Thom Bell, who helped to create the soul songs style that became known in the 1960s and 1970s as “The Sound of Philadelphia,” died Thursday in Bellingham, Washington.
He was 79 and no cause of death was given. His lawyer, Michael Silver, confirmed the death. Bell, along with fellow producers and songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, were the forces behind the lush orchestrations that characterized The Sound of Philadelphia.
Bell, Gamble, and Huff were known as “The Mighty Three,” working out of a Broad Street building and creating a song factory that dominated the era’s charts and Top 40.
Dyanna Williams, a music journalist and broadcast personality, announced Bell’s death on her social media accounts Thursday afternoon. “Beloved songwriter arranger, producer Thomas aka Randolph Bell aka Thom Bell, co-architect of The Sound of Philadelphia with Gamble & Huff.
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