From Walk of Fame To Hall of Fame, Philadelphia Music Alliance Extends October Inductions Presence To Nashville
Left to right: Thom Bell, Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section, Joe Tarsia
Thom Bell, Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section, Joe Tarsia, to be Inducted into Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™ with Garth Brooks & the G-Men, Don Felder, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Reed, and More During Induction Ceremony and Concert, Oct. 27 at Historic Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Concert to feature Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section with Brooks, Skaggs, Felder, Bruce Hornsby, Peter Frampton, plus Salute to ‘Sound of Philadelphia’ Co-Creator Thom Bell by Russell Thompkins JR & the New Stylistics
PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 19, 2016) – One week from today’s induction ceremony on the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame, the Philadelphia Music Alliance will have a major induction presence of a difference sort in Nashville, as it oversees the inductions of “Sound of Philadelphia” co-creator Thom Bell, the Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section, and Sigma Sound founder Joe Tarsia, into The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™.
Thom Bell, the Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section, and Joe Tarsia, will be inducted Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. CST in Nashville with Garth Brooks & the G-Men, Don Felder, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Reed, producer Allen Reynolds, and engineers Lou Bradley, Mark Miller, and Ron “Snake” Reynolds in a Ceremony and Concert at the Historic Nashville Municipal Auditorium, home to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and GRAMMY Museum Gallery™ at Musicians Hall of Fame.
The Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section will be featured in the concert with Brooks, Skaggs, Felder, Bruce Hornsby, Peter Frampton, and Russell Thompkins JR & the New Stylistics. Thompkins and his group will be performing a three-song Stylistics medley with the Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section in honor of Thom Bell for his heralded career as a musician and pioneering producer of numerous “Sound of Philadelphia” classics with TSOP co-creators and partners Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Tickets for the 2016 Musicians Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Concert are available through Ticketmaster.
“The PMA has worked very closely with the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™ over the past year to make sure these great Philadelphia talents are recognized on such a national stage and placed alongside so many great musicians responsible for so much great music,” said Alan Rubens, chairman of the Philadelphia Music Alliance. “This is an especially proud moment for the City of Philadelphia, because it celebrates the actual musicians who created the Philly Sound, lovingly embraced for over 40 years by ‘people all over the world.'”
Bell’s work with the Delfonics (“La La Means I Love You,” “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind”), the Stylistics (“You Make Me Feel Brand New,” “Betcha By Golly, Wow”) and the Spinners (“I’ll Be Around,” “Rubberband Man”) as part of the Sound of Philadelphia became immediately recognizable for its shimmering beauty and exquisite sweetness. Bell’s impeccable arrangements can be heard on a series of classic hits that also included “Love Train,” and “For the Love of Money.” Bell also contributed a pair of No. 1 Elton John hits to the Philly Sound – “Philadelphia Freedom” and “Mama Can’t Buy You Love.” He was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Hall of Fame in 1993.
The Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section created a genre of soul music with funk influences, often with sweeping strings and piercing horns, which sets the unique “Sound of Philadelphia” apart. These musicians have added their talents to dozens of hits, such as “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays, “La La Means I Love You” by the Delfonics, and “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Members to be inducted include Ronnie Baker (posthumously, guitar), Thom Bell (keyboards), Roland Chambers (posthumously, guitar) Charles Collins (drums), Bobby Eli (guitar), Dennis Harris (guitar), Norman Harris (posthumously, guitar), Vince Montana (posthumously, vibes), TJ Tindall (posthumously, guitar), Larry Washington (posthumously, congas), Jimmy Williams (bass), Lenny Pakula (keyboards), and Earl Young, the drummer credited with inventing the disco style of rock drumming.
All members of the Sigma Sound Studio Rhythm Section were inducted into the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame in 2013 with a trio of bronze plaques for their contributions to MFSB, the Salsoul Orchestra and John Davis & the Monster Orchestra – most in more than one of those units. The musicians, string, horn, rhythm players and voices who originally performed the music were men and women, young and old and from all backgrounds who collectively captured a moment with their talents to make that sound world-famous in the 1970s. Tarsia, chairman emeritus on the Board of the Philadelphia Music Alliance, was inducted into the Walk of Fame in 1995. He will be among those receiving the Engineering Award from the The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum™.
About the Philadelphia Music Alliance
Established in 1986, the Philadelphia Music Alliance (PMA) is a community-based, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Philadelphia’s rich musical legacy by increasing awareness of the city’s great musical tradition and supporting the current music scene. For more information, visit www.philadelphiamusicalliance.org.
About Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
From Jimi Hendrix to Hank Williams, the Musicians Hall of Fame celebrates the achievements of musicians from virtually every decade since the golden era of studio recording, starting in the 1950s, and from every corner of the country. With education being paramount, each section of the museum focuses on an important city in the history of American music – including but not limited to Detroit, Los Angeles, Muscle Shoals, Atlanta, Memphis, and Nashville, and explores each area’s contributions. The museum focuses on the session musicians who may not be well known to the public, but played on thousands of iconic recordings. The Induction Ceremony and Concert honors new members, nominated by the American Federation of Musicians and other music industry professionals, and ensures the continued growth of the Musicians Hall of Fame. The GRAMMY Museum Gallery™ is an interactive music space, which permanently opened at the Musicians Hall of Fame in April 2016. For additional information, please call (615) 244-3263 or visit www.musicianshalloffame.com.