Rock and Roll; Interview with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff [Part 1 of 4]

Well the music then I don't know. That inspired me as a young man was a cranky line in the teenagers. Adele and the afternoon Imperials groups like that. I think my greatest inspiration came when the Motown hair started to come through with the Temptations and the Supreme's and people like that. I was listening to a Chuck Berry Little Richard. Let me just done with our artist gospel music it's a Soul Stirrers by a little better the old traditional gospel that was well in my family especially on Sundays I was listening to while that as

well. That's a good news. What was it. I mean I think it set me off five. But one thing to think of in my mind a Sam Cooke song is said to me really I had a great impact on me the first time I heard Dave for the disc jockey was to play about 20 times in a row. And that's the kind of song sort of I missed the first thing that jumps into my mind when you talk about a song that you know Frankie Lymon and all these guys they had a tremendous impact on

that in those days. You know I was listening to well basically the same gammas listen to about this and I go because it was basically an instance of the same radio stations like this and that time but I was listening to let Chuck Berry to win the Little Richard. Dionne in the Bell months and the Beach Boys and Elvis I was listening to all of that. The Gospel or the old tradition of gospel groups like the Soul Stirrers and the Five Blind Boys and mighty clal the joy I was going to all those gospel shows I love those. All that music inspired me. Jackie Wilson and the motel assertion the Motown sound. Well it's all about

love. Houseful of talent. So I think you think. Yeah yeah Motown was a house when the talented people that was just it was on fire and it rolled with that creativity glow and they saw the light. Oh yeah I might have a lot most of them but I would get some howlin snuck out all of those are OK without listening. They stepped out and and it was so much great music coming out of it you know. So you know normal would feel if it was me get some hot records let's vote tally was like it was like a role model for I see a full international because Motown really set up a

system that was kind of new in the music business and by had been. You know a black company gave us encouragement that we could actually do the same thing also to so Motown was and Berry Gordy and that whole Motown sound was like that. It was like a role model for us I mean we we everybody loved Motown you know. And I can remember days when we still listen to we still wait for the next Supreme's record or the next four top sort of temptation. And not only were they good songwriters and produces but they're great ideas. Any of a great performer as they used to perform here at Philadelphia the up down sort of Motown was like a phenomenon. And that's what with what.

I think they were creatively free. They had a free spirit going on and that and that and that happens. It's like me and you got to steal you. It was people who had a free they had freedom in their house to go in and speak to me and create different songs. The sound. Berry Gordy's a burning desire to make it work. I think it was just a total freedom being away when we go in it really write songs we're free from everything. I think the Motown and the concentration it was unbelievable you know. I mean it doesn't equate with me and how I know that Philly to Nashville was like a release. When you write songs like that it is like a release and it is fun.

And that's what hit records and that music is all about is people being able to release themselves and that when you have great musicians great songwriters great ideas great studio the time is right there then you have the kind of musical explosion just like Motown just like filling in and there are still stacks. Thank you to you as you know with this introduction. Oh would you let them do your own studio work that was

working with me when Stone It was an exciting time for me as a I hired musician you know planned on a big name artist records. That was a thrill for me you know. Phil Spector that was a thrill for me to be a musician of some of those great records he produced. So I was pumped up as a musician. And of gamble as a hell of a singer. So those two forces joined together as a talent and and it just happened the first time we have got together. It just flowed like that. You know it wasn't nothing forced. It was just a natural coming together of talents. The first time we got together I think we were sort of four five songs a first down. We said now and I wrote and we write no sense and is

just like good. We just natural. And that's why that's why. Well you know I think you know the end of you know the music scene is what you're right for the song together. Sometimes Huff will just play chords. And. The words that just come the words come. You know we'll talk about different circumstances. You know that people we know certain things that we're going through people we know on through what the world has gone through you know I need this pull from your environment and the music sort of like

dictates the movie. And then when you put the words to it it just flows it just flows together. And basically I we wrote songs would be we'd have a piano and we put a tape recorder on top of the piano and we just run it tape. And eventually we would get it. We get the song I mean take us a while sometimes sometimes we get we write it real quick we write a song real quick. But then most of time we would really stop and you know start all over again and perfect the songs and make them you know men even then even then we were writing. Once we started writing we would write five six songs in a day and it's an enjoyable very enjoyable experience you know. And what it was that goal of that and I think a lot of fun. Using what

we found a way to do it.