Product Description

"If You Don't Know Me By Now," "The Love I Lost," "The Soul Train Theme," "Then Came You," "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"--the distinctive music that became known as Philly Soul dominated the pop music charts in the 1970s. In A House on Fire, John A. Jackson takes us inside the musical empire created by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell, the three men who put Philadelphia Soul on the map. Here is the eye-opening story of three of the most influential and successful music producers of the seventies. Jackson shows how Gamble, Huff, and Bell developed a black recording empire second only to Berry Gordy's Motown, pumping out a string of chart-toppers from Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the Spinners, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, and many others. The author underscores the endemic racism of the music business at that time, revealing how the three men were blocked from the major record companies and outlets in Philadelphia because they were black, forcing them to create their own label, sign their own artists, and create their own sound. The sound they created--a sophisticated and glossy form of rhythm and blues, characterized by crisp, melodious harmonies backed by lush, string-laden orchestration and a hard-driving rhythm section--was a glorious success, producing at least twenty-eight gold or platinum albums and thirty-one gold or platinum singles. But after their meteoric rise and years of unstoppable success, their production company finally failed, brought down by payola, competition, a tough economy, and changing popular tastes. Funky, groovy, soulful--Philly Soul was the classic seventies sound. A House on Fire tells the inside story of this remarkable musical phenomenon.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #338991 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 368 pages

About the Author
John A. Jackson is the author of the award-winning books Big Beat Heat: Alan Freed and the Early Years of Rock and Roll and American Bandstand: Dick Clark and the Making of a Rock and Roll Empire. He lives outside Tampa, Florida.

Customer Reviews

AN UNDERRATED GENRE
The subject of soul music from Philadelphia is one that has received little interest from music writers. I've owned and treasured Tony Cummings "The Sound Of Philadelphia" for over 30 years, so when I saw John A. Jackson's book I bought it immediately. I have to say I haven't been disappointed. Jackson's book covers the behind the scenes battles and resentments of many of the players in the story, and it explains how justified many of them are in their bitterness at being denied credit/fair payment.
Because the book was published in 2004 it covers the death of the "The Sound Of Philadelphia" right to the very end and to be honest, there isn't much new information to add in the last 5 years. I think he treats the all powerful triumvirate of Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff/Thom Bell fairly and he's interviewed many important lower profile figures who come across as refreshingly candid.
In conclusion, if you've loved the golden period of Philadelphia soul, you've got to read this book.