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Information about Kenny Gamble

“Kenny Gamble” redirects here. For the football player, see Kenny Gamble (football player).
Kenneth Gamble (born on August 11, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon Huff (born in 1942 in Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and record production team. Both of African-American origin, Gamble and Huff have, both separately and together, written and produced over 170 gold and platinum records and were pioneers of Philadelphia soul and the in-house creative team for the Philadelphia International record label.

History

Early years

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. 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, and Jerry Butler, 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. CBS Records backed the venture and distributed Philadelphia International's records. Aided and abetted by in-house arrangers Thom Bell and Bobby Martin, Philadelphia International released a number of the most popular soul music hits of the 1970s, including "If You Don't Know Me by Now" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, "Back Stabbers" 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 28 June 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.

It should be noted that nearly all of the Philadelphia International records featured the work of the label's in-house band of studio musicians, MFSB. MFSB cut a number of successful instrumental albums and singles written and produced by the Gamble & Huff team and arranged by Bobby Martin, including their 1974 #1 hit "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", now best known as the theme song from the American television show Soul Train.

Gamble's humanitarian work

Through the 1970s, Gamble and Huff continued to work with some of the biggest acts in the music industry, and Gamble in particular began his continuing work to clean up the inner cities and help African-American youth. He also contributed his time and energy to the T.J. Martell Leukemia Foundation and The AMC Cancer Research Center and Hospital. His charitable works and civic efforts continue today. He has served on the board of directors for the Philadelphia Music Foundation, which honors the artists, songwriters, and producers from Philadelphia. His Universal Companies have opened a restaturant, a bookstore, a mosque, low-income housing, and a charter school. These buildings, mostly built by locally hired labor, have served as the beginnings of a resurgence in the neighborhood. He also helped start the "Clean Up The Ghetto" project, which involved the youth of blighted communities helping with the clean-up and repair of damaged or neglected properties. PRI recorded a song using many of their popular artists in support of the project. Started in Philadelphia, "Clean Up The Ghetto" spread to Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago, and similar events have been held throughout the country.

Later years

In 1975, Philadelphia International became involved in a payola scandal; Gamble was fined and Huff was not. By the late-1970s, however, the popularity of the Philadelphia soul sound began to decline. Disco had suffered a backlash, R&B was going back toward the ballad, and rock had returned to the American charts. Still, the label had its share of late 1970s success. Among the later hits were "Enjoy Yourself" by The Jacksons in 1976, and "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" by McFadden and Whitehead in 1979.

One song they wrote, called "My Mood" was adopted in 1980 as the close of WRC's newscasts. As of 2007, WRC still uses this music.

In 1982, Philadelphia International's biggest star, former Blue Notes singer Teddy Pendergrass, became paralyzed from the waist down in a car accident, and the future of the label came to be in doubt. That year, Philadelphia broke its ties with CBS and made a new deal with EMI. Although the hits had by now dried up, Gamble and Huff continued to write and produce for the label's artists.

1990 finally saw Gamble and Huff recognized with a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song, awarded for Simply Red's cover of the Blue Notes' 1972 hit "If You Don't Know Me By Now". In 1999, Gamble and Huff were honored with the Grammy Trustees Award, joining musical luminaries like Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and Walt Disney. Their career output of over 3,000 songs places them among the most prolific professional songwriters of all time.

Today, Kenneth Gamble continues to write, often with Leon Huff, and Philadelphia International continues. He still lives in South Philadelphia, and remains active in his community.

On September 19, 2005 Gamble and Huff were inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for their outstanding achievements as producers at a ceremony held in New York City.

Gamble now works as a music instructor at Raising Horizons Quest Charter School

Discography

Studio Albums Produced

Singles Produced

External links

References

Kenny Gamble

March 8 1965 (1965--) (age 42)
Holyoke, Massachusetts

Position(s)| Running Back
College| Colgate
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August 11 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

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Nickname: "City of Brotherly Love", "The City that Loves you Back", "Cradle of Liberty", "The Quaker City", "The Birthplace of America", "Philly".
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City of Camden, New Jersey
Map of Camden in Camden County
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New Jersey
County Camden
Settled 1626
Incorporated February 13, 1828
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
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A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. That is to say, a songwriter is a lyricist, a composer, or both.
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In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering
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African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.[1] In the United States the term is generally used for Americans with sub-Saharan African ancestry.
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Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has sold a certain number of copies.

Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after the precious materials gold, platinum
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For the American arena football team, see Philadelphia Soul.
Philadelphia (or Philly) soul, sometimes called the Philadelphia Sound or Sweet Philly
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Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the subgenre of Philadelphia soul, and had a distribution deal with CBS Records until 1984. Since then, it has been distributed by EMI.
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A penny arcade can be any type of venue for coin-operated devices, usually for entertainment. This included early forms of pinball and fortune telling machinery of the 1930s. Vending machines may also be considered in this category.
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Rumba 1480

Broadcast area Philadelphia
Branding Rumba 1480 AM
Slogan Orgullo de Latino (Latino Pride)
Frequency 1480 (kHz)
Format Tropical
ERP 5,000 watts (daytime)
1,000 watts (nighttime)
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Columbia Records is the oldest surviving brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. Today it is a premier subsidiary label of Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Inc.
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Released November 21, 1968
Format 7" single
Recorded Hitsville USA (Studios A & B): May 3, May 18, May 31, June 20, August 26, September 4, and September 13, 1968
Genre Soul/Pop
Length 3:08
Label Motown
M 1137
Writer(s)
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Dee Dee Warwick (b. September 25 1945, Newark, New Jersey as Delia Mae Warrick) is an African-American soul singer.

Following the example of her elder sister, Dionne Warwick, she changed her surname from Warrick to Warwick in the early 1960s.
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The Supremes were a Motown all-female singing group. Active as The Supremes from 1961 until 1977, the Supremes performed, at various times, doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, and disco.
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The Temptations (often abbreviated as "The Tempts" or "The Temps") are an American Motown singing group whose repertoire has included doo-wop, soul, psychedelia, funk, disco, R&B, and adult contemporary.
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The Soul Survivors were an Philadelphia R&B group, known for their 1967 hit "Expressway to Your Heart", which was the first hit by Philadelphia soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The follow-up was "Explosion in Your Soul", which was not as successful.
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Archie Bell & the Drells was a Houston, Texas based R&B vocal group, one of the main acts on Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International Records. The band's hits include "Tighten Up" and "I Can't Stop Dancing" (both 1968), "Here I Go Again" (a UK hit in 1972
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Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American R&B/Rock and Roll and soul singer. Known for his raw, raspy, passionate vocal delivery, he recorded some of the most incendiary soul music of the twentieth century.
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Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has been called for many years "The Queen of Soul", but many also call her "Lady Soul," as well as the more affectionate "Sister Ree.
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Jerry Butler, Jr. (born December 8, 1939 in Sunflower, Mississippi) is an American soul singer and songwriter also known as "The Ice Man" because of his cool demeanour while singing often intensely emotional lyrics.
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Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the subgenre of Philadelphia soul, and had a distribution deal with CBS Records until 1984. Since then, it has been distributed by EMI.
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Berry Gordy, Jr. (b. November 28 1929, Detroit, Michigan) is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label and its many subsidiaries.

Biography

Early years

Berry Gordy, Jr.
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Motown Records, also known as Tamla-Motown outside of the United States, is a record label originally based out of Detroit, Michigan ("Motor City", hence mo(tor)town), from where it achieved widespread international success.
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CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties distributed by CBS Paramount Television. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey
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Thom Bell was the record producer behind much of the Philadelphia soul subgenre of soul music in the 1970s. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica on January 26, 1943, but moved to Philadelphia as a child.
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