Producer Thom Bell, who co-created “The Sound of Philadelphia” alongside Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff as the Mighty Three, has died at age 79.
Among Bell’s greatest works as he helped pioneer Philly Soul in the Seventies are songs like “La-La Means I Love You” by the Delfonics, “Rubberband Man” by the Spinners, “Backstabber” by the O’Jays and the Stylistics’ “I’ll Be Around” and “Betcha By Golly Wow.” He also produced Elton John’s song “Mama Can’t Buy You Love.”
For his work, Bell won the prize for Producer of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. Russell Thompkins, Jr. of the Stylistics honored Bell in a Grammy interview for their Salute to Music Legends back in 2017, calling Bell “the major influence of my career.”
