READERS CHOICE- Top Favorite Bands From Philly Revisited

As a writer, I love feedback..and man...did I get feed back. Thank you for reading and responding to my blog about my Top 10 Bands from Philly!  The readers have spoken and they made many valid points.  Here is a list of bands that did not make my cut but deserve to be mentioned.

The Hooters - Ok, much of their music is 80's schmaltz.  Most 80's music was though.  The Hooters were part of a very important music scene in Philly along with the A's and Robert Hazard and the Heroes. At one point they were offered the job as the backing band for the She's So Unusual era of Cyndi Lauper but they refused to chase their own destiny.   Besides that they had a knack for writing hit songs.  They were responsible for 'Time After Time' for Ms. Lauper and also almost the entire Relish album for Joan Osbourne including 'One of Us'.

Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes - Even if you do not know this band you know their music.  Simply Red had a hit with 'If You Don't Know Me By Now' and Thelma Houston had a #1 hit with 'Don't Leave Me This Way'.  They were around in the 60's but hit their stride in the 70's when they signed to the Philadelphia International label and recruited a young Teddy Pendergrass.  They were, and are, an important part of the Philly sound.

MFSB - Mother Father Sister Brother may be the most important collective on this list.  They should be mentioned in the same breath as the JB's or The Dap Kings.  This pool of studio musicians were instrumental to the Philly sound.  Besides recording TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia), which was the Soul Train theme, they were the backing band for The O'Jays, The Spinners, The Sylistics, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and Wilson Picket to name a few. If you know Philly Soul you know who they are.

This topic is never closed.  Keep bringing your suggestions and thank you for the feedback.

See you at the next show!

Fran

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