Spanning the 1930s to the present, this year’s honorees for the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame include a notable number of women.
On Aug. 3 at the Independence Visitor Center in Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Music Alliance (PMA) announced that three-time Grammy winner, poet and actress Jill Scott; Sister Sledge; Labelle; Sister Rosetta Tharpe; McFadden & Whitehead; The Soul Survivors; Ruffhouse Records founders Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo; and WOGL “Saturday Night Dance Party” host Bob Pantano will be getting plaques on the walk of fame.
According to a press release, the collection of plaques along the Avenue of the Arts was recently proclaimed an official landmark by Philadelphia City Council, is a tribute to Philadelphia’s music history and cultural legacy, and intended to be a unifying force in the city’s diverse cultural communities.
The new walk of fame inductees will be formally inducted Oct. 4 during afternoon ceremonies along the Avenue of the Arts, and celebrated that evening with a gala event at the Fillmore Philadelphia. Tickets for the 2017 Philadelphia Music Alliance Gala Dinner are on sale at www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-philadelphia-music-alliance-gala-dinner-tickets-35947866035.
The PMA will also be honoring Kimmel Center President and CEO Anne Ewers at the gala with its Platinum Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Philadelphia Music Community. The award is given to an individual, organization or company that has been “a leader and champion in supporting the music making community in a significant way.” Ewers oversees operations of the Kimmel Center and the Merriam Theater, manages the Academy of Music and launched the city-wide Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. According to the PMA, the festival draws more than 1 million people, driving $100 million into the region’s economy.
A non-profit organization established in 1986, the Philadelphia Music Alliance’s mission is to encourage the creation, celebration and historical preservation of Philadelphia music.
For more information, visit www.pmawalk.org.
Class of 2017
Wynnewood resident Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash and Nona Hendryx were the funk female vocal group Labelle. They formed in 1971 after Cindy Birdsong left their original group, Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, to join The Supremes. Labelle’s gold-selling, proto-disco anthem “Lady Marmalade” propelled them to become the first contemporary pop group, and first black group, to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House, and the first black vocal group to appear on the cover of “Rolling Stone.” “Lady Marmalade” became a hit again in 2001 thanks to the “Moulin Rouge!” soundtrack version sung by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink.
Formed in 1971 in Philadelphia, Sister Sledge is comprised of siblings Kathy, Kim, Debbie and Joni Sledge. They achieved international superstardom at the height of the disco era with the gold-selling “We Are Family,” written and produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic. Their other signature hits are “He’s the Greatest Dancer,” which later became the sample hook in PMA walk of famer Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” and a remake of Mary Wells’ “My Guy.” The sisters have performed for everyone from President Clinton to Pope Francis. Kathy Sledge still resides in lower Bucks County.
Jill Scott began her career in the late 1990s collaborating with Philly’s The Roots and Will Smith, as well as Common. Her charting topping albums include “The Light in the Sun,” and her most recent release “Woman.”
Sister Rosetta Tharpe is considered by some to be the godmother of rock ‘n’ roll for her guitar playing and gospel singing and career from the ’30s to the ’60s. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Little Richard and Chuck Berry have all cited her as an inspiration.
McFadden & Whitehead is the songwriting, production and recording duo of Gene McFadden and John Whitehead, best known for their Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling smash “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.” They also wrote and produced memorable R&B hits for Philadelphia International Records in the ’70s, including The O’Jays’ “Backstabbers,” Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes’ “Bad Luck” and “Wake Up Everybody,” and “I’ll Always Love My Mama” by The Intruders.
The Soul Survivors formed in New York, but they adopted Philadelphia as their home in 1967 when “Expressway to Your Heart” – currently marking its 50th anniversary – became the first “Sound of Philadelphia” hit for its architects, PMA walk of famers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group hit the top 40 a second time with the song “Explosion (In Your Soul).”
Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo got their start managing and recording hip-hop pioneer Schoolly D. But it was their Columbia Records label partnership, Ruffhouse Records, that brought them to hip-hop dominance in the ’90s thanks to hit recordings by Cypress Hill, Kriss Kross, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Leela James. In 1999 Schwartz and Nicolo closed the label, and Schwartz and Kevon Glickman carried on with RuffNation Records. Ruffhouse Records relaunched in 2012 through EMI Records, with its first release by Philly’s Beanie Sigel.
Bob Pantano became known as “Mr. Saturday Night” thanks to the 40-years-running “Saturday Night Dance Party” on 98.1 WOGL.
