The house where legendary songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff crafted “The Sound of Philadelphia” has been dismantled coincidentally on Record Store Day.
Vince Lattanzio of NBC 10 Philadelphia reported that headquarters for the prolific Philly Soul architects’ historic Philadelphia International Records (PIR) office and its accompanying Sigma Sound Studios will be replaced by a 47-story, 152-room complex including a hotel and condominiums.
Throughout the 1970s and early ‘80s, PIR, founded in 1971, churned out simultaneous gold and platinum hit singles and LPs by MFSB, The Three Degrees, The O’Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Jerry Butler, Patti LaBelle, The Stylistics, Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, The Jacksons, Phyllis Hyman, McFadden & Whitehead and The Jones Girls among others.
Buildings nearby were damaged following a fire in 2010, leaving PIR as the lone structure. The high rise is set to open in 2017 and will feature signed gold bricks at the foundation to commemorate the building’s history.
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This post was written by Christopher A. Daniel, pop cultural critic and music editor for the Burton Wire. He is also contributing writer for Urban Lux Magazine and Blues & Soul Magazine. Follow Christopher @Journalistorian on Twitter.
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