Philadelphia International Records

Philadelphia International Records (PIR ) is an American record label that was founded in 1971 in Philadelphia, has been associated with the Phillysound and the emerging disco sound had a substantial impact.

Genesis

Founder of the label were the composers and music producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, whose ideas had appeared on regional record labels, including Philly Groove, Gamble Records, Neptune Records or the National displaced label Mercury Records. Gamble and Huff had written together some soul songs from 1964, and decided to start his own label under the name Philadelphia International Records ( PIR) in February 1971. To PIR to secure a national distribution, they joined with CBS Records a distribution contract.

Success

With a consistent combination of recording studio (Sigma Sound Studio ), studio musicians ( MFSB ) and producers, authors and Arrangeursstab ( Thom Bell, Bobby Martin) came after a year of start-up loads of hits. The first single of the catalog Gideon Smith came up with the title Arkansaw Wife (PIR 3501) in March 1971 on the market, also not in the hit parade came as the following 15 singles. First hit was a year after the founding of the label I Miss You by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (PIR 3516) in March 1972, which reached to Rank 7 on the R & B charts. For the first number -one hit of the catalog is Back Stabbers developed over sneaky types from the The O'Jays ( May 1972, PIR 3517 ) in the R & B singles chart at the same time also the first million-seller of the new label, on 1 September 1972 with a gold Record Award. For the first pop hit was Billy Paul's ballad about a problematic love triangle Me And Mrs. Jones ( September 1972 PIB 3521 ), which won a Grammy Award. Another million-seller brought Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes with If You Do not Know me by Now in September 1972 (PIB 3520) on the market. In January 1973 appeared the instrumental version of MFSB Family Affair ( with Huff on electric piano; PIB 3528 ) that provided the instrumental skills this studio band to the test. Another Instrumentalhit provided the group with TSOP ( The Sound of Philadelphia ) in February 1974 from (PIB 3540 ), which became the theme song of the Phillysound and the nationally syndicated U.S. TV music show Soul Train. Typical Phillysound was the million-seller When Will I See You Again from the girl trio The Three Degrees (PIB 3550), which came on the market in September 1974, has already been awarded on December 9, 1974 gold. The hit was sold over 2 million copies. Other million -sellers helped the record label, People's Choice and Do it Anyway You Wanna ( August 1975 PIB 3500), the O'Jays I Love Music ( October 1975; PIB 3577 ), Teddy Pendergrass and Close the Door ( May 1978 PIB 3648 ) and McFadden & Whitehead Is not No stoppin with ' Us Now ( March 1979 PIB 3681 ). The latter received with worldwide 8 million copies sold platinum on 27 July 1979. The interpreters of this most successful songs of the PIR label, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead, worked since May 1972 as additional producers, composers and arrangers for PIR.

Final phase

Within almost a decade PIR collected a total of 175 gold and platinum records. From 1980, the success of the label subsided, the Phillysound was reinforced the forerunner of the disco music, which eventually supplanted him. In 1985, Patti LaBelle is under contract, but fell short of their expectations. In the same year PIR had to give up its independence and was initially sub-label of Capitol, as of 1991, the label went completely up in the BMG.