Singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, pianist, and composer, Bell was known as one of the creators of The Sound of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. We remember, and enjoy a Playlist of his finest.
Thanks, Glenn! I'll check that out...no, I'm not familiar with The Second Disc, but I'll give 'em a deeper look! Thanks for the tip, and a Fab '23 to you and fam, too!
Thanks, Tom, and welcome aboard! I can pick up a cue....in fact, so much so that 6 weeks ago, we published a Philly-centric article with a bangin' 10-song Philly-focused Playlist! So, that brings my total Thom Bell/TSOP Playlist song number to a rock-solid 28! Woo-hoo!🤯 https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/disco-reduxthe-philly-found-and-forgotten
He was an astounding talent, and his influences ran far afield (adding to R&B), to pop, disco, and I'd guess even soundtrack composing! A merging of gargantuan talents that might equal The Beatles in Gamble & Huff, Bell, and I'd throw in the MFSB gang! None had to come together at that exact time and place, but they did, and magic ensued...repeatedly! Thanks for reading this and commenting, David!
Nice piece. Here's another tribute you might want to check out — https://theseconddisc.com/2022/12/23/in-memoriam-thom-bell-1943-2022/. If you haven't gone to The Second Disc website, they do some good work reporting on reissues.
Happy New Year to you!
Thanks, Glenn! I'll check that out...no, I'm not familiar with The Second Disc, but I'll give 'em a deeper look! Thanks for the tip, and a Fab '23 to you and fam, too!
Excellent article, Brad!
Thanks, Paul! Glad you enjoyed!
Good playlist. Need to add one more Stylistics song (preferably a ballad) and one more Delfonics song. That brings your playlist up to a solid 20.
Thanks, Tom, and welcome aboard! I can pick up a cue....in fact, so much so that 6 weeks ago, we published a Philly-centric article with a bangin' 10-song Philly-focused Playlist! So, that brings my total Thom Bell/TSOP Playlist song number to a rock-solid 28! Woo-hoo!🤯 https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/disco-reduxthe-philly-found-and-forgotten
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3tmgGCpEXP0NkAV0FCYGPY?si=4a5eedb7e6244844
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3h4Mdfhd6izOirUaJ9KUnd?si=847285077c394b84
I adore this man's music. His impact on the R&B genre is staggering.
He was an astounding talent, and his influences ran far afield (adding to R&B), to pop, disco, and I'd guess even soundtrack composing! A merging of gargantuan talents that might equal The Beatles in Gamble & Huff, Bell, and I'd throw in the MFSB gang! None had to come together at that exact time and place, but they did, and magic ensued...repeatedly! Thanks for reading this and commenting, David!
Definitely. And thanks for tipping me off to the existence of that Bell connection from Kent (On my further on-line purchase list.)