Thom Bell, Philadelphia Soul Icon, Dies at 79

At the age of 79, PRODUCER THOM BELL passed away.  He was one of the Mighty Three, together with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who were responsible for the creation of “The Sound of Philadelphia.” His cause of death was not immediately determined by medical examiners.

Gamble stated in a press statement that “Tommy and I have been great friends for more than 60 years.” “When we initially met, we decided to start creating songs together and form a vocal duo together called “Kenny and Tommy.” After that, we formed our band The Romeos… He had a lot of talent and was a close friend of mine. May you rest in peace, buddy”

Leon Huff remarked, “Thom Bell was without a doubt my favourite musician, arranger, songwriter, and music producer of all time!” “Both as a creative collaborator and as a business partner, it was a great honour and a pleasure to work with him. Rest in peace.”

The songs “La-La Means I Love You” by the Delfonics, “Rubberband Man” by the Spinners, “Backstabber” by the O’Jays, and “I’ll Be Around” and “Betcha By Golly Wow” by the Stylistics are some of Bell’s most notable works, as he was a pioneer of Philly Soul in the 1970s and helped create the genre. In addition to that, he was the producer of Elton John’s song “Mama Can’t Buy You Love.”

Bell was recognised for his contributions to the music industry by being elected into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 and winning the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 1975. In 2017, Russell Thompkins, Jr. of the Stylistics paid tribute to Bell in an interview with the Grammys as part of their Salute to Music Legends programme. He described Bell as “the major impact of my career.”

He explained, “At that point, I began my formal training in the discipline.” And the things that I picked up from working with him during those sessions have served me well throughout my entire career.

The documentary about Philadelphia International Records, which was filmed by Sam Pollard and featured interviews with The Mighty Three, was a showcase of the trio’s work in exporting the music of Philadelphia to the rest of the world.

In a statement released earlier this year, the band members said, “After six decades, we are very proud to finally share our life stories with the public and exhibit all of the hard work that has gone into making this beautiful music.” “Our longstanding friends and new fans will receive an exclusive glimpse into the creation of the Sound of Philadelphia with the themes of empowerment and love, to “people all over the world,” as we’ve always had a “Message in our Music!!!”