Gamble, Huff and Bell’s Sound of Philadelphia gets its documentary-due.
Forever, the Philadelphia International Records label and the creamily soulful Sound of Philadelphia – courtesy The Mighty Three’s Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell – missed the mark when it came to historical, legacy documentation. Where’s the Sound of Philadelphia jukebox musical, splashy coffee table biography and filmed documentary unfurling at SXSW and Sundance?
The latter is soon forthcoming as it was announced, on February 2, that Gamble, Huff and Bell were working with Imagine Documentaries, Warner Music and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions (with Gibney as executive producer and the doc’s director Sam Pollard) to tell the story of the three men who made the 70s sing out loud, soulfully and positively. Along with old and rare (very rare, you’d be surprised how little they documented via photographs, film and video in relation to, say, Motown) footage, the three giants of funky composition and arranging skill would sit down for new interviews.
“Our longtime fans and new fans will get a unique look into the creation of the Sound of Philadelphia with the themes of empowerment and love, to ‘people all over the world’ as we’ve always had a ‘Message in our Music’,” the trio claimed in a joint statement. “After six decades, we are incredibly proud to finally share our life stories with the world and showcase all the hard work that has gone into creating this great music.”
Anyone wondering if the PIR’s legacy will get a sound shake should note that Pollard was the director of “Mr. Soul!”, “MLK/FBI” and “Citizen Ashe”, with Gibney, the near-legendary director of docs such as “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief”. There are no timelines or release schedules or distributors/streamers in the mix at this point.
Warner Music Entertainment President, Charlie Cohen, wrote in a statement that “Kenny, Leon, and Thom’s lasting impact on music and our culture at large cannot be understated. Their music is timeless, with the messages in their songs still resonating today. When Ashley Winton and the team at Warner Chappell brought us this idea, we immediately knew we had something special. And now with Alex Gibney and Sam Pollard signed on to lend their creative visions to the project, we’re excited to see this story come to life.”
Gibney, as part of the press statement, claimed “I am thrilled to co-produce this film about these exceptional songwriters, whose words and music continue to have an impact. And pleased to be working again with my friend Sam Pollard – who produced and edited “Sinatra: All or Nothing At All”, a fine director with a profound understanding of music.”
To that, Pollard added, “I was absolutely delighted when I was approached about directing a feature-length doc about the extraordinary music creators Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell. They made superstars out of artists that previously toiled in obscurity, through songs of peace, love, social conscience, and turmoil. I’m looking forward to working with my dear friend Alex Gibney again as we shine a light on the powerful, sophisticated, and timeless Sound of Philadelphia.”
If I need to tell you what music Gamble, Huff and Bell are responsible for, we have a whole conversation ahead of us.
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