Thom Bell (January 26, 1943 – December 22, 2022) – Moses Theme (1979)
Thom Bell (January 26, 1943 – December 22, 2022) – Moses Theme (1979)
The late musical genius produced and co-wrote the soundtrack to The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh feat. this epic theme for the film's star Julius Erving aka Dr. J.
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Thom Bell was one of the architects of 70s soul, a supremely talented songwriter, producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He won the Grammy for Best Producer of the Year in 1974.
See our earlier posts on Thom Bell and his longtime lyricist Linda Creed for more on their legendary musical careers.
In the early sixties Bell performed alongside Kenny Gamble in the Philadelphia R&B duo Kenny & Tommy, and released one single in 1962, the doo-wop flavored “Someday (You’ll Be My Love)” which they co-wrote. They subsequently formed a group called The Romeos, and when Bell left, he was replaced by Leon Huff.
Bell began arranging records for Gamble and Huff on their early labels Gamble and Neptune Records in the late sixties. After they established Philadelphia International Records in the early seventies, he arranged many of the label’s releases. One in particular was the song that catapulted PIR and its marquee act the O’Jays to international fame in 1972, the #1 R&B hit “Back Stabbers.” In 1973, Gamble, Huff, and Bell formed the music publishing partnership Mighty Three Music.
His career had initially taken off in 1968 when he co-wrote and produced “La-La (Means I Love You),” the first big hit by Philadelphia-based vocal group the Delfonics. It was co-written by Delfonics lead singer and primary songwriter William “Poogie” Hart who co-wrote many of their songs with Bell, including the phenomenal love song “Somebody Loves You,” released as a B-side in late 1968.
Three years later Bell began working with another Philly soul group, the Stylistics. While producing them, he and Creed co-wrote their 1971 masterpiece “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart).” Along with George Perry, they also co-wrote the group’s socially conscious anthem “People Make The World Go Round” (1972). Bell went on to produce several classic albums by the Spinners, for whom he and Creed co-wrote the powerful message song “Ghetto Child” (1973).
Bell produced and wrote or co-wrote every song on the soundtrack to the 1979 cult basketball comedy film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, starring NBA legends Julius Erving (aka Dr. J) as Pittsburgh’s star player Moses Guthrie and
(who for the last several years has been publishing a must-read political and cultural newsletter on Substack) as himself. It was one of the best soundtracks of the seventies, a decade packed with some of the greatest film scores of all time.
The epic opening cut “A Theme For L.A.’s Team” was credited to the Thom Bell Orchestra featuring trumpeter Doc Severinsen. Another TBO song that was not included on the soundtrack was the superb instrumental “Pisces Theme” which was only issued as a B-side when the film’s funky title track was released as a single.
An all-star roster of artists contributed vocals, including the Four Tops (“Chance Of A Lifetime”), the Sylvers (“Mighty Mighty Pisces”), William Hart from the Delfonics (“Follow Every Dream”), and the Spinners, whose stellar jam “(Do It, Do It) No One Does It Better” played during the film’s epic playground scene when star player Moses Guthrie (Dr. J) demonstrated there’s more to basketball than being an “overgrown adolescent who can only count in twos.”
The great Phyllis Hyman sang “Magic Mona,” the superb theme song for team astrologer Mona Mondieu (Stockard Channing in her first post-Grease role). Hyman also recorded another song for the film which was heard briefly in one scene, the beautiful “Believe In You,” but left off the soundtrack. On the song’s original demo version, Bell’s voice can clearly be heard at the beginning of the tape.
Bell, his nephew LeRoy Bell, and LeRoy’s songwriting partner Casey James co-wrote what was arguably the soundtrack’s masterpiece cut, the epic jam “Moses Theme.” It featured Seattle singer and guitarist Frankie Bleu (aka Frank Butorac) on lead vocals.
The film also featured singer Dee Dee Bridgewater in a small role. The following year in 1980, Bell produced her self-titled album on Elektra, featuring the epic “That’s The Way Love Should Feel,” co-written by Alan and Preston Glass, and the beautiful “One In A Million (Guy)” which Bell co-wrote with Joe Ericksen.
Happy Heavenly Birthday to the musical genius Thom Bell.
Further info:
“Gamble-Huff, Thom Bell and the Philly Groove,” by Pete Wingfield, Let It Rock, January, 1973.
“RIP Thom Bell: 1943 to 2022 - The producer and songwriter was a genius of sophisticated pop music,” by Nelson George, The Nelson George Mixtape, December 22, 2022.
“Thom Bell: the musical maverick who shaped Philly soul,” obituary, The Guardian, December 23, 2022.
#soul #funk #disco #TSOP #PIR #LindaCreed #ThomBell