R&B quartet the Intruders set the table for Philadelphia soul music, which
blended pop vocal stylings with the resonant power of R&B. Formed in 1960, the
group eventually gained notice after it teamed up with songwriting and
production duo Gamble and Huff, the powerhouse unit behind later successes from
the O'Jays, Lou Rawls, and the Jacksons.
Lead vocalist Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phil Terry, and
Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards were soldiering on without much success throughout
the early 1960s before crossing paths with Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, then ...