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15 Oct 2009
Music by 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff Showcased in Upcoming
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Legendary Catalog of the Grammy Award-Winning Songwriters and Producers Recognized Once Again for Role in Creating the Sound of an Era

Episode to Air on Sunday, October 25th on the CBS Network at 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT

Warner/Chappell Music, the global music publishing arm of Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG), today announced that a number of songs from its legendary Gamble and Huff catalog will be featured in an upcoming episode of “Cold Case” titled, “Soul,” which will air on Sunday, October 25th (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Network. The majority of the songs played during the episode will center around the Philadelphia Soul Sound, a style of soul music made popular throughout the 1970s and characterized by lush strings, thumping bass lines and sliding hi-hat rhythms – elements that would later influence and become the distinguishing characteristics of disco. 

The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees and Grammy Award-winning songwriters and producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff were pioneers of the Philadelphia Soul Sound. This “Cold Case” episode built around their music marks the first time that the Gamble and Huff catalog, which spans more than 45 years, has been featured to this extent on a major television network program. The episode, “Soul,” will delve into the fictional 1970 murder of a musician who tried to keep his involvement with the Philadelphia Soul scene secret from his strict preacher father for whom he was an organist. 

In making the announcement, Scott Francis, President, Warner/Chappell Music, and Chairman and CEO, Warner/Chappell Music U.S. added, “We’re thrilled to have the music of Gamble and Huff play so prominently in the ’Cold Case’ episode. Our Film/TV team did a great job making this opportunity come to fruition. Over the years Kenny and Leon’s music has served as the soundtrack of an era for several projects and this is yet another example of the longevity and timelessness of their music and recognition once again for being pioneers of the Philadelphia Soul Sound.”  

Sound of Philadelphia co-Founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff added, “We are continually grateful and honored for the constant creative recognition of our music catalog and its impact both then, in the 70s and now, through so many media formats, especially in a hit TV series like ‘Cold Case.’” 

The Gamble and Huff songs featured in the upcoming “Cold Case” episode include: 

  • “Back Stabbers,” co-written by Leon Huff (recorded by The O’Jays), which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles charts in 1972.

  • “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” co-written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (recorded by Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes), which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles charts in 1972.

  • “Me & Mrs. Jones,” co-written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (recorded by Billy Paul), which reached No. 1 on both the Billboard R&B and Hot 100 Singles charts in 1972.

  • “I’ll Be Around,” co-written by Thomas Bell (recorded by The Spinners), which reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles charts in 1972.

  • “You’re The Reason,” co-written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (recorded by The Ebony’s).

  •  “Brown Baby,” co-written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (recorded by Billy Paul).

  • “Listen to the Clock on the Wall,” co-written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (recorded by The O’Jays). 

Over the course of their musical career, Gamble and Huff have written and produced more than 3,500 songs and 100 gold and platinum records for artists including: Dee Dee Sharp, Dusty Springfield, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Jerry Butler, Lou Rawls, McFadden & Whitehead, Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman, Teddy Pendergrass, The Intruders, The Jacksons, The O’Jays, and The Three Degrees, among others. 

In 1989, Gamble and Huff won a Grammy Award for “Best R&B Song,” for “If You Don’t Know Me By Now;” as of 2009, according to BMI, the song that has been performed more than seven million times. The following year the duo received the Grammy’s prestigious Trustees Award, whose past winners include the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Berry Gordy and Walt Disney, for their body of work both as producers and songwriters, and their contribution to the entire fabric of popular music. In 1995, Gamble and Huff were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2008, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where they were the first recipients of the newly created Ahmet Ertegun Award, named in honor of the late Atlantic Records founder, Ahmet Ertegun. 

Most recently, Gamble and Huff were honored by BMI with its Pop Icons award in recognition of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers,” at BMI’s 57th Annual Pop Awards ceremony held on May 20, 2009 in Los Angeles. Throughout their career the duo has won an astounding 86 BMI Pop and R&B awards. 

“Cold Case” is a production of Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television.

For more information about Gamble and Huff, please visit www.gamble-huffmusic.com

Source:  Warner/Chappell Music