The Intruders
Encyclopedia
The Intruders were an American
soul music
group
most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit
song
s under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they had a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul
.
, only to rejoin the group in 1973.
In 1965, when songwriter
s and record producer
s Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff first contemplated leaving the Cameo-Parkway record label
to risk launching their own label, the vocalists on which they pinned all their hopes and venture capital were The Intruders. Like many other subsequent acts the duo produced, which included Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and The O'Jays
, The Intruders had already developed a vocal sound that was both theirs and uniquely Philadelphian.
Brown, Daughtry, Terry and Edwards had been recording
and performing one-off singles
together since 1961, blending Philly's street corner doo-wop
tradition with black gospel fervor. The result was neither as pop
-infected as Motown
, nor as funk
y and blues
-inflected as Stax
. The sound which The Intruders refined for the Excel, Gamble and Philadelphia International
imprints reflected a different attitude than either Stax or Motown.
Gamble and Huff
's success with The Intruders helped convince Columbia Records
to grant them the money to launch Philadelphia International. Gamble and Huff acknowledged that their work with The Intruders was the foundation of what they called "The Sound Of Philadelphia".
The Intruders, meanwhile, were undergoing some internal turmoil. When the group resurfaced on the 1970 Gamble LP
, When We Get Married, lead singer Brown was replaced by Bobby Starr
. The title song, "When We Get Married" (R&B #8, Pop
#45), a Dreamlovers
cover
, became a hit on the charts
, as was the follow-up "Win, Place Or Show (She's A Winner)" (UK
#14). Starr's tenure with the group included Soul Train
television appearances, and the rare collector's single, "I'm Girl Scoutin". Brown returned to the group in 1973 for the album Save The Children, which spawned The Intruders' last two big hits, "I'll Always Love My Mama" (R&B #6, Pop #36) and "I Wanna Know Your Name" (R&B #9, Pop #60).
"Cowboys to Girls
" (R&B #1, Pop #6) remains the only chart topping
single of their career. It was awarded an R.I.A.A.
gold disc
for one million sales in mid May 1968. It was covered
by the Hacienda Brothers
. Other covers of their hit singles included "Together", which was recorded by Gladys Knight & The Pips
on their Silk 'N' Soul LP, as well as The Three Degrees
on their 1975 work, Take Good Care Of Yourself.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, their music was popular on the West Coast among Latino
, specifically Chicano
, youth
. Daughtry died of cancer on December 25, 1994 at age 55, and Brown committed suicide by jumping off the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in April
1995. The Intruders today include Bobby Starr, Glenn Montgomery and Phil Gay. The group is featured on the "My Music DVD hosted by Patti LaBelle
on PBS, and tour with the Love Train: Sound of Philadelphia Concert series. There are also several tribute groups including "The Philly Intruders" who appear on The Big Show DVD
, and "The Fabulous Intruders" founded by William Payton, Sr.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soul music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they had a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul
Philadelphia soul, sometimes called the Philadelphia Sound or Sweet Philly, is a style of soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featuring sweeping strings and piercing horns. The subtle sound of a glockenspiel can often be heard in the background of...
.
Biography
Formed around 1960, the group originally consisted of Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phillip "Phil" Terry and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards. In 1969, Sam Brown was replaced as lead singer by Bobby StarrBobby Starr
Bobby Starr is an American R&B and soul singer; currently a lead singer for The Intruders.-Biography:Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Bobby Starr toured with a variety of vocal groups as a teen before forming Bobby Starr and the Versatilles...
, only to rejoin the group in 1973.
In 1965, when songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff first contemplated leaving the Cameo-Parkway record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
to risk launching their own label, the vocalists on which they pinned all their hopes and venture capital were The Intruders. Like many other subsequent acts the duo produced, which included Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and The O'Jays
The O'Jays
The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1963 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert , Walter Williams , William Powell , Bobby Massey and Bill Isles. The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005...
, The Intruders had already developed a vocal sound that was both theirs and uniquely Philadelphian.
Brown, Daughtry, Terry and Edwards had been recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
and performing one-off singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
together since 1961, blending Philly's street corner doo-wop
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
tradition with black gospel fervor. The result was neither as pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
-infected as Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
, nor as funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
y and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-inflected as Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
. The sound which The Intruders refined for the Excel, Gamble and Philadelphia International
Philadelphia International Records
Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:...
imprints reflected a different attitude than either Stax or Motown.
Gamble and Huff
Gamble and Huff
Kenneth Gamble and Leon A. Huff are an American songwriting and record production team who have written and produced over 170 gold and platinum records. They were pioneers of Philadelphia soul and the in-house creative team for the Philadelphia International record label...
's success with The Intruders helped convince Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
to grant them the money to launch Philadelphia International. Gamble and Huff acknowledged that their work with The Intruders was the foundation of what they called "The Sound Of Philadelphia".
The Intruders, meanwhile, were undergoing some internal turmoil. When the group resurfaced on the 1970 Gamble LP
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, When We Get Married, lead singer Brown was replaced by Bobby Starr
Bobby Starr
Bobby Starr is an American R&B and soul singer; currently a lead singer for The Intruders.-Biography:Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Bobby Starr toured with a variety of vocal groups as a teen before forming Bobby Starr and the Versatilles...
. The title song, "When We Get Married" (R&B #8, Pop
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
#45), a Dreamlovers
The Dreamlovers
The Dreamlovers were an American doo wop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Formed in 1956, the group took several names early in its career, recording demos as The Romancers and The Midnighters...
cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, became a hit on the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, as was the follow-up "Win, Place Or Show (She's A Winner)" (UK
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#14). Starr's tenure with the group included Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
television appearances, and the rare collector's single, "I'm Girl Scoutin". Brown returned to the group in 1973 for the album Save The Children, which spawned The Intruders' last two big hits, "I'll Always Love My Mama" (R&B #6, Pop #36) and "I Wanna Know Your Name" (R&B #9, Pop #60).
"Cowboys to Girls
Cowboys to Girls
Cowboys to Girls is a 1968 R&B single written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by The Intruders. The single was a crossover hit becoming The Intruders first Top 40 single...
" (R&B #1, Pop #6) remains the only chart topping
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
single of their career. It was awarded an R.I.A.A.
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
for one million sales in mid May 1968. It was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by the Hacienda Brothers
Hacienda Brothers
The Hacienda Brothers is the name of an alternative country band composed of Chris Gaffney, Dave Gonzalez, Dave Berzansky, Dale Daniel, and Hank Maninger. They have been described as "the finest country-rock band since the Flying Burrito Brothers in their prime," and were called "the best country...
. Other covers of their hit singles included "Together", which was recorded by Gladys Knight & The Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & The Pips were an R&B/soul family musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles on Motown's "Soul" record label and Buddah Records from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight...
on their Silk 'N' Soul LP, as well as The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees
The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group. Formed in 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,, the group has always been a trio though there have been a number of personnel changes and a total of fourteen women have represented the group so far. The original members were Fayette Pinkney,...
on their 1975 work, Take Good Care Of Yourself.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, their music was popular on the West Coast among Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
, specifically Chicano
Chicano
The terms "Chicano" and "Chicana" are used in reference to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent. However, those terms have a wide range of meanings in various parts of the world. The term began to be widely used during the Chicano Movement, mainly among Mexican Americans, especially in the movement's...
, youth
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
. Daughtry died of cancer on December 25, 1994 at age 55, and Brown committed suicide by jumping off the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in April
April
April is the fourth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of four months with a length of 30 days. April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC...
1995. The Intruders today include Bobby Starr, Glenn Montgomery and Phil Gay. The group is featured on the "My Music DVD hosted by Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
on PBS, and tour with the Love Train: Sound of Philadelphia Concert series. There are also several tribute groups including "The Philly Intruders" who appear on The Big Show DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, and "The Fabulous Intruders" founded by William Payton, Sr.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
|||||
| 1967 | The Intruders Are Together | — | 23 | Gamble Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:... |
||
| 1968 | Cowboys to Girls | 112 | 11 | |||
| 1970 | When We Get Married | — | 48 | |||
| 1973 | Save the Children | 133 | 12 | |||
| 1974 | Energy of Love | — | 41 | TSOP Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:... |
||
| 1985 | Who Do You Love? | — | — | Streetwave | ||
| 2002 | How Long Has It Been | — | — | Moor Ent. | ||
| "—" denotes the release failed to chart | ||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Peak positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
|||||
| 1969 | Greatest Hits | 144 | 19 | Gamble Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records is a record label founded by writer-producers, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff in 1971. It was famous for showcasing the sub-genre of Philadelphia soul music and released a string of worldwide hits during the decade.-History:... |
||
| 1973 | Super Hits | 205 | 51 | |||
| 1994 | Philly Golden Classics | — | — | Collectables Collectables Records Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels.... |
||
| 1995 | Cowboys to Girls: The Best of the Intruders | — | — | Epic Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A... /Legacy Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated... |
||
| 1998 | On the Move | — | — | Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation.... |
||
| 2002 | Super Hits | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes the release failed to chart | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||||
| 1961 | "I'm Sold (On You)" | — | — | — | ||
| 1962 | "This Is My Song" | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Gonna Be Strong" | — | — | — | ||
| "(We'll Be) United | 78 | 14 | — | |||
| "Devil with an Angel's Smile" | — | 29 | — | |||
| 1967 | "(You Better) Check Yourself" | — | — | — | ||
| "Together" | 48 | 9 | — | |||
| "Baby I'm Lonely" (A-side) | 70 | 28 | — | |||
| "Love That's Real" (B-side) | 82 | 35 | — | |||
| 1968 | "Cowboys to Girls Cowboys to Girls Cowboys to Girls is a 1968 R&B single written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and performed by The Intruders. The single was a crossover hit becoming The Intruders first Top 40 single... " |
6 | 1 | — | ||
| "(Love Is Like A) Baseball Game" | 26 | 4 | — | |||
| "Slow Drag" | 54 | 12 | — | |||
| 1969 | "Give Her a Transplant" | 104 | 23 | — | ||
| "Me Tarzan You Jane" | — | 41 | — | |||
| "Lollipop (I Like You)" | 101 | 22 | — | |||
| "Sad Girl" | 47 | 14 | — | |||
| "Old Love" | — | 35 | — | |||
| 1970 | "Tender (Was the Love We Knew)" | 119 | 25 | — | ||
| "When We Get Married" | 45 | 8 | — | |||
| "This Is My Love Song" | 85 | 22 | — | |||
| 1971 | "I'm Girl Scoutin'" | 88 | 16 | — | ||
| "Pray for Me" | 105 | 25 | — | |||
| "I Bet He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)" | 92 | 20 | — | |||
| 1972 | "(Win, Place or Show) She's a Winner" | — | 12 | 14 | ||
| 1973 | "I'll Always Love My Mama (Part 1)" | 36 | 6 | 32 | ||
| "I Wanna Know Your Name" | 60 | 9 | — | |||
| 1974 | "Nice Girl Like You" | — | 21 | — | ||
| 1975 | "Rainy Days and Mondays" | — | 81 | — | ||
| "Plain Ol' Fashioned Girl" | — | — | — | |||
| 1979 | "Goodnight" | — | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Who Do You Love?" | — | — | 65 | ||
| 1985 | "Warm and Tender Love" | — | — | 99 | ||
| "—" denotes the release failed to chart | ||||||
External links
- The Intruders at Legacy Recordings
- The Intruders at Philly Soul Classics