Beverley Knight, Andrew Roachford, & More Join SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA Lineup at Royal Albert Hall

Singers Beverley Knight, Andrew Roachford, Omar Lye-Fook, and Tony Momrelle will join Sir Lenny Henry at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 19 October for The Sound of Philadelphia – marking 50 years of Black-owned soul music label, Philadelphia International Records, and legendary songwriting partnership Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell.

The one-night-only event on Saturday 19 October will feature hits from the extensive Philly Sound back catalogue, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra, singers Ashton Jones, Derek Green, and Wayne Ellington, and music director Chris Cameron. 

The Philadelphia International Records roster included the O'Jays, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, and Teddy Pendergrass and a UK favourite The Three Degrees among others, with hits including Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now, Don't Leave Me This Way, Love Train, Me and Mrs. Jones and When Will I See You Again and hits associated with Thom Bell such as Rubberband Man and You are Everything and hundreds more.

Songwriters Gamble and Huff said: “We are honored to have the Royal Albert Hall celebrate the great catalog of music written and produced here in Philadelphia. We along with our late partner Thom Bell were totally focused on creating songs and a sound that would be loved around the world with a message of “Love and Empowerment”. On behalf of our house band MSFB, our artists, producers, songwriters and Philadelphia International Organization, we thank the UK for continuing to be our most loyal fans in the world-spanning  over five decades celebrating  The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP).”

Chris Cameron, Music Director, said: “I grew up with the Sound of Philadelphia and just about everything else that came out of pop radio in the 70s. Thom Bell and Gamble and Huff created such a terrific mix of lush strings, funky rhythms, pop, jazz and gospel meeting the symphonic.”

“Philly Soul is timeless, and you see now with the sampling generation going back and revisiting this quality music time and time again. We can't wait to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of TSOP…keeping it going for the next generation!”

Philadelphia International Records, founded in 1971, was a major force behind the Philly soul genre. Characterised by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements, Philly soul would lay the groundwork for the emergence of disco later in the 1970s.

Kenny Gamble and pianist Leon Huff, along with their partner Thom Bell, were responsible for creating the Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP). The three shared a love of songwriting, composing and producing, creating world-renowned hit records and artists out of Philadelphia in the 1960s and 70s.

Sir Lenny Henry is one of Britain's best known television performers, as well as a writer, philanthropist, and award-winning stage actor. He was awarded a Knighthood in 2015 for services to drama and charity. 

Music director, conductor and composer Chris Cameron has served as music director for George Michael and written arrangements for artists including Randy Crawford and Take That. 

The Sound of Philadelphia will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in October

Tickets are available via www.royalalberthall.com 

About the Royal Albert Hall:

The Royal Albert Hall is the world's most famous stage. Throughout its 153-year history, it has welcomed a who's who of world-renowned figures: artists, athletes and activists. No other place on earth has played host to Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Muhammad Ali; Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles and Adele. This was the Suffragettes' “temple of liberty” – the site of Votes for Women rallies that helped change the course of British history – the home of the Stonewall concerts, and a place of celebration during Nelson Mandela's state visit. But its eccentric history has also seen it used for a séance, an indoor marathon and the world's first bodybuilding contest (judged by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).

In an ordinary year, the Hall's extraordinary auditorium presents around 400 world-class events: encompassing rock, pop and classical music, theatre, dance, films, Cirque du Soleil and sport. It typically welcomes 1.8 million visitors a year, while its 1,000 events in secondary spaces help to attract a young, diverse audience. Its Engagement programme includes music therapy, concerts in the community, and workshops with A-list artists, often in collaboration with other charities, such as Nordoff Robbins and Music for Youth.

About Sir Lenny Henry

Lenny Henry has been a comedian since the age of 16, rising from a cult star on children's television to one of Britain's best known television performers, as well as a writer, philanthropist and award-winning stage actor. Lenny's recent screen credits include The Witcher: Blood Origin, Rings of Power, Broadchurch, The Syndicate and the biographic film Danny and The Human Zoo. In theatre, Lenny has starred in The Comedy of Errors at The National, Fences at the Duchess Theatre and The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui at The Donmar Warehouse.

As a co-founder and public face of Comic Relief he has played a central role in the charity raising over £1 billion since 1985. Lenny is a leading advocate for diversity in the arts and has established a centre for Media Diversity at Birmingham City University, written two books on the topic and now has a podcast "Black British Lives Matter". He has been a Trustee of The National Theatre since February 2016 and was awarded a Knighthood in 2015 for services to drama and charity.

Lenny has written two memoirs' with Faber alongside a series of children's books published through Pan Macmillan. Recently Lenny's one man play at The Bush and his new ITV1 drama series Three Little Birds received critical acclaim.

Lenny is currently setting up his new drama production company Esmerelda with the support of Banijay. 

About Gamble, Huff and Bell

Philadelphia's own Kenny Gamble and Camden native and pianist Leon Huff along with their partner Thom Bell also known as Gamble Huff and Bell were responsible for creating what is known as the The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP). All three with their shared love of songwriting and composing and producing created world renown hit records and artists out of Philaldelphia in the 1960's and 1970's.

Gamble and Huff created “Philadelphia International Records” (PIR) in 1971. Through then-CBS Records president Clive Davis, PIR secured a distribution deal through America's largest record label. PIR produced R&B and pop hits co-written by Gamble and Huff including “Love Train,” “Me and Mrs. Jones,” “Don't Leave Me This Way,” and “If You Don't Know Me By Now,” and quickly became the second largest African American-owned music company in the United States, just behind Motown. Together Gamble and Huff along with a team of Philly based writers and producers produced globally for what came to be widely known as “The Philly Sound.”  Thom Bell was responsible for creating Philly Sound hits such as “Rubber Band Man”, “I'll Be Around”, “LaLa, La Means I Love You” and “You Are Everything”.

Gamble Huff and Bell were responsible for writing and producing over 3500 songs resulting in over 45 number one Billboard Hits and over 50 top ten over 50 top ten hits. Working with and creating superstars such as Harold Melvin and Bluenotes, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle, The O'Jays, The Stylistics, The Spinners, Lou Rawls, The Jacksons, The Three Degrees, Billy Paul and many more.

In the 1990's Gamble, Huff and Bell were all inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame with Gamble and Huff being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 receiving the inaugural Ahmet Ertergun Award. All three legends have received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards over the years with several Honorary Doctorate Degrees in Music.

And very notably in the UK representing the Sound of Philadelphia, Messrs Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff received the highly honored Ivor Novello Award.

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