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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZGAMBLE and HUFFKenny Gamble and Phil Huff, producers active in Philadelphia since early '60s, had huge success '70s with Philadelphia International label and the 'Philly' sound, a sort of crisp big-band dance beat with black flavour. Kenny Gamble and the Romeos early '60s incl. Thom Bell on keyboards, Roland Chambers on guitar, both later in P. I.'s house band MFSB; Bell became a prot‚g‚, then a competitor as producer. Huff played piano on rock'n'roll sessions in NYC for Leiber and Stoller, also helped prod. Danny and the Juniors' 'Let's Go To The Hop', etc. Back in Philadelphia he began working with Gamble, joined the Romeos; they prod. freelance incl. Archie Bell and the Drells, Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, Jerry Butler and others; formed Excel, then Neptune labels, latter distributed by Chess, then P. I., distributed by CBS. Hit acts incl. the O'Jays, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, Three Degrees. They were CBS's entr‚e to the black music market, but fell foul mid-'70s of one of the industry's bouts of moral fervour, Gamble fined for payola; they carried on with O'Jays (incl. no. 4 hit 'Use Ta Be My Girl' '78), others. |