The Terry Gross Interview - Riding Philly's 'Love Train' With Gamble And Huff

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• published: 19 Sep 2014
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Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942,Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and record production team who have written and produced 15 gold singles and 22 gold albums They were pioneers of Philadelphia soul and the in-house creative team for the Philadelphia International Records label. On March 10, 2008, the team was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the non-performer category. Kenneth Gamble's childhood in Philadelphia shaped his adult life: he recorded himself on various arcade recording machines, assisted the morning show DJs on WDAS, operated a record store, and sang with The Romeos. In 1964, before there was "Gamble & Huff" there was "Gamble & Ross." Gamble was discovered and managed by Jerry Ross when Gamble was only 17 years old and they collaborated for many years. Gamble teamed up with Leon Huff (keyboards) for the first time on a recording for Candy & The Kisses. Ross then signed Gamble to Columbia Records in 1963 as a solo recording artist, releasing "You Don't Know What You Got Until You Lose It". Gamble & Ross & Huff collaborated on the hit song "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", recorded by Dee Dee Warwick and later by Diana Ross & The Supremes and The Temptations. In 1967 they produced their first Top 5 hit: "Expressway to Your Heart" by The Soul Survivors. Working for Atlantic Records, the team worked with Archie Bell & the Drells, Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, and The Sweet Inspirations. They also produced Mercury Records artists Jerry Butler and Dee Dee Warwick, scoring numerous hits along the way. Philadelphia International With a solid track record now behind them, Gamble and Huff formed Philadelphia International Records in 1971 as a rival to Berry Gordy and Motown. They originally approached Atlantic Records, which passed on the deal as being too expensive. CBS Records, headed at the time by Clive Davis, backed the venture and distributed Philadelphia International's records. Aided and abetted by in-house arrangers Thom Bell, Bobby Martin (musician), and Norman Harris, Philadelphia International released a number of the most popular soul music hits of the 1970's, including "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, "Back Stabbers", "For the Love of Money", and "Love Train" by the O'Jays, and the Grammy-winning "Me and Mrs. Jones" by Billy Paul. According to an interview on BBC Radio Four on June 28, 2006, Gamble and Huff were inspired to write "Me and Mrs. Jones" after seeing someone they knew who appeared to be involved in an affair, meeting a woman in a cafe frequented by the songwriters. Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia soul sound evolved from the simpler arrangements of the late-1960s into a style featuring lush strings, thumping basslines, and sliding hi-hat rhythms—elements that soon became the distinguishing characteristics of a new style of music called disco. By 1975, Philadelphia International and the Philadelphia soul genre it helped define had largely eclipsed Motown and the Motown Sound in popularity, and Gamble and Huff were the premiere producers of soul. Nearly all of the Philadelphia International records featured the work of the label's in-house band of studio musicians, MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother). MFSB cut a number of successful instrumental albums and singles written and produced by the Gamble & Huff team and arranged by Bobby Martin including the 1974 #1 hit, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", now best known as the theme song from the American television show, Soul Train. The musicians that made up the "in house" band MFSB were: Earl Young - Drums Karl Chambers - Drums Charles Collins - Drums Keith Benson - Drums Quinton Joseph - Drums Larry Washington - Bongo's - congas - percussion Norman Harris - Guitar and producer Dennis Harris - Guitar Roland Chambers - Guitar Bobby Eli - Guitar TJ Tindall - Guitar Tony Bell - Guitar Ronnie Baker - Bass guitar Michael “Sugar Bear” Foreman - Bass guitar Bob Babbitt - Bass guitar Winnie Wilford - Bass guitar Jimmy Williams - Bass guitar Leon Huff - piano and keyboards Thom Bell piano and keyboards Dexter Wansel - Keyboards and synthesizers Bruce Hawes - Keyboards Victor Carstarphen Keyboards Ron Kersey - keyboards Harold Ivory Williams - Keyboards Lenny Pakula - Organ Vincent Montana, Jr.- Vibraphone & producer of SalSoul Orchestra Don Renaldo and the MFSB String & Horn Sections