| Philadelphia International Records | |
| Founded: | 1971 (53 years ago) |
| Defunct: | 2001 |
| Distributor: | Legacy Recordings (re-issues) |
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. It was known for showcasing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as Philly soul) that was founded on the gospel, doo-wop and soul music of the time. This sound later marked a prominent and distinct era within the R&B genre.[1] During the 1970s, the label released a string of worldwide hits that emphasized lavish orchestral instrumentation, heavy bass and driving percussion.
Some of its most popular and best selling acts included the O'Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, MFSB, Billy Paul, Patti LaBelle, and Lou Rawls. Between 1971 and the early 1980s, the label released more than 170 gold and platinum records.[2]
Philadelphia International Records had been mostly defunct since 1987 and finally shut down in 2001. As of 2007, Sony Music Entertainment owns all rights to the Philadelphia International Records catalogue.[3]
Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the founders of Philadelphia International Records, met in 1964 while they were both playing as session musicians for various labels, including Philadelphia based Cameo-Parkway Records, whose building would later become home to Philadelphia International Records' recording studio. In 1965, Huff joined Gamble's band, the Romeos, a popular moniker at the time, by replacing future Philadelphia International Records producer and arranger Thom Bell on piano. Gamble and the Romeos had seen little success playing for their label, Arctic Records, and split up soon after.
When the Romeos disbanded, Gamble and Huff started one of the first iterations of Philadelphia International Records (which they named Excel and Gamble) after a visit to Motown Records in Detroit to scope out the Motown setup. The success of their biggest signing, the Intruders, brought attention to Gamble and Huff allowing them to create Neptune Records in 1969. Neptune Records, a more ambitious project for the duo, was financed by Chess Records; thus they were able to sign later Philadelphia International Records artists the O'Jays and the Three Degrees.
When Chess Records changed ownership in 1969, Neptune Records folded. Gamble and Huff transferred their signed artists to a new project, Philadelphia International Records.[4] Looking to attract new black acts to their label, but without the in-house know-how, Columbia Records was convinced to sign an exclusive production contract with Gamble and Huff's new Philadelphia International Records.[5] The label was set up in connection with Mighty Three/Assorted Music, the music publishing company which was run by Gamble, Huff, and Thom Bell, a Philadelphia producer, to showcase their songs.
The label's major hits included: "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB, featuring the Three Degrees, 1974 (which was later used as one of the theme tunes for the TV dance-music show Soul Train); "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead (writers and producers with the label), 1979; "Back Stabbers" and "Love Train" by the O'Jays, 1972/3; "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, 1972/3; "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul, 1972; "When Will I See You Again" by the Three Degrees, 1974; and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" by Lou Rawls, 1976.
The label had a distribution deal with CBS Records until 1984. Distribution of the catalog from 1976 onward was taken over by EMI Records, but CBS continued to distribute material which was recorded up to 1976. In 2007, Sony's Legacy Recordings regained the rights to Philadelphia International's full catalog and the following year, PIR/Legacy released a box set titled Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia.[6]
Most of the music which was released by the label was recorded and produced at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with chief engineer and later studio owner Joe Tarsia recording many of the sessions.[7] More than 30 resident studio musicians, known collectively as MFSB ("Mother Father Sister Brother"), were based at this studio and backed up most of the recordings. Some of the musicians also acted as arrangers, writers, or producers for Philadelphia International as well as for other labels recording in the city. They included Bobby Martin,[8] Norman Harris, Thom Bell, Ronnie Baker, Vince Montana and, later, Jack Faith, Dexter Wansel, and John Usry.
Gamble and Huff worked as independent producers with a series of artists in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Jerry Butler, Wilson Pickett, and Dusty Springfield. They also produced the Jacksons' first two albums for Epic/CBS after the group left Motown in 1976. The first, titled The Jacksons, featured the platinum-selling single "Enjoy Yourself", and a second album, Goin' Places, followed in 1977. Although they were released on a CBS subsidiary, Epic, both albums and the singles also had a Philadelphia International logo.
In 1965, Gamble and Huff started an independent label, Excel Records. It was soon renamed Gamble Records and in 1972, was folded into Philadelphia International as a subsidiary. In 1974, the subsidiary's name was changed to TSOP Records, taken from the title of the 1974 hit single "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)". Artists for Excel/Gamble/TSOP included Dee Dee Sharp, Archie Bell & the Drells, and the People's Choice who had a top 10 single on TSOP in 1976 with "Do It Any Way You Wanna". Later signings to the Philly International roster in the 1980s and 1990s included Patti LaBelle, the Stylistics, Phyllis Hyman, and the Dells.
Between 1973 and 1975, Gamble and Huff also distributed a boutique label called Golden Fleece, set up by musicians Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, and Earl Young, which released the second album by the Trammps. Gamble and Huff also launched a short-lived subsidiary called Thunder Records. Created by Thom Bell, it only had two singles: Derek & Cyndi's "You Bring Out the Best in Me/I'll Do the Impossible for You", which was produced by Bell, and Fatback Band member Michael Walker's "I Got the Notion, You Got the Motion", produced by his brother and Spinners member Philippe Wynne.[9]
By the mid-1980s, Philadelphia International Records had ended the distribution deal that they had with Columbia. The label was soon after picked up by Capitol/EMI Records. They continued to make hits, including Shirley Jones' "Do You Get Enough Love", but their most successful years were behind them. In the 1990s, Philadelphia International launched a new subsidiary, Uncensored Records. Featuring Damon and No Question, the label releases hip hop music. Philadelphia International now largely concentrates on licensing its music catalog worldwide and has issued few new recordings since the mid-1980s when Gamble and Huff wound down their studio work together.
In 1989, Gamble and Huff won their first Grammy Award. Simply Red's cover of "If You Don't Know Me By Now" which was written by Gamble and Huff, received the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.[10] In 1999, Gamble and Huff were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Grammy from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. In 2008, the duo was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category, joining their band the O'Jays, who were inducted in 2005.[11]
In November 2009, PBS aired a two-part special, Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia, that focuses on Gamble and Huff and the family of Philadelphia International Records artists. The concert was shot with a live audience on June 7, 2008 at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City; it showcased TSOP artists.
In February 2010, fire swept through part of the offices on Philadelphia's Broad Street. The building was previously the home of another iconic part of the city's musical heritage, Cameo-Parkway Records, based there during the 1950s and 1960s; it had become a tourist attraction. The fire was started deliberately by a man who had broken into the offices while so intoxicated by alcohol that he had no later recollection of the crime.[12]
In August 2011, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the company, Philadelphia International Records launched TSOP Soul Radio, an online radio station that airs music and interviews from the Gamble and Huff catalog.
The building that housed Philadelphia International Records located on Broad and Spruce Streets was damaged by arson in 2010 and effectively was shut down. It was sold to local developer Dranoff Properties in 2014. On April 18, 2015, demolition started on the building. Dranoff Properties announced plans to build an SLS International Hotel at the site of the building.[13] It is now home to the 47-story Arthaus Condominiums, where there is a tribute to Philadelphia International Records on display in the lobby.
Gamble and Huff have written more than 3,000 songs throughout their careers, making them two of the most efficient and productive songwriters of all time. They continue to write songs together from their homes in South Philadelphia.[14]
Philadelphia soul, or Philly soul, is a form of soul music that emanated from Philadelphia during the mid-1960s. It provided a smoother alternative to the deep soul of the 1960s while maintaining the soul and emotion of popular R&B of the time.[15] Philadelphia International Records was one of the most successful labels to capitalize on this new genre with acts such as the O'Jays and Teddy Pendergrass.
Philly soul is known for its incorporation of lush string arrangements along with penetrating brass, and often tells very personal and emotional stories. The world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra's string section was often employed to play on many of Philadelphia International Records' tracks.[16] Philly soul is often considered a producer's genre, the essence of the genre coming mostly from Gamble, Huff, Bell, and the other producers within PIR. Philly soul, with its driving rhythms, later became an inspiration for the disco craze of the 1970s.
Catalog numbers from 1971 to 1985 are part of CBS Records' overall numbering system, and therefore are discontinuous. Albums released from 1986-1990 were part of Capitol/EMI catalog numbering system. Catalog numbers for albums released after 1991 are from Philadelphia International's distribution deal with Zoo Entertainment.
| Catalog | Album | Artist | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| KZ 30580 | Going East | Billy Paul | 1971 |
| KZ 31648 | I Miss You | Harold Melvin & Blue Notes | 1972 |
| KZ 31712 | Back Stabbers | O'Jays | 1972 |
| KZ 31793 | 360 Degrees of Billy Paul | Billy Paul | 1972 |
| KZ 31794 | Dick Jensen | 1973 | |
| ZX 31991 | Save The Children (originally released on Gamble Records) | 1973 | |
| KZ 32046 | MFSB | MFSB | 1973 |
| KZ 32118 | Ebony Woman (originally released in 1970 on Neptune Records) | Billy Paul | 1973 |
| KZ 32119 | Feelin' Good at the Cadillac Club (originally released in 1968 on Gamble Records) | Billy Paul | 1973 |
| KZ 32120 | The O'Jays In Philadelphia (originally released in 1970 on Neptune Records) | O'Jays | 1973 |
| KZ 32131 | Super Hits | Intruders | 1973 |
| KZ 32404 | Spiritual Concept | Spiritual Concept | 1973 |
| KZ 32406 | The Three Degrees | Three Degrees | 1973 |
| KZ/ZQ 32407 | Black And Blue | Harold Melvin & Blue Notes | 1973 |
| KZ/PZ/PZQ 32408 | Ship Ahoy | O'Jays | 1973 |
| KZ 32409 | War Of The Gods | Billy Paul | 1973 |
| KZ 32419 | The Ebonys | Ebonys | 1973 |
| KZ/ZQ 32707 | Love is the Message | MFSB | 1973 |
| KZ 32713 | The Sound Of Philadelphia '73 | Various Artists | 1973 |
| KZ 32859 | That's How I'll Be Loving You | 1974 | |
| KZ 32952 | Live In Europe | Billy Paul | 1974 |
| KZ/PZQ 32953 | The O'Jays Live In London | O'Jays | 1974 |
| KZ/PZ 33148 | To Be True | Harold Melvin & Blue Notes | 1975 |
| KZ 30584 | You Will Remember Me | King Cason | 1975 |
| KZ 33150 | Survival | O'Jays | 1975 |
| KZ 33152 | Potpourri | Thad Jones & Mel Lewis | 1975 |
| KZ 33153 | Reality | Monk Montgomery | 1974 |
| KZ 33154 | Boogie Down U.S.A. | 1975 | |
| PZ 33157 | Got My Head on Straight | Billy Paul | 1975 |
| PZ 33158 | Universal Love | MFSB | 1975 |
| KZ 33162 | International | Three Degrees | 1975 |
| KZ 33249 | Keep Smilin' | Bunny Sigler | 1975 |
| PZ/PZQ 33807 | Family Reunion | O'Jays | 1975 |
| PZ/PZQ 33808 | Wake Up Everybody | Harold Melvin & Blue Notes | 1975 |
| PZ 33839 | Happy 'Bout The Whole Thing | 1976 | |
| PZ 33840 | The Three Degrees Live | Three Degrees | 1975 |
| PZ 33841 | Could It Be Magic | Anthony White | 1976 |
| PZ 33843 | When Love Is New | Billy Paul | 1975 |
| PZ/PZQ 33845 | Philadelphia Freedom | MFSB | 1975 |
| PZ 33957 | All Things in Time | Lou Rawls | 1976 |
| PZ 33958 | Travelin' In Heavy Traffic | 1976 | |
| PZ 34079 | Life On Mars | 1976 | |
| PZ 34110 | Circles | City Limits | 1975 |
| PZ 34122 | From North Philly (Live) | 1976 | |
| PZ 34123 | Unemployment Blues | Force Of Nature | 1976 |
| JE/PE 34229 | The Jacksons | Jacksons | 1976 |
| PZ 34232 | Harold Melvin & Blue Notes | 1976 | |
| PZ 34238 | Summertime | MFSB | 1976 |
| PZ 34245 | Message in the Music | O'Jays | 1976 |
| PZ 34267 | My Music | Bunny Sigler | 1976 |
| PZ 34323 | Where Will You Go When The Party's Over | Archie Bell & the Drells | 1976 |
| PZ 34346 | Bicentennial Poet | Jean-Claude T. | 1976 |
| PZ 34358 | Get Down With The Philly Jump | 1976 | |
| PZ 34389 | Let 'Em In | Billy Paul | 1976 |
| JZ34390 | Teddy Pendergrass | Teddy Pendergrass | 1977 |
| PZ 34394 | Jean Carn | 1977 | |
| PZ 34437 | What Color Is Love | Dee Dee Sharp | 1977 |
| PZ 34487 | What the World Is Coming To | Dexter Wansel | 1977 |
| PZ 34488 | Unmistakably Lou | Lou Rawls | 1977 |
| PZ 34658 | End Of Phase I | MFSB | 1977 |
| PZ 34659 | Let's Clean Up The Ghetto | Various Artists | 1977 |
| PZ 34684 | Travelin' at the Speed of Thought | O'Jays | 1977 |
| ZX 34728 | Disco Champs | Trammps | 1977 |
| JE/PE 34835 | Goin' Places | Jacksons | 1977 |
| PZ 34855 | Hard Not To Like It | Archie Bell & the Drells | 1977 |
| PZ 34923 | Only The Strong Survive | Billy Paul | 1977 |
| PZ 34940 | Philadelphia Classics | Various Artists | 1977 |
| PZ 34985 | Voyager | Dexter Wansel | 1978 |
| PZ 34986 | Happy To Be With You | Jean Carn | 1978 |
| PGZ 35024/Z 2-35024 | The O'Jays: Collectors' Items | O'Jays | 1977 |
| JZ35036 | When You Hear Lou, You've Heard It All | Lou Rawls | 1977 |
| JZ35095 | Life Is a Song Worth Singing | Teddy Pendergrass | 1978 |
| JZ/PZ 35355 | So Full of Love | O'Jays | 1978 |
| JZ35363 | Turn Me Loose | People's Choice | 1978 |
| JZ35458 | Past, Present And The Futures | Futures | 1978 |
| JZ35509 | Rush Hour | 1978 | |
| JZ35510 | Nothing Says I Love You Like I Love You | 1978 | |
| JZ35516 | MFSB | 1978 | |
| PZ 2-35517 | Live | Lou Rawls | 1978 |
| JZ35756 | First Class | Billy Paul | 1979 |
| JZ35757 | The Jones Girls | Jones Girls | 1979 |
| JZ35758 | Edwin Birdsong | 1979 | |
| JZ35800 | McFadden & Whitehead | 1979 | |
| FZ36003 | Teddy | Teddy Pendergrass | 1979 |
| JZ/PZ 36006 | Let Me Be Good to You | Lou Rawls | 1979 |
| JZ36007 | Michael Pedicin Jr. | Michael Pedicin Jr. | 1979 |
| JZ36024 | Time Is Slipping Away | Dexter Wansel | 1979 |
| JZ36025 | Midnight Dancer | Silk | 1979 |
| FZ36027 | Identify Yourself | O'Jays | 1979 |
| JZ36036 | Frantique | 1979 | |
| JZ36096 | Strategy | Archie Bell & the Drells | 1979 |
| JZ36097 | The Force | Force | 1979 |
| JZ36196 | When I Find You Love | Jean Carn | 1979 |
| JZ36294 | Live! Coast to Coast | Teddy Pendergrass | 1979 |
| JZ/PZ 36304 | Sit Down and Talk to Me | Lou Rawls | 1979 |
| JZ36313 | The Harris Machine | 1980 | |
| Z 2-36314 | Best Of Billy Paul | Billy Paul | 1980 |
| JZ36370 | Dee Dee | Dee Dee Sharp | 1980 |
| JZ36413 | The Best Love | Jerry Butler | 1980 |
| JZ36414 | Greetings Of Peace | Futures | 1981 |
| JZ36745 | TP | Teddy Pendergrass | 1980 |
| JZ36758 | Here to Create Music | Leon Huff | 1980 |
| JZ36767 | At Peace with Woman | Jones Girls | 1980 |
| JZ36774 | Shades of Blue | Lou Rawls | 1980 |
| FZ/PZ 37380 | The Spirit's in It | Patti LaBelle | 1981 |
| FZ37491 | It's Time for Love | Teddy Pendergrass | 1981 |
| FZ37627 | Get as Much Love as You Can | Jones Girls | 1981 |
| FZ37683 | Live On Stage | Various Artists | 1982 |
| FZ37684 | Best Of Philadelphia International | Various Artists | 1982 |
| FZ37955 | 1982 | 1982 | |
| FZ37999 | My Favorite Person | O'Jays | 1982 |
| FZ38118 | This One's For You | Teddy Pendergrass | 1982 |
| FZ/PZ 38518 | When Will I See You Again | O'Jays | 1983 |
| FZ38539 | I'm in Love Again | Patti LaBelle | 1983 |
| FZ38555 | Keep It Comin' | Jones Girls | 1984 |
| FZ38646 | Heaven Only Knows | Teddy Pendergrass | 1983 |
| FZ39251 | Greatest Hits | O'Jays | 1984 |
| FZ39252 | Greatest Hits | Teddy Pendergrass | 1984 |
| PZ 39254 | Philadelphia International Dance Classics, Vol. I | Various Artists | 1984 |
| PZ 39255 | Philly Ballads, Volume I | Various Artists | 1984 |
| FZ39285 | Classics | Lou Rawls | 1984 |
| FZ39367 | Love And More | O'Jays | 1984 |
| FZ40020 | Patti | Patti LaBelle | 1985 |
| ST-53015 | Love Fever | The O'Jays | 1985 |
| ST-53028 | The Whitehead Brothers | Kenny & Johnny | 1986 |
| ST-53029 | Living All Alone | 1986 | |
| ST-53031 | Always In The Mood | Shirley Jones | 1986 |
| ST-53036 | Let Me Touch You | O'Jays | 1987 |
| 11006-1 | Prime of My Life | 1991 | |
| 11008-1 | Universe | Universe | 1991 |
| 11023-1 | I Salute You | 1992 | |
| 11040-1 | I Refuse to Be Lonely | Phyllis Hyman | 1995 |
| 30902 | Forever with You | Phyllis Hyman | 1998 |