The Groove
Saturday February 22nd, 2020 with ELORIOUS CAIN
BLACK HISTORY CELEBRATION OF THE SOPHISTICATED SOUL MOVEMENT PART 4 - PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL (THE SOUL)

This is the first of two shows about the PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL group of labels. Unlike the 3 previous shows in our celebration of the SOPHISTICATED SOUL movement we are not featuring an artist's picture as in the cases of ISAAC HAYES and BARRY WHITE on those respective playlists. This playlist offers a picture of KENNY GAMBLE. He, together with LEON HUFF, was the producer, song writer, label owner and arranger that created one of the most distinctive and influential sounds in the world. Remarkable artists like BILLY PAUL, HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUENOTES, THE THREE DEGREES, TEDDY PENDERGRASS and THE OJAY'S would not have become undeniable music icons on every continent without the musical vision of that amazing duo. GAMBLE AND HUFF were the heart of soul of PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL. It was the most significant and powerful of the three major sources of SOPHISTICATED SOUL. Although we start this show in the GAMBLE RECORDS days in the 1960's, this show is not necessarily chronological. We feature various gems from the GAMBLE RECORDS' super-group THE INTRUDERS including influential songs like "Slow Drag", "When We Get Married" and "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game". These songs are classic GAMBLE & HUFF productions that inspired a whole generation of refined SOUL artists like THE UNIFICS, THE CHI-LITES, THE STYLISTICS and THE DRAMATICS. We also feature Philadelphia's 1960's 'Soul girl group" THE BABY DOLLS and also some instrumental recordings from THE MUSIC MAKERS and THE BROTHERS OF HOPE. Many discotheque deejays in New York and New Jersey used to mix copies of these instrumentals together to create certain moods in the late 1960's and early 1970's. We only play one song from the T.S.O.P. label: "City Of Brotherly Love" by SOUL SURVIVORS. LEON & HUFF had their first commercial success with SOUL SURVIVORS in 1967 with the Psychedelic Funk song "Expressway To Your Heart" (deliberately not included in this show). We've often played a digital remix of their 1969 hit "Mama Soul". By the time they recorded "City Of Brotherly Love" for T.SO.P. their sound had changed considerably! The rest of material played on this show were on the PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL label. They include unforgettable giants like "Me And Mrs. Jones" by BILLY PAUL, "I Miss You" by HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES, "When Will I See You Again" by THE THREE DEGREES, and the TEDDY PENDERGRASS romantic scorcher "Turn Off The Lights". We've also mixed them with other greats from THE OJAYS, THE INTRUDERS, THE JONES GIRLS and JEAN CARN. We don't pretend to suggest that this show offers a complete sampling of PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL soul music. We hope that the show will at least stimulate your curiosity so that you check out more of the music!