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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nRIP: The music world is in mourning just before Christmas, with the passing of iconic producer and songwriter Thom Bell<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nDeath: The Jamaican-born Grammy-winning music producer and songwriter, best known as one of the architects of the 1960s and 1970s soul songs collectively known as ‘The Sound of Philadelphia, passed away Thursday at 79 in Bellingham, Washington<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Bell was born in Kingston, Jamaica but moved to West Philadelphia with his family, where he quickly honed his musical gifts.<\/p>\n
He received his first drum kit at just 4 years of age, and met future collaborators Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who he performed with as teenagers along with Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates fame. <\/p>\n
He worked as a staff writer and touring conductor for Chubby Checker, before working at Cameo Records in Philadelphia as a session player and arranger.<\/p>\n
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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nHoned: Bell was born in Kingston, Jamaica but moved to West Philadelphia with his family, where he quickly honed his musical gifts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nCollaborators: He received his first drum kit at just 4 years of age, and met future collaborators Kenny Gamble (right) and Leon Huff (left), who he performed with ass along with Daryl Hall of fame Hall & Oates<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
He was introduced to The Delphonics in 1967, and started producing, helping to shape the groups hits such as La La Means I Love You and Didn’t I Blow Your Mind.<\/p>\n
Bell worked as an arranger for Gamble and Huff’s record label Philadelphia International Records for groups such as Jerry Butler, Archie Bell, The Drells, Dusty Springfield and The Ojays, arranging their hit song Back Stabbers.<\/p>\n
The trio also set up a music publishing company known as Mighty Three Music, before moving on to produce for The Stylistics. <\/p>\n
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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nShape: He was introduced to The Delphonics in 1967, and started producing, helping to shape the groups hits such as La La Means I Love You and Didn’t I Blow Your Mind<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nArranger: Bell worked as an arranger for Gamble and Huff’s record label Philadelphia International Records for groups such as Jerry Butler, Archie Bell, The Drells, Dusty Springfield and The Ojays, arranging their hit song Back Stabbers<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
He also teamed up with Philly-born songwriter Linda Creed, collaborating on hits such as Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart), You Are Everything, Break Up to Make Up and many more.<\/p>\n
Bell produced The Spinners after they moved from Motown to Atlantic Records, producing five gold records and hit singles such as The Rubberband Man, which helped him earn the first ever Grammy Award for Best Producer of the Year in 1975.<\/p>\n
Bell also worked with Elton John, Teddy Pendergrass, Deniece Williams, and Johnny Mathis, Lou Rawls, Little Anthony and The Imperials, David Byrne and Joss Stone.<\/p>\n
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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nGrammy winner: Bell produced The Spinners after they moved from Motown to Atlantic Records, producing five gold records and hit singles such as The Rubberband Man, which helped him earn the first ever Grammy Award for Best Producer of the Year in 1975<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Warner Chappel Music acquired Mighty Three Music in 1990 and he received a star on the Philadelphia’s Music Alliance’s Walk of Fame in 1993.<\/p>\n
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. <\/p>\n
Bell is survived by his wife Vanessa and his children, Royal, Troy, Tia, Mark, Cybill and Christopher. <\/p>\n
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<\/noscript> <\/div>\nFamily: Bell is survived by his wife Vanessa and his children, Royal, Troy, Tia, Mark, Cybill and Christopher<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The music world is in mourning just before Christmas, with the passing of iconic producer and songwriter Thom Bell. The Jamaican-born Grammy-winning music producer and songwriter, best known as one of the architects of the 1960s and 1970s soul songs collectively known as ‘The Sound of Philadelphia, passed away Thursday at 79 in Bellingham, Washington. …<\/p>\n
Thom Bell – a Grammy-winning producer, songwriter – passed away at 79<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[7240,71,118],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nThom Bell - a Grammy-winning producer, songwriter - passed away at 79 - harchi90<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n