Funky Friday – Episode 87: Philly Funk
Updated: Oct 2
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Airdate: 10.2.26 - 9 AM Pacific Time on KDOG & 9 PM Pacific Time on KCSM HD2
Funky Friday – Episode 87: Philly Funk
This week, the episode 87 of Funky Friday continues the city tour by heading to Philadelphia, where strings, horns, and a deep rhythm section gave soul music a sound all its own.
The arrangements could be elegant. The voices could stop you in your tracks. But underneath all that polish, the groove had work to do.
And at the center of this story are Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.
With Philadelphia International Records, the songwriting and production partnership helped build a sound that reached from neighborhood dance floors to radios around the world. Musicians, singers, producers, and arrangers turned Philadelphia into a place where a record could move your feet and still have something to say.
You can hear both sides in The O’Jays.
The group came from Canton, Ohio, but became one of the defining voices of Philadelphia soul. “Give the People What They Want” puts its message right in the title. “For the Love of Money” wraps a warning inside a bass line that practically demands you turn it up.
That’s part of what makes this week’s music so compelling.
The message rides inside the groove.
People’s Choice gets the party moving with “Do It Any Way You Wanna,” while “TSOP,” The Sound of Philadelphia, brings a familiar connection to Soul Train into the mix.
Then we push into some different territory.
Breakwater brings the muscle with “Release the Beast.” Dexter Wansel takes us somewhere beyond the city limits with “Life on Mars,” opening the sound toward synthesizers, jazz, and cosmic possibilities.
But Philadelphia’s story also deserves a moment to slow down.
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, with Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals, bring the emotional weight of “If You Don’t Know Me by Now.” Lou Rawls follows with “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine.”
The voices and arrangements take the spotlight, giving us another reason those Philadelphia records stayed with people long after the needle lifted.
Then Bunny Sigler, Instant Funk, and Archie Bell bring us back to the party.
This week, we’re following those connections; from funk to soul, from lush arrangements to heavy grooves, and from songs built for dancing to songs built to tell you something.
Strings up top. Funk down below.
I’m Noah McDonough.
Welcome to Philadelphia.
Welcome to Philly Funk.
Signal Discovery
This week’s Signal Discovery takes us behind the records with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the songwriting and production partnership at the heart of Philadelphia International Records.
In this Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross, the two talk through how their songs took shape; the piano parts, the voices, the arrangements, and the everyday experiences that became music.
Huff explains the ominous piano opening of The O’Jays’ “Back Stabbers.” The conversation moves into the strings and orchestration that became signatures of Philadelphia soul, revealing how much thought went into giving each part its place in the record.
Then come the stories behind the singers.
Before Teddy Pendergrass became one of soul’s defining voices, he was the drummer in Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Gamble and Huff recall discovering what he could do at the microphone, helping explain the voice we hear on “If You Don’t Know Me by Now.”
And there’s another connection tucked inside that song.
Gamble, Huff, and Bunny Sigler sang backing vocals on the record.
That puts three of the people behind the Philadelphia sound right there in the performance; including Sigler, whose “Let Me Party With You” appears in this week’s set.
They also recall working with Don Cornelius to create the Soul Train theme, connecting “TSOP” to the television show that brought so much of this music into American homes.
What makes the interview work is hearing Gamble and Huff remember the decisions behind music we now recognize almost instantly.
A drummer steps up to sing. A piano phrase sets the mood. A conversation becomes a song.
Before these records became classics, they were ideas in a room.
This week, we get to hear from two of the people who were in that room.
Funky Friday – Episode 87: Philly Funk
🔥 SETLIST + RENEGADE NOTES
People’s Choice — “Do It Any Way You Wanna”
Personnel: People’s Choice; Frankie Brunson — keyboards and vocals; David Thompson — percussion; Roger Andrews — bass; Guy Fiske — guitar. Written and produced by Leon Huff. Original album Boogie Down U.S.A., released in 1975.
Renegade Note: We’re opening Philadelphia’s door through the dance floor. People’s Choice was a hometown band, and “Do It Any Way You Wanna” gave Leon Huff a vehicle for a groove that needed very little explanation. The record reached No. 1 on Billboard’s soul singles chart in 1975. Listen to how much the repeating instrumental hook accomplishes; the rhythm carries the personality, while the vocal refrain gives everyone something to join. Philly’s arrangements could get elaborate, but this opening makes its point with a pocket.
The Three Degrees — “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)”
Personnel: The Three Degrees — vocals; MFSB — instrumental backing. Written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff; arranged by Bobby Martin. This selection comes from International, released in 1975; the original MFSB hit featuring The Three Degrees was released in 1974.
Renegade Note: Here’s the connection to Soul Train. Don Cornelius came to Philadelphia to work with Gamble and Huff on a new theme, and the resulting music gave the show an instantly recognizable identity. The original MFSB single reached No. 1 in 1974. Our selection comes from The Three Degrees’ International album, keeping the singers’ connection to that theme in the foreground. It also brings the musicians behind so many Philadelphia records into the story; MFSB helped turn the writers’ ideas into a sound you could identify within seconds.
The O’Jays — “Give the People What They Want”
Personnel: Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and William Powell — vocals. Written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Original album Survival, released in 1975.
Renegade Note: The O’Jays came from Canton, Ohio, but their partnership with Gamble and Huff made them one of Philadelphia International’s defining acts. “Give the People What They Want” puts that partnership’s social concerns right into the groove. The voices push the demand forward, and the arrangement gives it enough muscle to land on the dance floor. This is one of the reasons The O’Jays belong at both ends of Philly Funk; they could make a message move.
Breakwater — “Release the Beast”
Personnel: Breakwater; Kae Williams Jr. — keyboards and synthesizers; Gene Robinson Jr. — lead vocals and trumpet; Lincoln Gilmore — guitar; Steve Green — bass; James “Gee” Jones — drums; John “Dutch” Braddock — percussion. Written by Kae Williams Jr., Gene Robinson Jr. and Vince Garnell. Original album Splashdown, released in 1980.
Renegade Note: Now Philadelphia gets some teeth. Breakwater’s “Release the Beast” brings a harder funk sound into the episode, with a riff that feels built to knock something loose. The Philadelphia band recorded for Arista, widening our view beyond the Philadelphia International catalog. And this groove had another life waiting for it; Daft Punk sampled the track for 2005’s “Robot Rock.” If that opening sounds familiar, you may have met the beast through a different set of speakers.
Dexter Wansel — “Life on Mars”
Personnel: Dexter Wansel — keyboards, synthesizers, lead vocals, writing, arranging and production. Album personnel include Derrick Graves — bass; Darryl Brown — drums and percussion; Calvin Harris — guitar; MFSB — strings and horns. Original album Life on Mars, released in 1976.
Renegade Note: Dexter Wansel takes the Philadelphia sound into orbit. A writer, arranger and producer within the Philadelphia International family, Wansel brought synthesizers and a futuristic musical imagination to the label’s vocabulary. “Life on Mars” gives us a different balance of familiar ingredients; the rhythm stays grounded while the keyboards suggest somewhere much farther away. Coming after Breakwater, it stretches the opening set from heavy funk into cosmic jazz and soul. Philadelphia had room for both.
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes — “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”
Personnel: Teddy Pendergrass — lead vocals; Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes — vocal group. Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Bunny Sigler contributed backing vocals, as Gamble recalls in this week’s Signal Discovery interview. Written and produced by Gamble and Huff. Originally released in 1972; the export’s 1968 date is incorrect.
Renegade Note: Here’s where we give Philadelphia soul some room. The name on the record is Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, but the commanding lead voice belongs to Teddy Pendergrass, who had been the group’s drummer before stepping forward as a singer. “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” became the group’s first No. 1 R&B hit in 1972. After the opening run of dance grooves, this song changes the emotional temperature; the arrangement makes space for a voice that can carry the whole room.
Lou Rawls — “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”
Personnel: Lou Rawls — lead vocals. Written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Originally released on All Things in Time in 1976; this selection comes from The Essential Lou Rawls.
Renegade Note: Lou Rawls gives us another example of a singer finding a powerful home in Philadelphia. Born in Chicago, Rawls already had an established career before joining Philadelphia International. “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” became his biggest hit, reaching No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 2 on the pop chart in 1976. His unmistakable baritone sits comfortably inside the polished arrangement, while the rhythm keeps the song moving. Even when Philly dressed for romance, it remembered the dance floor.
Bunny Sigler — “Let Me Party with You (Party, Party, Party)”
Personnel: Bunny Sigler — lead vocals and production; Instant Funk — backing band. Written by Walter “Bunny” Sigler, Kim Miller, Scott Miller and Raymond Earl. This selection comes from Let Me Party With You, issued on Gold Mind; the playlist lists 1978.
Renegade Note: Bunny Sigler brings us back to the party, and he brings some important company. Instant Funk backed Sigler on this project, making this song a direct connection to the band we hear next. Sigler worked throughout the Philadelphia scene as a singer, writer and producer; here, he steps out front and lets the groove stretch. The full recording runs more than twelve minutes, giving the musicians plenty of room to settle in. After Teddy and Lou, this is our bridge back to a room full of people moving together.
Instant Funk — “I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl) [12" Dance Mix]”
Personnel: Instant Funk; James Carmichael — lead vocals; Raymond Earl — bass; Scotty Miller — drums; Kim Miller — guitar. Written by Kim Miller, Scott Miller and Raymond Earl; produced by Bunny Sigler. First released in 1978, followed by its appearance on the band’s self-titled 1979 Salsoul album.
Renegade Note: Instant Funk came from Trenton, New Jersey, and developed a deep connection to Philadelphia through their work with Bunny Sigler. “I Got My Mind Made Up” carried that partnership into a major crossover success, reaching No. 1 on the R&B and disco charts in 1979. Larry Levan and engineer Bob Blank helped build the record’s club reputation through their remix work. Our extended dance selection lets the groove occupy some real space; after hearing the band behind Bunny, we hear what happens when its own name goes on the record.
Archie Bell — “Let’s Groove”
Personnel: Archie Bell — lead vocals. This selection comes from his later album There’s Gonna Be a Showdown Again, released in 2017 and produced by Andy Bradley. The song originated with Archie Bell & The Drells on 1975’s Dance Your Troubles Away. The export’s 1969 date does not identify this recording.
Renegade Note: Archie Bell brings a Houston voice with a substantial Philadelphia connection. Bell and The Drells worked with Gamble and Huff, and their move to the TSOP label produced another run of dance records, including the original “Let’s Groove” in 1975. This episode uses Bell’s later return to the song, so we’re hearing a veteran revisit a piece of that history. Its place here is simple; keep the floor moving before The O’Jays deliver the closing statement.
The O’Jays — “For the Love of Money”
Personnel: Eddie Levert, Walter Williams and William Powell — vocals; Anthony Jackson — bass. Written by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Anthony Jackson; produced by Gamble and Huff. Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios. Original album Ship Ahoy, released in 1973; the single followed in 1974.
Renegade Note: We close with a bass line that deserves its own introduction. Anthony Jackson’s contribution became so central to “For the Love of Money” that he received a songwriting credit alongside Gamble and Huff. The studio production adds an unsettling atmosphere around the groove, including reverse echo on the background vocals. Underneath all that irresistible movement is a warning about greed and what it can do to people. It’s a fitting final statement for Philly Funk; the musicianship draws you in, the rhythm holds you there, and The O’Jays leave you with something to think about.
🔗 Quick Links:
🎧 Listen live on KDOG 9 AM Pacific Time→ Here
🎧 Listen live on KCSM HD2 9 PM Pacific Time→ Here
📆 Add to Calendar — Funky Friday (Weekly):
• 9 AM KDOG
Add to Google Calendar
• 9 PM KCSM HD2
Add to Google Calendar
🎶 Catch the Replay → Here
📖 Full Episode Recaps + Setlists → Here
📻 Renegade Radio Site → Here
Funk Facts
PEOPLE’S CHOICE - Do It Any Way You Wanna
Built around bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, and a short repeating vocal hook. “Do It Any Way You Wanna” puts the instrumental groove in charge; the voices give it a slogan everyone can join. Listen to the relationship between the bass figure and the clipped guitar phrases. Their different rhythmic placements create movement inside a steady beat. The arrangement leaves enough space for those parts to register individually, making the hook feel bigger without making the music crowded. It’s an opening lesson in how much personality a repeating groove can carry.
THE THREE DEGREES - TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)
Built around bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, orchestral strings, horns, percussion, and group vocals. “TSOP” demonstrates the balance that made Philadelphia’s orchestral soul so effective. Strings provide sweep and sustained movement while horns deliver sharper punctuation; underneath them, the rhythm section keeps everything danceable. Listen below the familiar melody and follow the shorter instrumental phrases supporting it. The grandeur comes from the arrangement, but its forward motion depends on musicians working together inside the pocket. The Three Degrees add a human voice to that machinery, connecting the orchestra to the room.
THE O’JAYS - Give the People What They Want
Built around bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, horns, strings, percussion, and the group’s forceful lead and harmony vocals. The repeated title functions as both a demand and a rhythmic hook. Listen to how the vocal phrasing works against the instrumental accents; the singers can stretch a phrase while the band keeps driving underneath it. That relationship gives the message urgency without sacrificing the dance groove. The polished arrangement provides scale, while the voices supply the conviction. Here, the rhythm helps make the argument.
BREAKWATER - Release the Beast
Built around bass, drums, electric guitar, synthesizers, keyboards, percussion, and vocals. “Release the Beast” brings a much harder attack into the episode. Its defining riff has a weight and edge that connect funk to rock, while the rhythm section keeps the music firmly grounded in a repeating pocket. Listen to the difference between the longer, heavier riff and the shorter rhythmic activity underneath it. That contrast gives the track both muscle and motion. Breakwater makes room for aggressive textures without letting them swallow the groove.
DEXTER WANSEL - Life on Mars
Built around synthesizers, keyboards, bass, drums, guitar, percussion, and vocals, with orchestral colors expanding the musical space. Wansel’s ARP synthesizer gives this music its futuristic character, but the rhythm section gives it physical weight. Listen to the contrast between the electronic sounds floating above the arrangement and the repeating bass-and-drum foundation underneath them. One suggests exploration; the other keeps your feet involved. “Life on Mars” shows how comfortably Philadelphia’s studio vocabulary could accommodate jazz fusion and science-fiction atmosphere while maintaining a deep groove.
HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES - If You Don’t Know Me by Now
Built around piano, bass, drums, guitar, strings, backing harmonies, and Teddy Pendergrass’s lead vocal. The song moves with a slow, lilting three-beat feel, changing the rhythmic character of the hour as well as its emotional temperature. Listen to how much room the arrangement gives Pendergrass at the ends of phrases. His voice can lean into a word, hold it, or pull back while the accompaniment maintains the sway. The backing vocals provide reassurance around a lead performance full of uncertainty. Here, the pocket supports a conversation that needs time to unfold.
LOU RAWLS - You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine
Built around piano, bass, drums, guitar, percussion, strings, horns, and Lou Rawls’s unmistakable baritone. Coming after the slower Blue Notes ballad, this song restores a more buoyant pulse while keeping the voice at the center. Listen to the light rhythmic activity underneath Rawls’s relaxed delivery. The accompaniment keeps moving, allowing him to sound unhurried without slowing the record down. Strings give the melody breadth, and instrumental accents keep the arrangement responsive. Its elegance comes partly from that balance; a commanding singer supported by a band that knows exactly how much motion to provide.
BUNNY SIGLER - Let Me Party with You (Party, Party, Party)
Built around bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, instrumental accents, and Sigler’s lead and answering vocals, with Instant Funk supplying the backing. The full recording stretches beyond twelve minutes, giving repetition a different role from the compact songs earlier in the hour. Once the pocket becomes familiar, listen for the smaller changes; a vocal interjection, a rhythmic accent, or an instrumental part stepping forward. Those details can refresh the groove without requiring a whole new section. Sigler makes the invitation part of the rhythm, bringing the show from its soul interlude back toward the party.
INSTANT FUNK - I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl) [12" Dance Mix]
Built around bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, horns, percussion, and lead and backing vocals. The extended dance format gives the rhythm section more room to establish its identity. Listen for how the repeating bass pattern works with the drum pulse while guitar, keyboards, and vocal responses fill different spaces around them. The longer arrangement also gives you time to notice what happens when a part drops away or returns. Those changes in density help familiar material feel newly energized. A strong groove supplies continuity; the mix can create movement by changing how much of it you hear at once.
ARCHIE BELL - Let’s Groove
Built around Bell’s lead vocal and a band arrangement with bass, drums, guitar, and keyboards. This later recording gives us a different production setting from the original Philadelphia-era release, so listen to it as a return to the song rather than an extension of the same studio session. The central invitation remains the focus. Follow the rhythm section underneath the vocal and notice how the repeated hook establishes a shared point of reference. After Instant Funk’s extended workout, Bell gives the set a more compact dance number before our final turn to The O’Jays.
THE O’JAYS - For the Love of Money
Built around Anthony Jackson’s bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, percussion, horns, and layered vocals, with studio effects contributing to the record’s atmosphere. The bass figure is both the foundation and one of the song’s principal hooks; its rhythm and distinctive tone make it immediately recognizable. Listen also to the eerie space around the backing vocals. Engineer Joe Tarsia used reverse echo so that the effect arrives before the voice, giving those repeated warnings an unsettled quality. The band makes the groove irresistible while the production keeps something uneasy moving through it. It’s a powerful way to end the hour; the sound reinforces the message.
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