RIP THOM BELL: 1943 T0 2022

The producer and songwriter was a genius of sophisticated pop music

When people think of soul music there’s a tendancy to define that music by the raw tone and passion of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding or James Brown. And, you wouldn’t be wrong, in associating those giants with soul. But there’s a sweeter, softer side to that genre that involves horns and strings, compositions built around melodies that rise slowly and insistently, and that showcase vocalists who perform with a quiet intensity. One of the masters of sophiticated soul, Thom Bell, died today at 79 years old, leaving of legacy of elegant productions that always put the spotlight on remarkable vocal performances. Unlike the music of his partners in Mighty Three music publishing, Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, Bell wasn’t known for muscular grooves or macho lead vocals. Tapping into the same gifted pool of Philadelphia musicians known as MFSB as Gamble & Huff, Bell created a body of work that featured many falsetto leads (the Delfonics’ William Hart, the Stylistics’ Russell Tompkins Jr), the bird-like Deniece Williams and the churchy style of Philippe Wynne. He wrote many classics with Linda Creed, a white woman with a lot of soulful sensitivity, but often collaborated with others from the deep talent pool found in the Philly music scene of the ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s. Never one to crave the spotlight Bell left Philadelphia for life in Washington state many years ago and rarely gave interviews. But his vast body of work as an arranger and producer speak volumes for his care, craftsmanship and grace.

I’ve posted YouTube links to some of my favorite from Thom Bell productions: “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind” by the Delfonics and co-written with lead singer Hart from 1969; “Silly” by Deniece Williams from 1981 that he co-produced with the singer; “Love Don’t Love Nobody” by the Spinners and written by Philly songwriters Joseph Jefferson & Charles Simmons in 1974; and “People Make the World Go Round” by the Stylistics and co-written with

Creed in 1971. Whether Bell wrote the song or not, the delicacy of his sound — with bells, woodwinds, strings, French horns playing over a sharp rhythm section — is always identifiable and graceful.