Early years Gamble's childhood in Philadelphia shaped his adult life: he recorded himself on various
arcade recording machines, assisted the morning show DJs on
WDAS, operated a record store, and sang with The Romeos. In 1964, before there was "Gamble & Huff" there was "Gamble & Ross". Gamble was discovered and managed by
Jerry Ross when Gamble was only 17 years old and they collaborated for many years. Gamble teamed up with Leon Huff (keyboards) for the first time on a recording for Candy & The Kisses. Ross then signed Gamble to
Columbia Records in 1963 as a solo recording artist, releasing "You Don't Know What You Got Until You Lose It". Gamble & Ross & Huff collaborated on the hit song "
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", originally recorded by
Jay & The Techniques, who were a Jerry Ross group, and later covered by
Dee Dee Warwick and later by
Diana Ross & The Supremes and
The Temptations. In 1967 they produced their first Top 5 hit: "
Expressway to Your Heart" by
The Soul Survivors. In the spring of 1968, for their own Gamble Records label, they wrote and produced the top 10 hit "
Cowboys to Girls" for the Philadelphia group
the Intruders. They subsequently worked with
Atlantic Records artists
Archie Bell & the Drells,
Wilson Pickett,
Dusty Springfield, and
The Sweet Inspirations, as well as with
Mercury artists
Jerry Butler and
Dee Dee Warwick, scoring numerous hits along the way.
Philadelphia International With a solid track record now behind them, Gamble and Huff formed
Philadelphia International Records in 1971 as a rival to
Berry Gordy and
Motown. They originally approached
Atlantic Records, which passed on the deal as being too expensive.
CBS Records, headed at the time by
Clive Davis, backed the venture and distributed Philadelphia International's records. Aided and abetted by in-house arrangers
Thom Bell,
Bobby Martin, and
Norman Harris, Philadelphia International released a number of the most popular
soul music hits of the 1970s, including "
If You Don't Know Me by Now" by
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, "
Back Stabbers", "
For the Love of Money", and "
Love Train" by
The O'Jays, as well as the
Grammy-winning "
Me and Mrs. Jones" by
Billy Paul. MFSB cut a number of successful instrumental albums and singles written and produced by the Gamble & Huff team and arranged by Bobby Martin including the 1974 number-one hit "
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", now best known as the theme song from the American
television show Soul Train. Political activism Throughout the 1970s, Gamble and Huff made music that addressed political and social issues faced by the African American community. Many of their songs articulated the theme of
black pride and highlighted the
Black Power Movement's struggle for power and
self-determination. Representative examples include
Billy Paul's "
Am I Black Enough for You?" (1972), the
O'Jays' "
Give the People What They Want" (1975), and the star-studded "Let's Clean Up the Ghetto" (1977), the latter of which was the title track from an album that characterized
Philadelphia International's broader political and social designs. Scholar James B. Stewart wrote of the album and initiative: "The record company's ability to mount this type of community empowerment venture, while functioning essentially as a component of
CBS's black music department, is an interesting contrast to the more traditional style of corporate control of lyrical content ... The title song ... implores listeners to participate in a physical clean up effort 'because the ghetto is our home.' The titles of several of the other songs on the album convey the album's broader thrust including, 'Now Is the Time to Do It,' 'Year of Decision,' 'New Day, New World Comin',' and 'Save the Children.'" The album cover prominently displayed Gamble's message: "The only way we can clean up the
physical ghetto is to first clean up the
mental ghetto. With the help of almighty God, we will be able to turn this community into a positive system. Our first step is cleanliness, 'cause it's the closest thing to godliness." The album jacket also noted that all profits from the LP would be donated to charity for five years. Gamble's "Clean Up The Ghetto" project, which involves the youth of blighted communities to help clean-up and repair damaged or neglected properties, started in Philadelphia, and has spread to
Los Angeles,
Atlanta, and
Chicago with similar events being held throughout the country. Gamble has also contributed his time and energy to the T. J. Martell Foundation and The AMC Cancer Research Center and Hospital. He has served on the board of directors for the Philadelphia Music Foundation, which honors the artists, songwriters, and producers from Philadelphia. He founded the organization Universal Companies which has opened a restaurant, a bookstore, a mosque, low-income housing, and several charter schools. These buildings, mostly built by locally hired labor, have served as springboards to revitalizing neighborhoods. For example, in 2003 Gamble and Universal Companies partnered with others for a $100 million plan to construct and renovate 400 homes in south Philadelphia.
Later years In 1975, Philadelphia International became involved in a
payola-related scandal; Gamble was fined but Huff was not. In 1999, Gamble and Huff were honored with the
Grammy Trustees Award, joining musical luminaries like
Frank Sinatra,
The Beatles, and
Walt Disney. Their career output of over 3,000 songs places them among the most prolific professional songwriters of all time. Today, Kenneth Gamble continues to write, often with Leon Huff, and Philadelphia International continues. He still lives in
South Philadelphia, and remains active in his community. Gamble owns the shuttered
Royal Theater and surrounding properties. On September 19, 2005, Gamble and Huff were inducted into the
Dance Music Hall of Fame for their outstanding achievements as producers at a ceremony held in
New York City. In 2008, Gamble and Huff were the first recipients of the newly created "
Ahmet Ertegün Award" by the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The award replaces the former "non-performer" inductee category. In May 2010, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff were each awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from
Berklee College of Music. The ceremony was held at Boston University's Agganis Arena, where the songwriting duo gave the commencement address. On March 16, 2012, the
Philadelphia Inquirer published an obituary for Ruby Gamble, the 96-year-old mother of Gamble, in which he attributes his success to her influence. In April 2014, Gamble & Huff was presented a tribute by
TV One on their award show "The Trumpet Awards" which was the 22nd Annual Awards ceremony.
Joe,
Carl Thomas,
Lyfe Jennings,
SWV, and
Billy Paul performed songs for the tribute. SWV performed "
If Only You Knew"; with their lead singer
Coko singing lead on the song. The song is one of Gamble & Huff's biggest hits produced. In 2021, Gamble & Huff wrote the song "All in the Family Blues" for
Tito Jackson's second album
Under Your Spell. In 2024, Gamble & Huff were awarded Doctor of Music degrees
honoris causa by the
University of Pennsylvania. ==Discography==