WARNER MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC, IMAGINE DOCUMENTARIES AND JIGSAW PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE HISTORIC DOCUMENTARY ON MUSIC ICONS KENNY GAMBLE, LEON HUFF AND THOM BELL
The film will explore their prolific lives and lasting legacies as songwriters and producers, telling the incredible story of The Sound of Philadelphia
Alex Gibney to Executive Produce; Sam Pollard to Direct
Warner Music Entertainment (WME), Warner Chappell Music (WCM), and Imagine Documentaries, in partnership with Jigsaw Productions, today announced The Sound of Philadelphia, a documentary celebrating the creation of music’s most symphonically seductive genre, Philly Soul. The never-before-told story will chronicle the enduring legacies of musical icons Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell as they developed their timeless sound, which would go on to influence generations of artists and songwriters and change the music industry forever.
The Oscar and Emmy award-winning executive producer Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Men in the Room, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, The Crime of the Century) has signed on to the project, along with Peabody and Emmy award-winning director Sam Pollard (Mr. Soul!, Sammy Davis, Jr: I Gotta Be Me). The film will also be executive produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein, and Justin Wilkes (Imagine); Charlie Cohen (WME); Ashley Winton (WCM); Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, and Erin Edeiken (Jigsaw); and Amanda Ghost and Gregor Cameron (Unigram).
The Sound of Philadelphia will include exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage featuring the groundbreaking songwriters and producers Gamble, Huff, and Bell – known as “The Mighty Three.” As the founders of the legendary record label Philadelphia International Records, and creators of “The Sound of Philadelphia” (TSOP), the documentary will explore how they crafted their unique sound and music business prowess. With a catalog spanning more than 3,500 songs, The Mighty Three wrote and produced genre-defining hits that shaped a generation, including “Love Train” by The O’Jays, “If You Don’t Know Me Now” by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul, “Rubberband Man” by the Spinners, “You Are Everything” by The Stylistics, and “TSOP” by MFSB and the Three Degrees – famously known for its use as the Soul Train theme song.
The documentary will further explore Gamble, Huff and Bell’s roll in producing and writing major hits with world-renowned artists such as The Jacksons, Dusty Springfield, Lou Rawls, The Three Degrees, Patti LaBelle, Nancy Wilson, The Temptations and the Supremes collaboration, Elton John and many more. The documentary will bring to light the meteoric rise to fame of three trailblazers from the streets of Philadelphia and Camden who worked to create the most successful Black-owned record label and music publishing company in the world, all while channeling their iconic success back into the community.
Gamble, Huff and Bell shared: “After six decades, we are incredibly proud to finally share our life stories with the world and showcase all the hard work that has gone into creating this great music. We are even more excited to be working with the incredible teams at Imagine and Warner Music, as well as Alex Gibney and Sam Pollard. Our longtime fans and new fans will get a unique look into the creation of the Sound of Philadelphia with the themes of empowerment and love, to ‘people all over the world’ as we’ve always had a ‘Message in our Music!!!’”
Warner Music Entertainment President, Charlie Cohen, commented: “Kenny, Leon, and Thom’s lasting impact on music and our culture at large cannot be understated. Their music is timeless, with the messages in their songs still resonating today. When Ashley Winton and the team at Warner Chappell brought us this idea, we immediately knew we had something special. And now with Alex Gibney and Sam Pollard signed on to lend their creative visions to the project, we’re excited to see this story come to life.”
Alex Gibney noted: “I am thrilled to co-produce this film about these exceptional songwriters, whose words and music continue to have an impact. And pleased to be working again with my friend Sam Pollard – who produced and edited ‘Sinatra: All or Nothing At All,’ a fine director with a profound understanding of music.”
Sam Pollard added: “I was absolutely delighted when I was approached about directing a feature length doc about the extraordinary music creators Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell. They made superstars out of artists that previously toiled in obscurity, through songs of peace, love, social conscience, and turmoil. I’m looking forward to working with my dear friend Alex Gibney again as we shine a light on the powerful, sophisticated, and timeless ‘Sound of Philadelphia.’”
The documentary’s development is driven by Warner Chappell’s Creative Services department – which identifies untapped commercial and creative opportunities for Warner Chappell’s songwriters and catalog. It marks the latest project to come from WME and Warner Chappell’s partnership with Imagine Entertainment.
