People & Places
THE SHUBERT BUILDING
Dave Appell Madara & White Quincy Jones Thom Bell Dave White Joe Renzetti
Harry Chipetz Billy Jackson Joe Tarsia
Dick Clark Harold Lipsius Jimmy Wisner
Linda Creed Leroy Lovett Sigma Sound Studios
Gamble & Huff Bernie Lowe The Shubert Building
Jimmy lenner Artie Singer Cameo Parkway Records
A Brief History
The Shubert Building/Shubert Theatre was located at 250 South Broad, where many Off-Broadway shows opened. It contained office suites. It was kind of like a small Brill Building in New York. Madara & White offices were located there, along with Producer, Jerry Ross, where Linda Creed and Thom Bell wrote a lot of their hits. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff met in the elevator in the Shubert Building.
John's Memories
Madara & White had 6 offices in the Shubert Building. We had two offices with a piano for writing and working on arrangements. Dave and I had an office. Our secretary had an office Harry Chipetz' had an office (he was our administrator) and we had a storage room.
Many of our early records were done out of the Madara & White offices. Leon Huff, who I discovered in a Nightclub on 60th Street, became part of our team and went on to write many great songs for us. After Dave left, I discovered Daryl Hall & John Oates. Daryl Hall's wife worked for me for two years. I also worked with an incredible arranger, Tom Sellers, who sadly died at an early age in a fire. What a talent Tom was.
I have fond memories when, after lunch, myself, Bunny Sigler, Billy Paul, Len Barry and Linda Creed would gather outside of the building entrance and talk about what was going on. A few times Thom Bell would join us.