Gamble & Huff index

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Songbook’s Gamble & Huff pages:

• Selected hit songs written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, 1966-1971
  • 1960s songs include
    • 1966 – I’m Gonna Make You Love Me
    • 1967 – Together
    • 1967 – Expressway to Your Heart
    • 1968 – Cowboys to Girls
  • 1970s songs include
    • 1971 – I Bet He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You)
• Selected hit songs written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, 1972-1976
  • 1972 – Me and Mrs. Jones
  • 1972 – Love Train
  • 1972 – If You Don’t Know Me By Now
  • 1973 – When Will I See You Again
  • 1973 – The Love I Lost
  • 1976 – You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine

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Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff (Gamble & Huff)

Biography:

• Kenneth Gamble — Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Leon Huff — Songwriters Hall of Fame
• BrotherMen/The Artists (PBS.org)
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• AllMusic

From the Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff Biography at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff were the architects of the Philly Soul sound. Working jointly on songwriting and production, they made Philadelphia the capital of soul music in the Seventies. Gamble and Huff generated a profusion of soulful hits that had a colorblind appeal. They worked with the O’Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the Intruders, the Three Degrees, McFadden & Whitehead, Jerry Butler, Lou Rawls, Dee Dee Sharp, Phyllis Hyman and others. Their biggest hits, topping both the R&B and pop charts, were jazz singer Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs. Jones”; the O’Jays’ “Love Train”; and the Soul Train theme, “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia),” by MFSB Featuring the Three Degrees. All totaled, Gamble and Huff were behind 15 gold singles and 22 gold albums (8 of which went platinum).

The duo launched Philadelphia International Records label in 1971, giving Motown a run for its money – in terms of sales and influence – in the Seventies. Gamble and Huff’s sophisticated sound included glossy orchestrations; guitars that played glistening octaves or rhythmic chords; jazzy vibes and smooth, grooving saxes; and a memorable lead voice atop satiny group harmonies.

Article:

• The Earliest Days of Gamble and Huff, from John Madara Remembers…at Forgotten Hits

Principal Gamble & Huff record labels include:

• Excel/Gamble/TSOP* (Gamble Records 45 discography)
• Neptune Records
• Philadelphia International Records

From from the Wikipedia article on Philadelphia International Records (adapted):

Philadelphia International:
The label was set up in connection with Mighty Three/Assorted Music, the music publishing company run by Gamble, Huff and another Philadelphia producer, Thom Bell, to showcase their songs. Main artists signed to the label included The O’Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (including lead singer Teddy Pendergrass, who later signed a solo deal), Lou Rawls, The Three Degrees, and Billy Paul.

The label’s major hits included:

• “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)” by MFSB, featuring The Three Degrees, 1974 (which was later adopted as the theme of 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
• “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” by Lou Rawls, 1976

Arrangers for songs written and produced by Gamble & Huff during the period under consideration, 1966-1976, include:

• Bobby Martin (AllMusic); obit/tribute, Philly.com
• Joe Renzetti
• Thom Bell
• Norman Harris
• Roland Chambers (Discogs.com) (AllMusic)

Philadelphia International studio band:

• MFSB

relevant links:

• Philadelphia Soul, aka the Philly Sound, or The Sound of Philadelphia
• Soul Train

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* From the Philadelphia International Records page at Wikipedia:

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, from the aforementioned 1974 hit single, “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)”. Artists for Excel/Gamble/TSOP included Dee Dee Sharp, and Archie Bell & the Drells. Later signings to the Philly International roster in the 1980s and 1990s, included Patti Labelle, The Stylistics, Phyllis Hyman, and The Dells.

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