Gene McFadden (January 28, 1949 – January 27, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as one of the key members of the

Philadelphia International Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. I ...

record label, and was one-half of the successful team of

McFadden & Whitehead McFadden and Whitehead were an American R&B duo, best known for their signature tune "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now". They wrote and produced some of the most popular R&B hits of the 1970s, and were primarily associated with the Gamble and Huff re ...

with John Whitehead.

Biography

McFadden met John Whitehead as a teenager and together they founded the Epsilons, a

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

group. The group was discovered by

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

, who acted as their manager. They later toured with Redding until his death in 1967, after which, they signed with

Kenny Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

and Leon Huff’s

record label. McFadden & Whitehead soon gained attention for their songwriting ability when their song " Back Stabbers", recorded by

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor hi ...

, went to No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The duo wrote many songs for other Philadelphia International artists and had hits such as

Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American soul and R&B vocal group. One of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s, the group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in ...

' " Wake Up Everybody (Part 1)", " Bad Luck", The Intruders' "I’ll Always Love My Mama," and their own, "

Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is a 1979 disco song performed by American R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead, from their debut album ''McFadden & Whitehead''. They wrote and produced the song along with keyboard player Jerry Cohen. McFadden & Whitehead wou ...

" (#1 R&B) in 1979. McFadden, along with Whitehead, was instrumental in defining the sound of

Philadelphia soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often feat ...

. McFadden was diagnosed with

liver The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...

and lung cancer in 2004, and died from the disease at his home in the Mount Airy section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on January 27, 2006 (one day shy of his 57th birthday). He was survived by his wife Barbara, two daughters, and two sons.

References

Other sources

*Jeckell, Barry A. (January 30, 2006).
R&B Artist/Songwriter Gene McFadden Dies
. ''Billboard''. Retrieved on April 13, 2007. *Perrone, Pierre (January 31, 2006).
Obituary
. ''The Independent''. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.

External links

* * 1949 births 2006 deaths Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from lung cancer in Pennsylvania African-American male singer-songwriters Musicians from Philadelphia Record producers from Pennsylvania American soul musicians Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century African-American male singers {{US-singer-songwriter-stub