The City of Brotherly Love has nurtured more than its fair share of soul and R&B music greats, and has contributed mightily to the charts over the years – aided at every turn by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records. In that spirit, few artists have had the collective impact and staying power of extraordinary songstress and two-time Grammy Award winner Patti LaBelle, and the hitmaking Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame vocal powerhouse known as the O’Jays.
For the first time, both acts are inducted into Legacy Recordings’ best-selling and critically acclaimed series of double-CD collections as THE ESSENTIAL O’JAYS and THE ESSENTIAL PATTI LABELLE arrive in stores June 10th on Philadelphia International/Legacy, a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. The latter arrives on the same street date as Live In Washington, D.C., a previously unreleased concert by Patti LaBelle from 1982.
Both new collections painstakingly document the full chronology of each act’s long career. In the case of the 36-song O’Jays set, this means not only a hefty 27 tracks encompassing their PIR years 1969-1987 – including all nine of their signature #1 hits on the label (“Back Stabbers,” “Love Train,” “Give The People What They Want,” “I Love Music,” “Livin’ For The Weekend,” “Message In Our Music,” “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love),” “Use Ta Be My Girl,” and “Lovin’ You”) – but also a representative sampling of tracks from before those years (1963 to ’68, on the Imperial, Bell, and Neptune labels) and afterward (in the ’90s on EMI and Elektra’s EastWest label, where Eddie Levert, Sr. and his son Gerald recorded Father And Son).
Liner notes for THE ESSENTIAL O’JAYS were written by founding member Eddie Levert, Sr., as told to Lyah Beth LeFlore, co-author of the best-selling book written by Eddie and his late son Gerald (who passed away in 2006), I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep It Real About Love, Fatherhood, Family and Friendship (Harlem Moon/Broadway Books/Random House, 2007).
In the case of Patti LaBelle, her 30-song collection covers every phase of her career starting with the Blue Belles (1963’s “I Sold My Heart To The Junkman”) who quickly became Patti LaBelle & Her Blue Belles (“Down The Aisle”), and ultimately simply LaBelle around 1971 (when they recorded the first of two LPs for Warner Bros., including Moon Shadow named for Cat Stevens’ title track; and Gonna Take A Miracle with Laura Nyro on Columbia, with a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “The Bells”). RCA signed LaBelle for the 1973 album Pressure Cookin’ (a previously unreleased version of “Last Dance”), and then Epic signed them in 1974 (the #1 “Lady Marmalade” produced by Allen Toussaint; and its follow-up hit “What Can I Do For You?”). Three albums were released on Epic: Nightbirds, Phoenix, Chameleon.
LaBelle disbanded in 1977 and Patti commenced her solo career at Epic with a self-titled debut that same year (“Joy To Have Your Love,” “Do I Stand A Chance”). After four years and four albums (concluding with Released, whose featured track “Release (The Tension)” is heard here in a previously unreleased 12-inch Disco version), Patti moved to Gamble & Huff’s PIR family in 1981, by then a money-making core of the Epic Associated Labels group. Her tenure at PIR was only for three years and three albums, but her lifelong friendship with childhood friends Kenny and Leon is well-documented.
Patti’s collection features tracks from her first two PIR LPs, 1981’s The Spirit's In It (the title track along with Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg’s “Over The Rainbow”) and 1983’s I'm In Love Again (“If Only You Knew,” a #1 hit, “Love, Need And Want You,” and the previously unreleased outtake “Mean Ol’ Man’s World”). Her PIR years kicked off a successful solo career that is now entering its third decade, including a solid ten years at MCA Records – which was ignited by Beverly Hills Cop’s “New Attitude” (1985) and the #1 duet with Michael McDonald “On My Own” (1986) – followed by her current stint at Island Def Jam since 2004.
Liner notes for THE ESSENTIAL PATTI LABELLE were written by Brian Chin, annotator and/or compilation producer (or co-producer) of more than 100 reissue collections and box-sets, including the Luther Vandross box set, Love, Luther (Epic/J/Legacy), The Supremes Box, The Disco Box, and many other titles.
With a cumulative track record of well over 125 singles placed on the R&B and Pop charts from the 1960s to the 2000s, and nearly 50 charted albums during the same period, Patti LaBelle and the O’Jays have been a formidable presence for several generations of fans. Both acts are into their fifth decade of touring as well, with full performance schedules keeping them on the road through 2008, 2009, and beyond. In Patti’s case, the prospect of an upcoming reunion tour by her group LaBelle (with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash) coupled with a new album produced by Lenny Kravitz, is especially tantalizing for fans worldwide.
If there is an overriding common ground for Patti Labelle and the O’Jays, it is their love and respect for producers and songwriters (and fellow Philadelphians) Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, founders and preservers of Philadelphia International Records. The O’Jays spent virtually their entire career as a core act at PIR, where Gamble & Huff wrote and produced a never-ending stream of hits with them for nearly 20 years. That association was at the core of the O’Jays’ 2005 induction as performers into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
The music of the O’Jays has threaded its way into popular culture for all these decades, but is perhaps best-known to today’s audiences for providing the theme of NBC-TV’s The Apprentice (“For The Love Of Money”). Formed in Ohio in 1958, first known as the Triumphs, then as the Mascots, and finally in 1963 as the O’Jays, their unmistakable sound showed off the church-rooted vocal chemistry of the classic original lineup of Eddie Levert, Sr., Walt Williams, and the late William Powell. Their music has been heard everywhere from The Sopranos to The Simpsons, and has been sampled by a multitude of hip-hop and R&B acts ranging from Jay-Z and Mary J Blige, to 50 Cent.
Though she spent considerably less time signed to PIR, Patti’s musical essence has always been emblematic of the Gamble & Huff touch. Nowhere was this felt more emotionally than at the opening of the 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in New York earlier this year. Patti’s electrifying performance of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (the classic 1972 hit by PIR’s Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) brought the entire house to its feet with a well-earned standing ovation. It was a fitting prelude to the induction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, as the recipients of the first annual Ahmet Ertegun Lifetime Achievement Award.
THE ESSENTIAL O’JAYS and THE ESSENTIAL PATTI LABELLE are the latest releases in an historic new agreement announced last August 2007, in which the complete Philadelphia International Records catalog of music has been licensed by SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, to be released through its Commercial Music Group and Legacy Recordings. Previous releases under this new agreement include:
The Essential Teddy Pendergrass (October 2007), a 28-song double-CD covering his PIR years with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and as a solo artist 1972-82, plus various tracks at Elektra-Asylum into 1991, with liner notes by The New York Times columnist William C. Rhoden;
The Essential Lou Rawls (October 2007), a 33-song double-CD encompassing his formative ’60s years at Capitol, his PIR years 1976-81, plus various tracks at MGM (1971) and Bell (1974), also with liner notes by Rhoden;
The Sound Of Philadelphia: Gamble & Huff’s Greatest Hits (March 2008), a 16-song collection of top-charted signatures by the cream of the roster, including the O’Jays, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and Teddy Pendergrass solo, Lou Rawls, Patti LaBelle, Billy Paul, MFSB, the Three Degrees, and others;
Conquer the World: The Lost Soul Of Philadelphia International Records (March 2008), a 16-song collection of rare singles sides, most of which have not seen light of day for over 30 years, by David (sic) Sigler & Dee Dee Sharp, Soul Devalients, Johnny Williams, Carolyn Crawford, Ruth McFadden, and others;
Live In Washington, D.C. by Patti LaBelle (see above).
About Philadelphia International Records:
In 1971, Gamble and Huff founded PIR as the outlet for their creative vision. Building a stable of Philly-based talent, PIR reached the tops of the charts from day one. In one memorable nine month period during 1972-73, they sold over 10 million records as Billy Paul’s Grammy-winning “Me & Mrs. Jones,” the O’Jays’ “Backstabbers” and “Love Train,” Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” and the Intruders “I’ll Always Love My Mama” all charted at the same time.
PIR became the birthplace, incubator and launching pad for the Philly Soul sound, a unique blend of R&B rhythms, sweet soul vocals, deep funk grooves, pulsing horn charts and lush string arrangements with melodic structures combining elements of pop, jazz and world music. A sophisticated sound lovingly crafted in the studio by some of the 20th century’s most influential producers and production teams – including Thom Bell, Linda Creed, Gene McFadden & John Whitehead, Bunny Sigler, Dexter Wansel, Joe Tarsia and others, including Gamble & Huff themselves – Philly Soul set the stage for disco, smooth jazz, adult contemporary music, quiet storm, and more.
Gamble & Huff’s PIR songs and productions have truly permeated the musical DNA of contemporary culture. They have been covered or sampled by a vast array of artists including Jay-Z, Babyface, Nelly, OutKast, Angie Stone, Simply Red (whose #1 version of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” in 1989 earned Gamble & Huff the Best R&B Song Grammy), Bette Midler, Mary J. Blige, Michael Bublé, Kanye West, 50 Cent, and T.I., among many others. It has been reported that one of Gamble & Huff's songs is played on the radio somewhere in the world every 13.5 minutes.
THE ESSENTIAL PATTI LABELLE
(Philadelphia International/Legacy 88697 21092 2)
Disc One Title Chart(s) From album Label Year
1. If Only You Knew #1 R&B, #46 Pop I’m In Love Again PIR 1983
2. Love, Need And Want You #10 R&B I’m In Love Again PIR 1983
3. If You Don’t Know Me By - Patti PIR 1985 Now (Live)
4. The Best Is Yet To Come - #14 R&B, #104 Pop The Best Is Yet To Come Elektra 1982 with Grover Washington, Jr.
5. The Spirit's In It - The Spirit’s In It PIR 1981
6. New Attitude #3 R&B, #17 Pop Beverly Hills Cop o.s. MCA 1985
7. On My Own - with Michael #1 R&B, #1 Pop Winner In You MCA 1986 McDonald
8. When You Talk About Love - Flame MCA 1997
9. My Love, Sweet Love - Waiting to Exhale o.s. Arista 1995
10. Somebody Loves You Baby #2 R&B Burnin’ MCA 1991 (You Know Who It Is)
11. Down The Aisle (The #14 R&B, #37 Pop Sweethearts of The Apollo Newtown 1963 Wedding Song) - The Blue Belles
12. The Bells - performed by - Gonna Take A Miracle Columbia 1971 Laura Nyro with LaBelle
13. * Last Dance - by LaBelle - [Pressure Cookin’] RCA 1973
14. Moon Shadow - by LaBelle - Moon Shadow WB 1972
15.# I Sold My Heart To The - Sweethearts of The Apollo Newtown 1963 Junkman - The Blue Belles
Disc Two Title Chart(s) From album Label Year
1. Lady Marmalade #1 R&B, #1 Pop Nightbirds Epic 1974
2. What Can I Do For You? #8 R&B, #48 Pop Nightbirds Epic 1974
3. You Turn Me On - Nightbirds Epic 1974
4. Open Up Your Heart - Pressure Cookin’ RCA 1973
5. Messin’ With My Mind #19 R&B Phoenix Epic 1975
6. Isn’t It A Shame #18 R&B Chameleon Epic 1976 [above tracks 1-6 performed by LaBelle]
7. Joy To Have Your Love #31 R&B Patti LaBelle Epic 1977
8. Do I Stand A Chance - Patti LaBelle Epic 1977
9. It’s Alright With Me #34 R&B It’s Alright With Me Epic 1979
10. Music Is My Way Of Life #81 R&B It’s Alright With Me Epic 1979
11. * Release (The Tension) #61 R&B [Released] Epic 1980 (Disco version)
12. Over The Rainbow - The Spirit’s In It PIR 1981
13. Come What May - It’s Alright With Me Epic 1979
14. Love Has Finally Come - Released Epic 1980
15. * Mean Ol’ Man’s World - [I’m In Love Again] PIR 1983
* indicates previously unreleased track.
# indicates alternate version from original single.
THE ESSENTIAL O’JAYS
(Philadelphia International/Legacy 88697 21098 2)
Disc One Title Chart(s) From album Label Year
1. Lonely Drifter #93 R&B Imperial 1963
2. Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) #28 R&B, #48 Pop Imperial 1965
3. Stand In For Love (Live) - Imperial 1966
4. I’ll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than #8 R&B, #66 Pop Bell 1967 I Was Today)
5. There’s Someone (Waiting Back - [B-side - One Night Affair] Neptune 1968 Home)
6. One Night Affair #15 R&B, #68 Pop The O’Jays In Philadelphia PIR 1969
7. Deeper (In Love With You) #21 R&B, #64 Pop The O’Jays In Philadelphia PIR 1969
8. Back Stabbers #1 R&B, #3 Pop Back Stabbers PIR 1972
9. 992 Arguments #13 R&B, #57 Pop Back Stabbers PIR 1972
10. Love Train #1 R&B, #1 Pop Back Stabbers PIR 1972
11. Time To Get Down #2 R&B, #33 Pop Back Stabbers PIR 1972
12. Put Your Hands Together #2 R&B, #9 Pop Ship Ahoy PIR 1973
13. Sunshine (Part 1) #17 R&B, #48 Pop Back Stabbers PIR 1972
14. You Got Your Hooks In Me - Ship Ahoy PIR 1973
15. Now That We Found Love - Ship Ahoy PIR 1973
16. For The Love Of Money #3 R&B, #9 Pop Ship Ahoy PIR 1973
17. Give the People What They Want #1 R&B, #45 Pop Survival PIR 1975
18. Survival - B-side of Let Me Make - Survival PIR 1975 Love To You
19. Let Me Make Love To You #10 R&B, #75 Pop Survival PIR 1975
20. I Love Music #1 R&B, #5 Pop Family Reunion PIR 1975
Disc Two Title Chart(s) From album Label Year
1. Livin’ For The Weekend #1 R&B, #20 Pop Family Reunion PIR 1975
2. Stairway To Heaven - B-side of - Family Reunion PIR 1975 Livin’ For The Weekend
3. Family Reunion #45 R&B Family Reunion PIR 1975
4. Ship Ahoy - 2008 single edit - Ship Ahoy PIR 1973
5. Message In Our Music #1 R&B, #49 Pop Message In The Music PIR 1976
6. Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, #1 R&B, #72 Pop Message In The Music PIR 1976 Tender, Love)
7. The Big Gangster - Let’s Clean Up The Ghetto PIR 1977
8. Use Ta Be My Girl #1 R&B, #4 Pop So Full of Love PIR 1978
9. Brandy (I Really Miss You) #21 R&B, #79 Pop So Full of Love PIR 1978
10. Cry Together - So Full of Love PIR 1978
11. Forever Mine #4 R&B, #28 Pop Identify Yourself PIR 1979
12. Sing A Happy Song #17 R&B, #102 Pop Identify Yourself PIR 1979
13. Lovin’ You #1 R&B Let Me Touch You EMI-Man. 1987
14. Wind Beneath My Wings (duet - Father and Son EastWest 1995 by Eddie & Gerald Levert)
15. Emotionally Yours (Gospel ver.) #5 R&B Emotionally Yours EMI 1991
For a quiet week, it sure flew by! Memorial Day Weekend I devoted to family and friends, hanging out with my mother, Zaynah and my friend Byron. I also went to the Sunday Salon at McGinty's Art Gallery at the End of the World.
The remainder of my week has been busy with a happy doctor's visit- I'm doing well, yay! - and practicing for my next big show, which is on June 7. Here's the skinny while I have your attention:
n my life, so I was quite satisfied emotionally as well. As you know, I like to keep busy and I especially like to get out in the clubs to catch my favorite bands and new acts too. But there's something about taking time to "unplug" from all my craziness and just letting time flow without a rush or a must-do list. It's also good for the soul when you spend time with those who are closest to you. Still, a little adventure always does me wonders too... But consider taking time to just be and then some time to chat with someone you love~ you'll be better for it!
n my life, so I was quite satisfied emotionally as well. As you know, I like to keep busy and I especially like to get out in the clubs to catch my favorite bands and new acts too. But there's something about taking time to "unplug" from all my craziness and just letting time flow without a rush or a must-do list. It's also good for the soul when you spend time with those who are closest to you. Still, a little adventure always does me wonders too... But consider taking time to just be and then some time to chat with someone you love~ you'll be better for it!
