By Frank “Smokin” Truatt
Do you have a favorite genre of music? I guess we all do. Some of us like classic rock or oldies. Some like country music and others like rap or hip-hop. I believe that every genre of music has something we’ll find entertaining, something that speaks to us. Now, musical tastes can vary over time, but I have been consistent in my favorite genre of music. Although I like every type of music like those songs on the top 40 charts, my favorite artists came from the Philadelphia area in the 70’s. The sound was known as “The Sound of Philadelphia” or “Philly Soul.”
It began in the 1960’s, but hit its peak in the 1970’s. The arrangements were lush with a strong presence of strings and horns. There was a lot to listen to with each release. The genre was created by songwriters and producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff along with Bunny Sigler and later in the 1970’s, Thom Bell. The artists that connected with these and other great producers from Philadelphia included a top 40 roster of hitmakers….. The Spinners, The Stylistics, The O’Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes with Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees, The Trammps, McFadden and Whitehead, Blue Magic, Billy Paul and many others.
This was not Motown! Motown was not as lavish as The Sound of Philadelphia. The harmonies were great, but the music was driven by that full orchestral sound. With a mix of the top Philadelphia studio musicians, this unique sound was developed. The musicians even released their own music under the name MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother) with a major hit appropriately called TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia). Although the studio musicians performed with many artists, each group had their own distinctive style. Harold Melvin had Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals while the Stylistics had Russel Thompkins Junior doing those incredible ballads.
This kind of music, like all the other musical genres, had a limited run. It was pretty much over by the end of the 70’s, eventually setting the stage for disco and the first commercially successful 12-inch single “Ten Percent” by Double Exposure. The Philly Soul sound influenced Hall and Oates and even David Bowie who recorded “Young Americans” in Philadelphia. So, take a break and get ready to sing along to some great uplifting music from Philadelphia, we all need a bit of positivity these days.
