Jamaican-born Thom Bell, the Grammy-winning producer who was one of the chief architects of ‘The Sound of Philadelphia’, passed away on Thursday at the age of 79.
No cause of death was given but Bell’s publicist said he passed away at his home in Bellingham, Washington.
Bell was born Thomas Randolph Bell in Kingston, Jamaica on January 26, 1943, but left as a child with his family, moving to west Philadelphia. He went on to study classical music in the United States.
As well as working with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff on tracks including the O’Jays’ ‘Back Stabbers’ and Harold Melvina and the Blue Notes’ ‘I Miss You’, Thom – who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 – also wrote a string of hits for the likes of The Delfonics, The Stylistics, and The Spinners in the late 1960s and 70s.
His penmanship was a force behind Dusty Springfield’s ‘A Brand New Me’, and arranging songs for her like ‘Never Love Again’. He also co-produced Jerry Butler’s version of ‘A Brand New Me’.
In 1975, he produced Dionne Warwick’s ‘Track of A Cat’ Album, scoring minor hits with ‘Once You Hit The Road’. A year earlier, he produced Warwick’s first No.1 US Billboard Hot 100 Hit, ‘Then Came You’, a duet with The Spinners.
Six years prior, Bell co-wrote the song ‘It’s Not Fair’ for Warwick’s sister, Dee Dee, during her stint in Philadelphia working with the Gamble and Huff production team.
Thom went on to compose and produce albums for the likes of The Temptations, Johnny Mathis, Sir Elton John and Joss Stone, and received a lifetime achievement honour from the Recording Academy in the form of a trustees’ award in 2017 after previously being honoured with the first non-classical producer of the year accolade at the 1975 Grammy Awards.
He was also co-wrote ‘You Make Me Feel Brand New’ by the Stylistics, which was a US Hot 100 No.2 hit. Bell also was the producer behind the powerful romantic tune, which featured lush strings, a key element that defined Bell’s arrangements.
He is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bell, and children Royal, Troy, Tia, Mark, Cybell and Christopher.
Both Kenny and Leon have paid tribute to their late friend and collaborator.
Kenny said: “Tommy and I have been best friends for over 60 years.
“When we first met, we decided to start writing songs together and form a singing duo ‘Kenny and Tommy’ and then our band the Romeos. Leon Huff and I were proud to have him as part of our Mighty Three music writing team, which helped create our signature brand of TSOP. He was a great talent and my dear friend. The name of Gamble Huff and Bell will last forever. Rest in peace buddy!”
For Leon Huff, Bell “was my favourite musician, arranger, songwriter and music producer of all time. It was my esteem, honour and pleasure to work with him creatively and as a business partner. Rest in peace.”
