MFSB

MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, Wilson Pickett, and Billy Paul.

In 1972, MFSB began recording as a named act for the Philadelphia International label. "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)", also known as the Soul Train theme, was their second and most successful single. Released in March 1974, it peaked at number one on the US Billboard pop and R&B charts. "TSOP" was influential in establishing the disco sound. The track sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in April 1974.

Overview

MFSB formed in 1971 and disbanded in 1985, three years after Teddy Pendergrass' car accident, which left him paralyzed.

Assembled by record producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, MFSB was the house band for their Philadelphia International Records label and originated the "Philly sound" that dominated the early 1970s for the artists who recorded at the Sigma Sound Studios, including The O'Jays, The Spinners, Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes, the Intruders, the Three Degrees, Jerry Butler, and Teddy Pendergrass. Later in the decade, the collective would become known for the hi-hat-dominated disco sounds that became popular in the late 1970s with groups such as the Trammps, First Choice, Ripple and Double Exposure.