Before the world knew what to call it, Philadelphia had already built the sound. From street-corner doo-wop to the lush orchestrations of Philadelphia International, the city's music shaped American radio for decades.
The labels
1956 – 1968
Founded on North Broad Street, Cameo-Parkway launched the careers of Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, and Dee Dee Sharp. It was the engine of the Philadelphia teen-pop explosion and the home of the Twist craze that swept the nation.
1971 – present
Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff built Philadelphia International into one of the most important labels in soul history. The Sound of Philadelphia — lush strings, tight rhythms, and deeply felt vocals — defined the 1970s and gave the world Harold Melvin, the O'Jays, and TSOP.
1968 – 1990s
The room where the Philly Sound was recorded. Sigma Sound on North 12th Street hosted sessions for David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, and virtually every major Philadelphia soul act. Engineer Joe Tarsia's ear shaped the sonic signature of an era.
The artists
The Stylistics
Silk harmonies, heartbreak, and strings
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Teddy Pendergrass and the sound of longing
The O'Jays
Message music with an irresistible groove
Chubby Checker
The man who made the whole world twist
Bobby Rydell
South Philly's favorite son
The Delfonics
Falsetto soul from West Philadelphia
MFSB
The house band that built the Sound of Philadelphia
Patti LaBelle
North Philadelphia's greatest voice
Regional radio
Philadelphia radio was the amplifier for everything the city's studios produced. WIBG, WFIL, and WHAT were the tastemakers — DJs like Georgie Woods and Jerry Blavat built careers on knowing which record would move a crowd before anyone else did.
WWDB 860 AM carries that tradition forward today. The Philly Sound with The Real Rob Carson is a direct line back to the era when a great record and a great voice on the radio were all you needed.
