Philadelphia soul

Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly

soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound,
or TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia), is a
genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music
characterized by funk influences and lush
instrumental arrangements, often
featuring sweeping strings and piercing
horns. The genre laid the groundwork for
disco by fusing the R&B rhythm sections
of the 1960s with the pop vocal tradition,
and featuring a slightly more pronounced
jazz influence in its melodic structures and
arrangements. Fred Wesley, the
trombonist of the James Brown band and
Parliament-Funkadelic, described the
signature deep but orchestrated sound as
"putting the bow tie on funk."[1]
 Philadelphia soul
Other names Philly soul •
The Philadelphia
sound •
Phillysound • TSOP

Stylistic origins Soul • funk •

rhythm and blues •
big band •
baroque pop •
Philly music

Cultural origins Late 1960s,

Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania,
United States
Derivative forms Disco • smooth jazz
Regional scenes

Philadelphia

Style
Due to the emphasis on sound and
arrangement and the relative anonymity of
many of the style's players, Philadelphia
soul is often considered a producers'
genre.[2] Bunny Sigler, Kenny Gamble and
Leon Huff were credited with developing
the genre.[3][4]

Philadelphia soul songwriters and

producers included Bobby Martin,[5] Thom
Bell, Linda Creed, Norman Harris, Dexter
Wansel, and the production teams of
McFadden & Whitehead and Gamble &
Huff of Philadelphia International Records,
who worked with a stable of studio
musicians to develop the unique
Philadelphia sound used as backing for
many different singing acts. Many of these
musicians would record as the
instrumental group MFSB, which had a hit
with the seminal Philadelphia soul song
"TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" in
1974[6] .

Notable extensions of the Philadelphia

sound were bassist Ronald Baker, guitarist
Norman Harris and drummer/Trammps
baritone Earl Young (B-H-Y), who also
recorded as the Trammps and would
produce records themselves. These three
were the base rhythm section for MFSB,
and branched off into a sub-label of
Philadelphia International Records called
Golden Fleece, distributed by CBS Records
(now Sony Music). Soon after, Harris
created the Gold Mind label in conjunction
with Salsoul Records. Gold Mind's roster
included First Choice, Loleatta Holloway,
and Love Committee, all of whom would
feature Baker/Harris/Young productions of
their material. Their 1976 hit by Double
Exposure, "Ten Percent", was the first
commercial 12-inch single.

Philadelphia soul was popular throughout

the 1970s, and it set the stage for the
studio constructions of disco and urban
contemporary music that emerged later in
the decade. Its style had a strong influence
on later Philadelphia acts, most notably
The Roots, Vivian Green, Jill Scott and
Musiq Soulchild. David Bowie's 1975
album Young Americans was recorded in
Philadelphia and influenced by the
Philadelphia soul sound.[7]

See also
 Philadelphia International Records
Sigma Sound Studios
Philadelphia Freedom by The Elton John
Band, written for Billie Jean King and her
Philadelphia Freedoms professional
tennis team and part dedicated to the
Philadelphia sound

References
1. Zollo, Paul (1997-08-21). Songwriters
On Songwriting . Da Capo Press.
p. 118. ISBN 978-0-306-80777-0.
2. "Philly Soul Music Genre Overview -
AllMusic" . AllMusic. Retrieved
19 June 2018.
3. "Bunny Sigler, Who Helped Create
1970s Philly Sound, Dies" . NBC
Philadelphia. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
4. Morrison, Jim. "Forty Years of
Philadelphia Sound" . Smithsonian
Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
5. Rizik, Chris. "R.I.P. Legendary soul
music producer Bobby Martin" .
SoulTracks. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
. Jackson, John A. (2004). A House on
Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia
Soul . New York: Oxford University
Press. p. 115. ISBN 0195149726.
Retrieved 18 June 2020.
 7. Van Schaik, Lauren. "Today in Music
History: Bowie Starts Recording at
Sigma Sound" . laurenvanschaik.com.
Archived from the original on 2
February 2016. Retrieved 25 January
2016.

Further reading
Cummings, Tony (1975). The Sound of
Philadelphia. London: Eyre Methuen.
Jackson, John A. (2004). A House on
Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia
Soul. New York: Oxford University Press.
ISBN 0-19-514972-6.
 Moore, Dave & Thornton, Jason (2016).
The There's That Beat! Guide to THE
PHILLY SOUND. Stockholm: Premium
Publishing. ISBN 978-91-89136-86-1.

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