Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes are one of the greatest R&B group. While casual Soul Music fans associate Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes solely with the classic period of their association with Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International Records from 1972-76, the group had been around in Philadelphia for twenty years before hooking up with PIR.

 

With Melvin as lead vocalist and principal songwriter, the group, with various personnel changes, remained principally a regional act in the 50s and 60s, scoring only a few minor Soul hits. Then in the late 60s Melvin discovered Theodore(Teddy) Pendergrass, a young drummer for the Cadillacs, and recruited him as a member of the Blue Notes’ backing band.

 

Ultimately Teddy’s vocal talents led him into the group as its lead singer and brought the group to the attention of the blazing hot songwriters/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who signed the group to their PIR label in 1971. Success was immediate, as the group scored on two smash ballads in 1972, “I Miss You” (later covered by David Ruffin) and the now classic “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (later taken to #1 by Simply Red).

 

With the latter release Pendergrass quickly emerged as one of the bright young stars of Soul Music, with his distinctive sexy, growling voice ripping through Gamble & Huff’s highly orchestrated, sophisticated material. 1973 brought the group its first dance hit, “The Love I Lost,” and another smash album.

 

By the early-90s, Melvin and a rotating posse of Blue Notes had become permanent fixtures on the oldies circuit. Sadly, Melvin died in 1997 at age 57. Remaining members of the Blue Notes have continued successfully touring in multi-artist soul music shows as “Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes.”