It's actually quite clear when I think back on the genesis of my music love affair. Growing up, my mother, little sister and I lived with my grandparents in the South Park (Macgregor Terrace) community of Houston, Texas. I was surrounded by a very black culture of working class folks. I loved my childhood. My grandparents had a record player and an eight track deck. I recall seeing albums such as The Emotions, Sugar Hill Gang and Barry White-to name a few.
When I think of looking at the LP's and 45's that they owned, The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP) comes to mind. I most clearly remember the label of an O'Jays 45 record. I believe it was a "Love Train" single. TSOP label signifies a trip back to my youth. The only other label that I vividly remember as a kid was Motown. My family loved soul and funk music. They weren't much into jazz or blues, which means that I grew up listening to a lot of top soul hits from the 70's.
In my adult age, I have now come to understand the significance of a record label such as The Sound of Philadelphia. Huff, Gamble and Bell were the trio of producers/arrangers in charge. The purpose of the label was to have a space and place to produce their own songs. They had a roster of hits from artists such as Harold Melvin & Blue Notes, The Jacksons, Lou Rawls, and many more. They recorded these super dance hits and catchy masterpieces at Sigma Sound Studios with MFSB as their house band. MFSB was known for their hit song "The Sound of Philadelphia" which became the highly recognized theme for hit show Soul Train. Huff, Gamble, and Bell really brought the disco sound to the forefront.
Little did I know that as I looked at those round black discs with an intriguing label, with 5 year old eyes, there was a rich story behind it. It is such a fond memory for me.
I encourage you to think about your first interactions with music. What was the first record that you encountered? What do you recall from that experience?
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