Yes I Am/ Sweetie Pie

Two delightful Northern Soul dancers from 1968. Note: The audio has some high-end distortion but is quite enjoyable. The B side label has "Margaret" on it.\r\n

Incidentally, these tracks were arranged by the legendary Bobby Martin, a behind-the-scenes guy whose talents helped define what we now call "Philly Soul." He worked with a variety of produces, but primarily Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff — who generally get the credit for making Philly Soul a huge phenomenon in the early 1970s. While Gamble-Huff produced and wrote the vast majority of these songs, it was Bobby Martin who arranged them into that tight Philly bow. Among the songs Martin produced or arranged during his long career are:\r\n

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• "Cowboys To Girls" — Intruders (1968)\r\n
• "Kiss And Say Goodbye" — Manhattans (1976)\r\n
• "The Love I Lost" — Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (1972)\r\n
• "Enjoy Yourself" — Jacksons (1976)\r\n
• "When You Look At Me" — Barbara Mason (1970)\r\n
• "When Will I See You Again" — Three Degrees (1974)\r\n
• "Me And Mrs. Jones" — Billy Paul (1972)\r\n
• "Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You" — Wilson Pickett (1971)\r\n
• "The Horse" — Cliff Nobles (1968)\r\n
• "There's Gonna Be A Showdown" — Archie Bell & Drells (1968)\r\n
• "Hey Western Union Man" — Jerry Butler (1968)\r\n
• "Good Things Don't Last Forever" — Ecstasy, Passion & Pain (1974)\r\n
• "TSOP" — MFSB (1974)\r\n
• "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" Lou Rawls (1976)\r\n

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So the next time you think of the architects of Philly Soul, be sure to add Bobby Martin to the list that already includes Gamble-Huff, Van McCoy, Thom Bell, Tony Hester, Don Davis, McFadden-Whitehead, and many others.