Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records (PIR) is an American record label that was founded in Philadelphia in 1971 , with which Phillysound was associated and significantly influenced the emerging disco sound.
History of origin
The label's founders were the composers and music producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff , whose ideas had appeared on regional record labels such as Philly Groove , Gamble Records , Neptune Records or the nationally distributed label Mercury Records . Gamble and Huff had written a few soul songs together from 1964 and decided to set up their own label in February 1971 under the name Philadelphia International Records (PIR). In order to secure a national distribution for PIR, they signed a distribution agreement with CBS Records .
success
With a constant combination of recording studio ( Sigma Sound Studio ), studio musicians ( MFSB ) and producers, writers and arrangers ( Thom Bell , Bobby Martin), tons of hits were created after a year-long start-up phase. Gideon Smith's first single in the catalog was Arkansaw Wife (PIR 3501) in March 1971. The first hit came shortly afterwards. The Ebonys reached # 10 on the R&B charts and # 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single You're the Reason Why (PIR 3503) in 1971 . Another successful track was I Miss You by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (PIR 3516) in March 1972, which reached number 7 on the R&B charts. Back Stabbers became the first number one hit in the catalog on sneaky guys from The O'Jays (May 1972, PIR 3517) in the pop and R&B charts, at the same time also the new label's first million seller , on September 1st Awarded a gold record in 1972. Another big pop and R&B hit was Billy Paul's ballad about a troubled love triangle, Me and Mrs. Jones (September 1972, PIB 3521), which won a Grammy Award . Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes brought another million seller with If You Don't Know Me by Now in September 1972 (PIB 3520).
In January 1973 MFSB released the instrumental version Family Affair (with Huff on the electric piano; PIB 3528), which demonstrated the instrumental abilities of this studio band. The group delivered another instrumental hit with TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) in February 1974 (PIB 3540), which became the signature tune of Phillysound and the nationwide US TV music show Soul Train . A typical Philly sound was the million seller When Will I See You Again by the girls' trio The Three Degrees (PIB 3550), which came onto the market in September 1974 and was awarded gold on December 9, 1974. The hit was sold over two million times. The record label People's Choice contributed to further million sellers with Do it Anyway You Wanna (August 1975, PIB 3500), the O'Jays with I Love Music (October 1975; PIB 3577), Teddy Pendergrass and Close the Door (May 1978, PIB 3648 ) and McFadden & Whitehead with Ain't No Stoppin 'Us Now (March 1979, PIB 3681). The latter went platinum with eight million copies sold worldwide on July 27, 1979. The interpreters of this most successful song on the PIR label, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead , worked as additional producers, composers and arrangers for PIR since May 1972.
Final phase
Within almost ten years, PIR collected a total of 175 gold and platinum records. From 1980 onwards, the label's success subsided, and the Philly sound became increasingly the forerunner of disco music , which eventually ousted it. In 1981 they signed Patti LaBelle , who promptly celebrated her first number one hit as a soloist: If Only You Knew was at the top of the R&B charts for four weeks in 1984. In the following year PIR had to give up its independence and initially became a sub-label of Capitol , from 1991 the label was completely absorbed by BMG . Nevertheless, a few CDs appeared on the PIR label afterwards, such as the two posthumously released albums by Phyllis Hyman I Refuse to Be Lonely (1995) and Forever with You (1998). The singer was also the last artist on the label to hit number one on the R&B charts in 1991.
The building in which PIR was located was badly damaged by arson in 2010 and closed. In 2014, the local real estate agency Dranoff Properties bought the building and finally demolished it completely in April 2015 to build a hotel there.
Number one hits on the American R&B charts
The songs marked with an * were also number one on the Billboard Hot 100 .
- 1972: The O'Jays - Back Stabbers
- 1972: Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes - If You Don't Know Me By Now
- 1972: Billy Paul - Me & Mrs. Jones *
- 1973: The O'Jays - Love Train *
- 1973: Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes - The Love I Lost
- 1974: MFSB feat. The Three Degrees - TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) *
- 1975: The O'Jays - Give the People What They Want
- 1975: Sharon Paige and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes - Hope That We Can Be Together Soon
- 1975: People's Choice - Do It Any Way You Wanna
- 1975: The O'Jays - I Love Music
- 1976: Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody
- 1976: The O'Jays - Livin 'for the Weekend
- 1976: Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine
- 1976: The O'Jays - Message in Our Music
- 1977: The O'Jays - Darlin 'Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)
- 1978: The O'Jays - Use ta Be My Girl
- 1978: Teddy Pendergrass - Close the Door
- 1979: McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin 'Us Now
- 1984: Patti Labelle - If Only You Knew
- 1986: Shirley Jones - Do You Get Enough Love
- 1987: The O'Jays - Lovin 'You
- 1989: The O'Jays - Have You Had Your Love Today
- 1991: Phyllis Hyman - Don't Wanna Change the World
Web links
- Philadelphia International Records at Discogs
- Philadelphia International Records , singles discography at 45cat.com
Individual evidence
- ^ Joel Whitburn: Top R&B Singles 1942-1995, 1996, ISBN 0-89820-115-2 .
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 352.
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 350.
- ^ Adam White and Fred Bronson: The Billboard Book of Number One Rhythm & Blues Hits, 1993 ISBN 0-8230-8285-7 .
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 391 f.
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 405.
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 405.
- ^ Joseph Murrells, Million Selling Records , 1985, p. 464.
- ^ F. Erik Brooks, Pursuing A Promise , 2006, p. 133.
- ^ Vince Lattanzio: Iconic Philadelphia International Records Building Being Demolished . NBC dated April 17, 2015, accessed August 23, 2017.