Philadelphia remakes it sound

The groundbreaking hit-making label founded by Philadelphia’s Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971 has entered into an historic agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment who is to license the complete catalogue of music from Philadelphia International Records (PIR).

It will be released through Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Commercial Music Group and Legacy Recordings, bringing the classic philly soul sound to a new generation through its commercial music group.

It was back in the early 1960s in Philadelphia when songwriter and performer Kenny Gamble and in-demand session pianist Leon Huff wrote more than 14 songs together during their first chance meeting. That fortuitous encounter led to one of the most prodigious songwriting and production partnerships in R&B and pop music history.

The Gamble-Huff collaborative chemistry generated a series of massive hits throughout the 1960s including "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (a regional hit for Dee Dee Warwick later covered by Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations), the Soul Survivors' "Expressway To Your Heart," the team's first top 5 record, and the Intruder's 1968 breakout "Cowboys To Girls," blueprints for the emerging trademark sound of Philly Soul.

In 1971, Gamble and Huff founded PIR as the outlet for their creative vision. Building a stable of Philly-based talent -- including Patti LaBelle, Archie Bell & the Drells, Jerry Butler, the Ebonys, the Intruders, the O'Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Billy Paul, MFSB, the Three Degrees, Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, to name a few -- PIR recordings reached the tops of the charts from day one, at one point selling more than 10 million records in a nine month period, with hits like Billy Paul's "Me & Mrs. Jones," a Grammy-winning number 1 pop and R&B smash, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now," and the O'Jay's "Backstabbers" and "Love Train."

By 1973, PIR was second only to Motown as the largest African-American owned company in America. Over the years, the Gamble and Huff team has been responsible for 70 Number1 pop and R&B singles and 175 RIAA gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications. To-date, the Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff partnership has produced more than 3,500 songs and won 5 Grammys.

"We are extremely glad and ecstatic about being back home with Sony BMG to continue the partnership that helped launch this incredible music 35 years ago," said PIR co-founders Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to bring the sounds of Philly Soul to new and established audiences in fresh and exciting ways. We're honored to know that the R&B and soul music we love so much will continue to provide the soundtrack to the lives of so many fans, young and old, all over the world."

"The sounds of PIR are a vital and indispensable part of American pop music history," said John Ingrassia, President of Sony BMG Music Entertainment's Commercial Music Group. "It's a thrill and an honor to be working directly with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff to find new ways of bringing classic Philly Soul music into the lives of music fans everywhere."

The monumental PIR reissue project will be conducted under the direct auspices of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the Grammy-winning multi-platinum-selling writing and production team who created one of the most recognizable and influential catalogues of pop and soul music ever recorded.

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 Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, Thom Bell, Linda Creed, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead, Bunny Sigler, Dexter Wansel, Joe Tarsia and others - Philly Soul set the stage for disco, smooth jazz, adult contemporary music and more.

The new PIR licensing agreement will allow Legacy Recordings and the Sony BMG Music Entertainment Commercial Music Group to release PIR recordings drawn from the entire history of the label. The PIR reissue project will consist of releases in physical and digital media (including ringtones and other cell phone and PDA applications) and will include artist-specific and thematic compilations, new additions to the "Essentials" series, live and unreleased material, and many more secret finds and rarities to be mined from the deep and coveted collection of classic recordings in the PIR vaults.

The PIR reissue project will debut in October with two new double-disc collections: "The Essential Lou Rawls" and "The Essential Teddy Pendergrass." A major roll-out for the PIR reissue project is being planned for 2008 - the 45th anniversary of the first Gamble-Huff collaboration - with major releases scheduled throughout the year.

For more information, visit PhiladelphiaUSA.Travel