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The Thom Bell Sessions
''The Thom Bell Sessions'' (internationally titled as ''The Thom Bell Sessions '77'') is an EP recorded by Elton John in the second half of 1977, but was not released by MCA Records until June 1979. The project was a departure for John, and his band was not used for these sessions. Until that time, he had worked almost exclusively with lyricist Bernie Taupin and record producer Gus Dudgeon. This project brought Elton John together with R&B songwriter and producer Thom Bell, who had previously worked with such artists as The Stylistics, The Delfonics and The Spinners. Apparently, relations between the producer and the artist became difficult rather quickly. Although John was eager to work with one of the creators of the Philadelphia soul sound, recording sessions did not go smoothly and ended before an entire album could be finished. During these sessions, Thom Bell also advised Elton John on vocal skills, including encouraging him to sing in a lower register. Bell had rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s, having released 31 albums since 1969. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967, John is acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his work during the 1970s, and his lasting impact on the music industry. John's music and showmanship have had a significant impact on popular music. His songwriting partnership with Taupin is one of the most successful in history. John was raised in the Pinner suburb of London and learned to play piano at an early age, forming the blues band Bluesology in 1962. After leaving Bluesology in 1967 to embark on a solo career, John met Taupin after they both answered an advert for songwriters. For two years, they wrote songs for other artists, and John worked a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Delfonics
The Delfonics were an American R&B/soul vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Delfonics were most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La (Means I Love You)", "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "Break Your Promise", "I'm Sorry (Delfonics song), I'm Sorry", and "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)". Their hit songs were primarily written by lead vocalist and founding member William "Poogie" Hart, and arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer Thom Bell. Wilbert Hart is the last surviving member. Their songs have been used in film soundtracks, including Quentin Tarantino's 1997 movie ''Jackie Brown (film), Jackie Brown'', in which "La-La (Means I Love You)" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" underscore the pivotal relationship between the characters played by Pam Grier and Robert Forster. Their songs "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" and "Funny Feeling" were used in the video game ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LP Album
The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a vinyl (a copolymer of vinyl chloride acetate) composition disk. Introduced by Columbia in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry. Apart from a few relatively minor refinements and the important later addition of stereophonic sound, it remained the standard format for record albums (during a period in popular music known as the album era) until its gradual replacement from the 1980s to the early 2000s, first by cassettes, then by compact discs, and finally by digital music distribution. Beginning in the late 2000s, the LP has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Format advantages At the time the LP was introduced, nearly all phonograph records for home use were made of an abrasive shellac compound ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Osborne
Gary Osborne (born 1949 in London) is an English singer and songwriter. He chaired The Songwriters Executive of the British Academy Of Songwriters Composers and Authors for 12 years during which time he was also chairman of The Ivor Novello Awards. Career Born in London in 1949, Osborne is the son of the late musical director Tony Osborne. He was educated in Switzerland and entered the music industry at the age of 15. As a teenage songwriter Osborne had recordings by Timi Yuro, Nana Mouskouri and Val Doonican and at age 17 had his first US chart entry with "On The Other Side" by The Seekers, which he wrote with Tom Springfield. Osborne's early career included presenting the 1960s radio show ''Cool Britania'' on the BBC World Service and a stint with RCA Records in its A&R department. In the early 1970s, he was active in television jingles, writing and performing hundreds of songs for brands including Pepsi, Ultra Brite, Shredded Wheat and Abbey National. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sleeping With The Past
''Sleeping with the Past'' is the 22nd studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 29 August 1989. It is his best-selling album in Denmark (where it was recorded) and is dedicated to his longtime writing partner Bernie Taupin. The album features "Sacrifice" and " Healing Hands", which were issued as a double A-side and became John's first solo number-one single in his home country of the UK. The single's success helped the album also hit number one there, his first since 1974's ''Elton John's Greatest Hits''. It also became his first platinum album in the UK since 1985's '' Ice on Fire''. In the US it was certified gold in October 1989 and platinum in April 1990 by the RIAA. ''Sleeping with the Past'' became John's best selling album of the 1980s. John and Taupin meant for the songs to reflect the style of 1960s R&B icons such as Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, whom they admired. Guy Babylon made his debut on this album and would continue to play keyboard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reg Strikes Back
''Reg Strikes Back'' is the 21st studio album by English musician Elton John. Released in 1988, it was his self-proclaimed comeback album, and his own way of fighting back against bad press. The "Reg" in ''Reg Strikes Back'' refers to John's birth name, Reginald Kenneth Dwight. In the US, the album was certified gold in August 1988 by the RIAA. It was also John's third studio album in the 1980's to be placed inside the top 20 of US ''Billboard'' 200 (number 16, 1988). Background This was the last album that bassist Dee Murray (albeit without bass) appeared on prior to his death in 1992. Additionally, Nigel Olsson, the longtime drummer for John's band, appears (without drums) on backing vocals. John brought back record producer Chris Thomas for the album. This was the first studio album to be recorded and released after John's throat surgery the previous year. The album cover featured costumes from John's collection that he decided to put up for auction. The tracks " I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bell And James
Bell and James were an United States, American soul music, soul musical ensemble, group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed by LeRoy Bell (drums, guitar) and Casey James (guitar, bass guitar, bass, keyboard instrument, keyboards). Career Both LeRoy Bell and Casey James had played in Special Blend (band), Special Blend before beginning to write songs together. Bell's uncle Thom Bell got them signed to Gamble & Huff as songwriters for Philadelphia International Records.[ Biography], Allmusic.com They wrote tunes for Elton John, MFSB, The O'Jays, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Freda Payne, Phyllis Hyman, The Three Degrees, and others, before A&M Records took notice and signed them to a full album deal in 1978. Three albums and several hit singles followed, including "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)", which hit No. 7 on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, R&B singles chart and No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1979. It sold over one million ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in the United States. The weekly tracking period for sales was initially Monday to Sunday when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. This tracking period also applies to compiling online streaming data. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming, is readily available on a real-time basis, is also tracked on a Friday to Thursday cycle effective with the chart dated July 17, 2021 (previously Monday to Sunday and before July 2015, Wednesday to Tuesday). A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by ''Billboard'' on Tuesdays but post-dated to the following Saturday. The first number-one song of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 was " Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bell & James
Bell and James were an American soul group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed by LeRoy Bell (drums, guitar) and Casey James (guitar, bass, keyboards). Career Both LeRoy Bell and Casey James had played in Special Blend before beginning to write songs together. Bell's uncle Thom Bell got them signed to Gamble & Huff as songwriters for Philadelphia International Records.Biography Allmusic.com They wrote tunes for Elton John, MFSB, The O'Jays, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Freda Payne, Phyllis Hyman, The Three Degrees, and others, before A&M Records took notice and signed them to a full album deal in 1978. Three albums and several hit singles followed, including "Livin' It Up (Friday Night)", which hit No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' R&B singles chart and No. 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1979. It sold over one million copies in the U.S., plus the same track reached No. 59 in the UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LeRoy Bell
LeRoy Bell (born August 8, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He and his friend Casey James played in Special Blend, and then went on to form their own duo Bell and James, also composing songs that were hits for other artists most notably two charting hit singles for Elton John. Later Bell became a member of the trio Only Friends. In 2011, Bell applied for the American ''The X Factor'' and was chosen for the Final 16 and went on to the live shows being mentored by Nicole Scherzinger. He was eliminated after the fifth live show finishing 8th overall in the inaugural season of the American ''The X Factor'' when he was in bottom three with Marcus Canty and Lakoda Rayne. Background LeRoy Martez Bell was born in Florida on August 8, 1951. He is a son of Leroy and Janice Marie (Zaragoza) Bell. His father is the half-brother of music producer Thom Bell. As a military family, they moved frequently, until settling in Tacoma, Washington in 1965. Bell and James Bell and Jame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sigma Sound Studios
Sigma Sound Studios was a recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.. It was founded in 1968 by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia. Located at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was one of the first studios in the United States to offer 24-track recording capacity and the first anywhere to successfully employ console automation. Tarsia, formerly chief engineer at Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Studios, also opened Sigma Sound Studios of New York City in 1977, at the Ed Sullivan Theater building. History Recording From the beginning, Sigma Sound was strongly associated with Philadelphia soul and, in the 1970s, the sound of Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International Records (its driving rhythm a precursor to disco music), as well as the classic, sophisticated productions of Thom Bell. Both featured large productions with strings and horns creating what became known as "The Sound of Philadelphia," or "T.S.O.P.", a term which became trademarked and was the title of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
