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Thomas Randolph Bell[1] (born January 26, 1943) is a Jamaican-born American singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer, known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s.[2] Bell is best known for his success with the Philadelphia sound in the 1970s, particularly with the Delfonics, Stylistics and Spinners. In June 2006, Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Bell was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Bell, classically trained as a musician, moved to Philadelphia as a child, and as a teenager sang with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates fame). Bell's first big break in soul music came with Cameo Records in Philadelphia where he worked as a session player and arranger.[2] In 1967, he was introduced to a local group called The Delfonics, producing two singles for them on subsidiary label, Moonglow.[2] Bell brought a mellifluous, hypnotic haut en couleur style to soul music and soon his production talents yielded several big hits for the group on the Philly Groove label, run by their manager Stan Watson.[2] These included "La-La (Means I Love You)" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time),"[2] the latter nominated for a Grammy Award in 1970.
Bell had also joined the fast-growing record production company operated by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in Philadelphia, working as an arranger for acts such as Jerry Butler, Archie Bell & The Drells, The O'Jays and Dusty Springfield.[2] He arranged some of the early big hits, including the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers", on Gamble & Huff's own record label, Philadelphia International Records, which they launched in 1971.[2] He also joined the two in setting up a music publishing company for their songs, Mighty Three Music.[3]
By 1971, Bell had moved on to produce another local group, The Stylistics, this time on Avco Records.[2] By then, he had teamed up with the Philadelphia-born songwriter, Linda Creed and this partnership, along with Russell Thompkins, Jr., the lead singer of the Stylistics, generated three albums full of memorable tracks. Bell and Creed became one of the era's dominant soul songwriting teams, penning hits such as "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)", "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "Break Up to Make Up", "You Make Me Feel Brand New," and "I'm Stone in Love with You" (the latter with Anthony Bell).[2]
In 1972, Bell agreed to produce The Spinners for Atlantic Records.[2] The group, who had long been with Motown Records, had joined Atlantic after failing to get the attention they wanted. It was the start of a successful collaboration that lasted for seven years and eight original albums. Bell revitalized the group, producing five gold albums that included chart success with singles such as "I'll Be Around", "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "Games People Play", and "The Rubberband Man".[4] In 1974, he was awarded a Grammy for Best Producer of the Year.[5]
In 1975, Bell produced an album with Dionne Warwick called Track of the Cat, one year after he had teamed her with the Spinners on the song, "Then Came You", which topped the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #2 on the R&B chart. He also worked with acts such as Johnny Mathis (two albums),[2] Billy Paul, Ronnie Dyson, Anthony & The Imperials and New York City in the mid to late 1970s, but generally with less commercial appeal.
Subsequently, Bell had success with Deniece Williams, including her R&B #1 and Top 10 re-make of The Royalettes' "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" in 1982;[6][7]James Ingram with "I Don't Have the Heart" in 1990 (Bell's second #1 pop hit); and Elton John, whose EP, The Thom Bell Sessions, featured back-up by the Spinners and produced the Top 10 hit, "Mama Can't Buy You Love", in 1979. Other artists Bell produced in the 1980s included The Temptations, Phyllis Hyman, Dee Dee Bridgwater, and he even re-united briefly with the Stylistics in 1981 on Philadelphia International's subsidiary, TSOP.
Warner Chappell Music acquired Mighty Three Music in 1990.[8]
A December 2008 interview with Bell featured on the Philly Soul box set, Love Train, stated he would soon compose a piece for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Past Orchestra members played in MFSB, the house band who played on many Bell productions.
1965: "Pass Me By" - Hattie Winston
1968: "La-La (Means I Love You)" - The Delfonics
1970: "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" - The Delfonics
1971: "Hey Love" - The Delfonics
1971: "You Are Everything" - The Stylistics
1972: "People Make the World Go Round" - The Stylistics
1972: "Betcha by Golly Wow" - The Stylistics
1972: "I'm Stone in Love with You" - The Stylistics
1972: "I'll Be Around" - The Spinners
1972: "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" - The Spinners
1973: "I'm Doing Fine Now" - New York City
1973: "One of a Kind (Love Affair)" - The Spinners
1973: "Ghetto Child" - The Spinners
1973: "Break Up to Make Up" - The Stylistics
1973: "Rockin' Roll Baby" - The Stylistics
1974: "You Make Me Feel Brand New" - The Stylistics
1974: "Mighty Love (Part I)" - The Spinners
1974: "Then Came You" - The Spinners (with Dionne Warwick)
1975: "They Just Can't Stop It the (Games People Play)" - The Spinners
1976: "The Rubberband Man" - The Spinners
1979: "Are You Ready for Love" - Elton John (with the Spinners)
1979: "Mama Can't Buy You Love" - Elton John
1980: Dee Dee Bridgewater
1981: "Silly" - Deniece Williams
1982: "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" - Deniece Williams
1990: "I Don't Have the Heart" - James Ingram
^ "BMI | Repertoire Search". Archive.today. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012.
^
a b c d e f g h i j k Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 117. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
^ Gamble-Huff website recognizing 50th-year anniversary of Mighty Three Music
^ John A. Jackson (2004). A House On Fire: The Rise And Fall Of Philadelphia Soul. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195348804. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 625.
^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ SHIVER, JUBE (1990-07-28). "L.A. Company Buys Catalogue of Black Music: [Home Edition]". Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext). Los Angeles, Calif., United States. p. 2. ISSN 0458-3035. ProQuest 281123647. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
Worked Closely with MFSB
Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
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