstanding, Bell’s work with the Stylistics in the early 1970s was the definitive Pop-Soul sound of the era—a sound you hear a generation later in the work of Antonio “LA” Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. But I always go back to that very first album, when the stakes were less, and find the brilliance of “People Make the World Go Round.” Powerful and subtle social commentary (with the winds of change literally blowing in the background) with an insurgent energy that aimed to find the human connection of it all. The song was never more powerfully employed than in the opening segment of Spike Lee’s period piece Crooklyn.
“You Are Everything”—The Stylistics (1971)
“Today I saw somebody who looked just like you/she walked like you do/I thought it was you/As she turned the corner/I called out your name, I felt so ashamed, when it wasn’t you…” Damn. Thom Bell wrote those lyrics only a short time after mistakenly believing that he saw someone he knew in the street. These lyrics to again highlight how Bell and Creed often took simple everyday experiences and turned them into lyrics and melodies that just tugged at the heart. I mean damn, who hasn’t thought they saw a long lost boyfriend and girlfriend walking across the street or on a passing subway train and then spent the next hour lamenting about what could have been?
“I’ll be Around”—The Spinners (1973)
When signed to Motown in the late 1960s, The Spinners were little more than an afterthought. After a still youthful Stevie Wonder provided them with the gift, “It’s A Shame” in 1970, the group bounced to Atlantic (sans co-lead vocalist GC Cameron) with Philippe Wynne joining Bobby Smith on lead vocals. As the story goes, Atlantic offered Thom Bell the opportunity to record any act on their roster (which at the time included Donny Hathaway and Aretha Franklin) and he choose The Spinners. The rest is history, as the B-side of the first Spinners/Bell single, “I’ll Be Around” can still be heard on cell phone commercials 35-years after its release. Classics like “Could It be I’m Falling in Love,” “Mighty Love” and everybody’s favorite mama song, “Sadie” would soon follow.
“Mama Can’t Buy You Love”—Elton John (1979)
On the surface, Elton John and Thom Bell seem like an odd pairing, but John was a big fan (like David Bowie) of American Soul music, and the Philly Sound in particular; John’s 1975 classic “Philadelphia Freedom,” was in part a tribute to Mighty Three. Though the so-called Thom Bell Sessions did not result in a full album—Bell and John reportedly butted heads in what was John’s first session minus writing partner Bernie Taupin—a 12-inch featuring the hit “Mama Can’t Buy You Love, which was John’s first hit in three years. The full Thom Bell Sessions, with six completed songs was released in 1989/
“Silly”—Deniece Williams (1981)
“It’s Gonna Take a Miracle”—Deniece (1982)
One of the reasons that Bell desired to be more of an independent producer, was the often failing health of his wife; as the professional pressures began to mount, Bell left Philadelphia for Seattle, working much less frequently. One artists who compelled him to return back to the studio was Deniece Williams, one time backing vocalist for Stevie Wonder. Williams had experienced moderate success, most notably with the single “Free” from her debut This is Niecy (1976), before Bell joined her to work on My Melody in 1981. That session produced the now classic “Silly.” Bell and Williams reteamed a year later for Niecy, which produced the cross-over hit “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.” The song was originally recorded by the Royalettes in 1965 and later by Laura Nyro and Labelle, in a session that was produced by Bell’s Mighty Three partners, Gamble and Huff. The song earned Williams her first Grammy Award nomination.
“Old Friend”—Phyllis Hyman--Living All Alone (1986)
Bell’s writing partner Linda Creed was diagnosed with breast cancer in the late 1970s and as Bell began to retreat from day to day activities in the recording industry, Creed sought other writing partners, including Michael Masser, with whom she wrote “The Greatest Love of All” (initially recorded by George Benson, but a major pop hit for Whitney Houston in 1986, the same year that Creed succumbed cancer. In the backdrop of Houston’s success, the late Phyllis Hyman released her career defining release Living All Alone, which included one of the last major collaborations between Creed and Bell, with “Old Friend.”
by Mark Anthony Neal