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hits
If You Don't Know Me
By Now
Love Train
Mrs. Jones
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a brief history
Along with Thom Bell, Kenny
Gamble and Leon Huff defined the sweet, smooth
Philadelphia Sound in the early ‘70s, producing hit records
by the O’Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and
Joe Simon, among many others. Their numerous hit records include
“If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “Love Train,”
“Cowboys to Girls,” “Expressway To Your Heart,”
“For The Love Of Money, and “Mrs. Jones.”
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John's memories
I discovered Leon
Huff in a nightclub in 1963, performing with
a group, The Lavenders, which we recorded later on. This was
six years following Dave and my success with "At the
Hop." I thought Leon was an amazing talent, an amazing
piano player. I invited him to come down to our office. He
played us some of his original songs. I offered him an exclusive
production contract with our company, Double Diamond Music,
and Madara/White Productions. He wrote songs for our company
and co-produced several productions. He also played backup
piano for several of our artists, including Maureen Gray and
Len Barry. In the building was another talented singer/songwriter,
Kenny Gamble. It was there where
the beginnings of the incredible Philadelphia International
Records began. My relationship with them was to continue,
co-publishing several hits, written by Leon and Kenny.
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what happened next?
Since
1963, the songwriting and producing team of Gamble
and Huff has earned 175 gold and platinum records,
defining an entire category of Black popular music known as
“The Sound of Philadelphia.” They were inducted
into the National Academy of Popular Music Songwriters Hall
of Fame in 1995, and were awarded the prestigious Grammy Trustees
Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
in 1999.
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