Today’s classic Philly Soul song of the day is another Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff production, “The Love I Lost” by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. This track was released in September of 1973 and hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart.
As noted, “The Love I Lost” was written and produced by the legendary Philly Soul team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. It was released on their Philadelphia International Records label. The single version clocks in at 3 minutes and 35 seconds while the album version is almost twice as long, at 6 minutes and 24 seconds. It was one of the first songs out there with a pure four-on-the-floor disco beat. It cooks.
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were one of the most popular Philly Soul groups in the 1970s. Contrary to what you might think, while Harold Melvin was the group’s leader, he wasn’t the lead singer. That honor goes to Teddy Pendergrass, who went on to have an illustrious solo career after leaving Mr. Melvin’s band. Melvin formed the Blue Notes, originally known as the Charlemagnes, back in the 1950s. Teddy Pendergrass joined the group in 1970 as the band’s drummer but he quickly moved to the front of the stage as lead vocalist. The group signed with Philadelphia International in 1972 and racked up a ton of R&B and mainstream hits, including “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (#3 in 1972), “Bad Luck” (#15, 1976), and “Wake Up Everybody” (#12, 1975).
Teddy Pendergrass left the group in 1975 and had a very successful solo career. Unfortunately, he suffered a near-fatal car crash in 1982 that left him paralyzed from the waist down. While he never walked again, he was able to continue singing and recording until his retirement in 2006. He passed away in 2010 of respiratory failure.
The Blue Notes continued on after Pendergrass’ exit with new lead singer David Ebo, although with less success on the charts. Gil Saunders replaced Ebo in 1982 and the group continued on until Harold Melvin passed away of a stroke in 1997, aged 57. As a group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2007.
To cap it off, here are Teddy, Harold, and the rest of the Blue Notes lip synching “The Love I Lost” on Soul Train. I always considered the Blue Notes kind of like the Philly Soul version of Motown’s Four Tops, and Teddy Pendergrass as the Philadelphia version of Levi Stubbs. It’s not a bad comparison.
