Thom soon made a name for himself, playing piano on Chuck Jackson’s sterling “Any Day Now” and then hitting pop pay dirt by co-writing the Delfonics’ smash hits “La-La (Means I Love You) and “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time”).Īfter Bell joined forces with his high school friend Kenny Gamble at PIR, the Philadelphia sound was off and humming like a hit factory.
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It was a twist of fate that these two talents met it was because of the song “The Twist” that the then 22-year-old pianist Tom Bell met and worked for Chubby Checker, conducting his touring band and becoming “Thom Bell” thanks to Checker’s road manager (he convinced him that an odd first name would make him stand out).
#By golly wow 1972 hit free
Bell then supplied her with a melody and to his stunned surprise, she returned the next day with the lyrics to “I Wanna Be a Free Girl’’ which was recorded by Dusty Springfield. You’re probably fantastic to somebody, but I don’t think I’m the right person for you.’” Just before a downhearted Linda left the studio, she mentioned that she wrote lyrics. I said, ‘You probably are a great singer. Bell told Creed what he thought of her warbling of “Heat Wave:” “Terrible. She auditioned as a singer while Bell was working at PIR as a songwriter. By Bell adding co-writer and lyricist Linda Creed to the mix, the pair served up hit after hit for the Spinners (“Rubberband Man”) and more for the Stylistics like “I’m Stone in Love with You” and “Break Up To Make Up.”īut before these two co-writers, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff ushered in the “Philadelphia sound” via releases on Philadelphia International Records (PIR), Bell almost ushered Creed out of the music business when they first met. Preparing a meal is like producing: success starts with having high-quality ingredients. It’s best known, however, through the Stylistics’ version which reached the #3 spot in 1972.Ĭurrently, Thom is retired, loves to cook, and thumb through one of his 1,500 cookbooks. Was it the release of Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman” in 1954? James Brown’s “Please, Please, Please” in 1956? Or Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me ” in 1957? The date can be argued but there is no argument that the definition of soul can be found in the vast musical landscape of songwriter-producer-arranger-pianist Thom Bell, who Joe Tarsia, his studio engineer, called “the black Burt Bacharach.’’īell’s many works of written, arranged, and produced art include “Betcha, By Golly, Wow ” the classic wedding song first recorded in 1970 by Connie Francis (under the title of “Keep Growing Strong”) and much later by Prince. In contrast, the date of soul music’s Big Bang is less defined. Bruce noted that, prior to “the big bang, there was nothing to look forward to, nothing to look back upon, no future, no history.” And one of those fans is Pat Metheny, whose solo acoustic guitar version from 2011 somehow renders Bell’s melody even more stunningly gorgeous.Īs they say, it all starts with the song.Bruce Springsteen wrote that rock ‘n’ roll’s “Big Bang” was when Elvis Presley performed on The Ed Sullivan Show on Septem. While a whole lot has changed in the nearly 52 years since this song was first introduced, most music fans can still appreciate a sweet and sentimental love song. For this hit, at least, she was young and in good health. Linda Creed would die at only age 37 of breast cancer in 1986, being diagnosed nine years earlier with the disease. To shine on you so I'll know where you are Now, Creed looks to the heavens, and natural phenomena: You're the one that I've been waiting for foreverĪnd ever will my love for you keep growin' strong The chorus follows, beginning with the strangely anachronistic title, followed by seemingly over-the-top hyper-romantic sentiments: Probably the finest collaboration of Creed and Bell, the song features Creed’s extravagant lyrics with Bell’s beautiful melody-and everything just works. Since 1972, the song has been recorded dozens of times, with notable vocal versions by Prince (1996) and Aaron Neville (1993).
That single, released in February, 1972, peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified Gold. ” Few people remember Connie’s version, especially since the definitive cover and bona fide hit version was performed by the Stylistics. This gem, with lyrics from Linda Creed and music by Thom Bell, was originally released by Connie Stevens in October, 1970 as “ Keep Growing Strong.
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