Philly Soul

Philly Soul On Music 101

Philly Soul is a genre of soul that bridged Motown and funk, and laid the groundwork for disco. Influenced by a plethora of genres, it influenced even more to come.

Matched with string and horns, this intoxicating sound caught the ears of listeners nationwide. Emanating out of Philadelphia, the retro-grooves defined a moment that gave us artists like The O’Jays and The Intruders, and worked its way into the sounds of artists like Elton John and many more.  

Philly Soul truly put the bow tie on funk. You’ll hear that marriage of sounds with the first song from this week’s episode – “Cowboys To Girls” from The Intruders. The slow-downed funk on early songs like this build the template for several releases to come, and put the spotlight on a burgeoning Philadelphia sound experiment. 

Many of the songs that came out of the Philly Soul movement were distributed by Philadelphia International Records, founded in 1971 by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff with the help of Columbia Records. One of the duo’s first hits on the label came from The O’Jays, a legendary song across all genres, “Love Train”. 

By the time Joe Simon’s “Drowning In The Sea Of Love” launched to number 11 in the charts in 1972, Philly Soul was more than a movement. It was a trendsetter. It was becoming the sound of not just Philadelphia; the nation was catching on. 

Explore more of the influential music with the playlist below. 

Here’s the songs played on this week’s episode:

“Cowboys To Girls” | The Intruders

“Love Train” | The O’Jays

“Me And Mrs. Jones” | Billy Paul

“Drowning In A Sea Of Love” | Joe Simon

“TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia)” | MFSB

“When Will I See You Again” | The Three Degrees

“Then Came You” | Dionne Warwick & The Spinners

“Be Thankful For What You Got” | William DeVaughn

“You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” | Lou Rawls

“You Can’t Hid from Yourself” | Teddy Pendergrass

“Mama Can’t Buy You Love” | Elton John