Thom Bell
| Thom Bell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Thomas Randolph Bell |
| Born |
January 26, 1943 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Philadelphia soul, R&B, soul, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, record producer, arranger |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Associated acts | The Stylistics, The Delfonics, The Spinners, Elton John |
Thomas Randolph "Thom" Bell (born January 26, 1943) is a Jamaican-born American songwriter, arranger, and record producer known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s.
Bell was classically trained as a musician, he moved to Philadelphia as a child but as a teenager had sung with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Daryl Hall (of Hall & Oates fame). Bell's first big break in soul music came with Cameo Records in Philadelphia where he worked as a session player and arranger. In 1967, he was introduced to a local group called The Delfonics, producing two singles for them on subsidiary label, Moonglow. Bell brought a smooth, lush style to soul music and his production talents yielded several big hits for the group on the Philly Groove label, run by their manager Stan Watson. These included "La-La (Means I Love You)" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," the latter nominated for a Grammy Award in 1970.
Bell had also joined the fast-growing record production company operated by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in Philadelphia, working as an arranger for acts such as Jerry Butler, Archie Bell & The Drells, The O'Jays and Dusty Springfield. He also arranged some of the early big hits, including the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers", on Gamble & Huff's own record label, Philadelphia International Records, which they launched in 1971. He also joined the two in setting up a music publishing company for their songs, Mighty Three Music.
By 1971, Bell had moved on to produce another local group, The Stylistics, this time on Avco Records. By then, he had teamed up with the Philadelphia-born songwriter, Linda Creed and this partnership, along with Russell Thompkins, Jr., the lead singer of the Stylistics, generated three albums full of memorable tracks. Bell and Creed became one of the era's dominant soul songwriting teams, penning hits such as "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)", "You Are Everything", "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "Break Up to Make Up", "You Make Me Feel Brand New," and "I'm Stone in Love with You" (the latter with Anthony Bell).
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